Insights
Analysis of telecoms, data, payments and technology regulation and transactions
Clear, practical commentary on legal and regulatory developments affecting telecoms operators, digital infrastructure providers, technology companies, financial institutions, fintechs and investors.
Our blogging history
We have been publishing insights since 2010, when Rob first built the website on WordPress. From the outset, the aim was the same: careful research, precise language and analysis that explains not just the legal issue, but its practical and commercial effect.
That remains our approach today. Artificial intelligence now helps with parts of the research and drafting process, and it has supported the development of this website. But technology does not replace judgement, experience or specialist expertise. Our insights are shaped by real advisory work across regulation, compliance and transactions.
Through this Insights section, Bratby Law aims to provide clear analysis that helps organisations make informed decisions in complex and fast-moving areas of law and regulation. For advice on a specific issue, regulatory strategy or a transaction, please get in touch.
Recent articles
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UK Altnet Consolidation: The M&A Wave Reshaping UK Fibre
In short: Four UK fibre altnet M&A transactions in Q1 2026 confirm the consolidation wave. The dividing line between a strategic exit at market metrics and a distressed lender-driven exit is debt repayment capacity: whether take-up generates enough recurring revenue to service the debt incurred during the build phase. Acquirers must assess CMA jurisdiction under…
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APP Fraud Reimbursement: £173 Million and the Cross-Sector Liability Debate
In short: UK payment firms reimbursed £173 million to APP fraud victims in year one of the PSR’s mandatory regime under Specific Direction 20. The payments sector bears all reimbursement costs, but APP fraud originates across telecoms, social media and messaging platforms. The Q2 2026 FCA/PSR review will consider whether the current single-sector liability model…
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CSR Bill and Telecoms Supply Chains
In short: The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill does not impose NIS obligations on telecoms operators for their core network and service provision. NIS Regulation 8(1A) and the RMSP definition both exclude PECN/PECS providers. But the Bill catches operators’ IT suppliers as Relevant Managed Service Providers under ICO oversight, and operators running data centres above…
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Ofcom Chair 2026: What Sir Ian Cheshire’s Appointment Signals for Operators
In short: Ofcom chair 2026: The government named Sir Ian Cheshire as its preferred candidate for Ofcom Chair on 8 April 2026, succeeding Lord Grade from 1 May 2026. Cheshire’s background in retail, consumer business and corporate governance, rather than telecoms or technology regulation, signals a regulatory emphasis on consumer outcomes during a critical period…
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Gamma Communications Takeover: CMA Merger Control and Channel Implications
Gamma Communications confirmed on 7 April 2026 that it is in preliminary discussions with multiple potential bidders. That announcement commenced an offer period under the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the Code). With revenue of GBP 645.8 million in 2025, a completed acquisition would be one of the largest transactions in the UK unified…
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On Tower v AP Wireless: ECC Renewal Rights and the Assignee Operator
On 3 February 2026, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in On Tower UK Ltd v AP Wireless II (UK) Ltd [2026] EWCA Civ 43, settling a question that had divided the First-tier Tribunal and the Upper Tribunal. An operator that has been assigned only the benefit of a Code licence agreement is a…
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The DUAA disproportionate effort exemption: the ICO’s draft RAS guidance
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) opened consultation on 27 February 2026 on draft updated guidance for the research, archiving and statistics (RAS) provisions of UK data protection law. Responses close on 27 April 2026. The commercial novelty for controllers running long-lived datasets, AI training sets or public-interest archives is the new disproportionate effort exemption in…
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Gigaclear restructuring: UK altnet lender reset
UK fibre consolidation is splitting into two paths. On the happy path, a well-positioned altnet is bought at a premium by a scaled acquirer, as in nexfibre’s agreement to acquire the Substantial Group, the parent of Netomnia and YouFibre, announced in February 2026 and analysed in our earlier note, UK Fibre Consolidation: What the Nexfibre…
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UK AI Regulation: What the Law Says
The UK has no standalone AI law. Unlike the European Union, which passed the AI Act in 2024, the UK has chosen a sector-led approach under which existing regulators apply existing law to AI systems within their remit. This article sets out what that means in practice in 2026: which statutes and regulators bind AI developers and deployers, what the DUAA 2025 changed for automated decision-making, where copyright law stands after the government stepped back from its proposed training exception, and how Ofcom, the FCA, the PSR and the CMA apply existing powers to AI.
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BNPL Regulation: What FCA Authorisation Means for BNPL Operators
From 15 July 2026, BNPL firms must hold FCA authorisation or rely on the Temporary Permissions Regime. What PS26/1 and SI 2025/859 require now.
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Ofcom Copper Retirement: What the Three-Stage Framework Means for Operators
Ofcom confirmed its three-stage copper retirement framework in the TAR 2026-31. The second threshold consultation closes 12 May 2026. What operators and wholesale access purchasers need to know about the stop sell, charge control removal and full copper withdrawal timeline.
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Automated Decision-Making After the DUAA: What the New UK Regime Means for AI-Enabled Products
The DUAA replaces Article 22 UK GDPR with a new ADM regime effective 5 February 2026. The default shifts from prohibition to permission with safeguards. The ICO consultation on draft ADM guidance closes 29 May 2026.
Telecoms, data protection and payments regulation lawyers
Bratby Law advises on telecoms regulation, data protection, payments regulation and transactions across the communications, financial services and technology sectors.
How we work
Bratby Law works with clients in three ways: as direct legal advisors on specific matters, as specialist co-counsel supporting other legal teams, and as fractional general counsel on a longer-term retained basis. Each model delivers partner-level input without delegation.
Why Choose Bratby Law?
Sector expertise
Bratby Law advises exclusively on telecoms regulation, data protection, and payments regulation. That concentration means deeper knowledge of the regulatory environment, faster analysis, and advice that reflects how regulators actually behave: not how the textbook says they should.
Senior delivery
Every instruction is handled by Rob Bratby personally. With 30 years’ experience spanning Oftel, senior in-house roles at network operators, and partnership at international law firms, you receive the analysis directly: not through a junior team. The firm uses AI tools to extend research capacity and accelerate document review, so senior judgment is applied to more of your matter, not less.
Unique perspective
Rob Bratby has sat on all three sides of the regulatory table: as a regulator at Oftel, as General Counsel at major operators, and as external counsel. That inside-out perspective informs every piece of advice. He currently holds fractional General Counsel appointments at TOTSCo, UKPI, TelXL, and Core.