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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

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DCMS Committee Finds Online Safety Bill Gets the Balance Wrong

24th January, 2022 (1 Comment)

A new cross-party UK report from the DCMS Select Committee has warned that the Government’s new Online Safety Bill (OSB), which will task Ofcom with tackling “harmful” content online, fails to get the balance right and “neither protects freedom of expression nor is it clear nor robust enough to tackle illegal and harmful online content.”

LibDems in New Push for Mandatory UK Social Broadband Tariffs

21st January, 2022 (42 Comments)

The MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone – with backing from 14 Liberal Democrat peers, is to meet with the UK Minister for Digital Infrastructure, Julia Lopez, in an attempt to force all broadband ISPs to offer mandatory “universal social tariffs” to help those who are struggling to pay their bills.

Openreach Chairman Tipped to Take on Same Role at Ofcom UK

14th January, 2022 (17 Comments)

The long-winded, complex, and sometimes highly controversial attempts to find a new Chairman for the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, appears to have taken another twist. Reports suggest that Openreach’s experienced Chairman, Mike McTighe, has allegedly become a front-runner to take on the role. AltNets may not be happy.

Homes in Cartmel Fell Still Without Broadband After 6 Weeks

7th January, 2022 (24 Comments)

Some homes in the remote rural hamlet of Cartel Fell, which sits in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria (England), have been left without access to a working fixed line broadband ISP or phone service for six long weeks. The problems began after Openreach’s local telecoms infrastructure was significantly damaged by Storm Arwen.

ISPs and Content Providers Respond to Ofcom’s UK Net Neutrality Review

4th January, 2022 (26 Comments)

Ofcom has published some of the first responses from UK broadband ISPs and internet content providers to their new review of Net Neutrality rules, which were designed to ensure no serious blocking or slowing of access to legal websites or other online services by ISPs and mobile operators. Suffice to say, vested interests split the pack.

Ofcom Bans UK Mobile Operators from Locking Phones

17th December, 2021 (29 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today begun to enforce a number of new consumer protection measures on mobile operators, which in practice means that they can no longer supply locked phones and are now limited to a maximum contract term of 24-months on bundles (mobile plans and handsets).

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Connected Nations 2021 – UK Gigabit Broadband Cover Hits 47%

16th December, 2021 (15 Comments)

Ofcom has released their Connection Nations 2021 UK digital infrastructure report, which reveals that the coverage of “gigabit-capable” (1Gbps+) broadband ISP networks has jumped from 27% last year to 47% now (13.7 million households). Plus, around half of UK properties are in areas where 5G mobile is available outside.

Ofcom UK Sets Out Predictable Annual Work Plan for 2022-23

15th December, 2021 (2 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed a new annual work plan for the 2022-23 period. The generalised summary covers everything from improving fairness for consumers to the 2G / 3G mobile switch-off and the migration to VoIP phone services from copper lines, among many other things.

Parliamentary Committee Sets Out Plan for UK Internet Regulation

14th December, 2021 (24 Comments)

The Joint Committee on the controversial Draft Online Safety Bill (OSB), which was setup to help establish the regulatory framework to help Ofcom tackle “harmful” content online (e.g. hate speech, bullying, terrorism, conspiracy theories etc.), has today published its report. But the tougher rules and tighter offences may not all be workable.

4 Fibre and Converged Communication Solutions Plan FTTP Broadband Builds UPDATE

13th December, 2021 (0 Comments)

Two new UK Alternative Network (altnet) builders – 4 Fibre (SCCI Group) and Converged Communication Solutions – have today revealed their tentative plans to rollout or expand an existing Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network across some very different parts of the country.

Mobile Operators Unhappy as Ofcom Set Licence Fees for 2100MHz

13th December, 2021 (9 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today set new annual licence fees (ALF) for spectrum licences in the 2100MHz band, which was originally auctioned off in April 2000 to support the rollout of 3G mobile (mobile broadband) networks for the eye watering sum of £22.5bn. But mobile operators aren’t happy about the change.

New UK AltNet Provider AllPoints Fibre to Build FTTP Broadband

9th December, 2021 (0 Comments)

A new London-based alternative network builder called AllPoints Fibre (APF), which is being backed by investment from the Fern Trading Group (advised by Octopus Investments), has today joined the UK market with a plan to deploy a new “open access” wholesale Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network that other ISPs can harness.

CityFibre Start Legal Fight Over Ofcom Approval of Openreach FTTP Price Cut UPDATE2

8th December, 2021 (22 Comments)

CityFibre has this week carried out their earlier threats by launching an appeal via the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to challenge Ofcom’s recent approval of Openreach’s “Equinox” offer (here), which introduced a “major” price cut (details) to the incumbents Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband products for UK ISPs.

Ofcom Reports Good UK Progress on Openreach’s Split from BT UPDATE

8th December, 2021 (8 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their annual monitoring report, which finds that Openreach continues to “operate with a high degree of strategic and operational independence” from BT and there has been positive progress in take-up of their Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product by rival broadband ISPs. Only a few small issues remain.

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All Public 2G and 3G UK Mobile Services Switched Off by 2033

8th December, 2021 (37 Comments)

The Government has unveiled a new agreement with the four primary mobile network operators, including Vodafone, EE (BT), O2 (VMO2) and Three UK, which among other things will see existing 2G and 3G signals being “phased out” by 2033 (benefitting 4G / 5G services and mobile broadband) and a new target for OpenRAN adoption.

Ofcom UK Seeks Views on Using Terahertz Bands for Broadband

2nd December, 2021 (13 Comments)

Ofcom has today opened a new consultation that seeks feedback on how to maximise the long-term value of Terahertz spectrum, which is expected to play a role in future wireless broadband and mobile broadband (6G) technologies and could deliver speeds of 1 Terabits per second (Tbps) or 1000Gbps (Gigabits).

Ofcom Fines O2 UK GBP150,000 Over Inaccurate Information UPDATE

1st December, 2021 (4 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (VMO2) has been fined £150k by the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, after they were found to have provided “inaccurate and incomplete information” during an earlier investigation into the company’s billing issues (here), which separately resulted in the operator being fined £10.5m for overcharging customers.