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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Major UK Phone Providers Agree to Crackdown on Scam Calls and Fraud

5th November, 2025 (12 Comments)

A new landmark Telecommunications Charter has today been agreed between several of the UK’s leading broadband, mobile and phone providers, which commits BT (EE), Virgin Media (O2), VodafoneThree, Tesco Mobile, TalkTalk, Sky (Sky Broadband) and the Comms Council UK to a “crack down on scam calls and fraud“. A sub-charter also exists for B2B phone services.

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Business ISP 4Com Criticised Over UK Broadband and Phone Contracts

4th November, 2025 (7 Comments)

Bournemouth-based communications, IT and broadband provider 4Com has come in for criticism from some of their UK customers, who have complained about being hit by dramatically higher prices than they originally agreed over the phone. Sadly, business-to-business contracts lack many of the same protections as consumers enjoy, leaving some small firms in a dire situation.

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Gov Push Ofcom to Tackle Mid Contract UK Broadband and Mobile Price Hikes

4th November, 2025 (27 Comments)

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Liz Kendall, has now joined the chorus of displeasure at O2’s recent decision (here) to increase their annual mid-contract price rises beyond what customers agreed when they signed-up. In response, the minister has directed Ofcom’s CEO, Dame Melanie Dawes, to “look at in-contract price rises again“.

Ofcom Warns UK Phone Providers to Ensure Customers Can Contact 999

3rd November, 2025 (6 Comments)

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has opened a new compliance programme to assess whether regulated UK phone providers are meeting their obligations concerning the need to ensure access to emergency calls (e.g. 999 and 112). The move comes after a string of broadband and VoIP providers, including BT, Gigaclear and Vonage, were fined over various related failings (here, here and here).

October 2025 Progress Update on BT 10Mbps UK Broadband USO

3rd November, 2025 (2 Comments)

ISP BT has published the biannual (October 2025) progress update on their delivery of Ofcom’s somewhat unpopular 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. The provider has so far helped to build a USO connection to over 8,553 premises (up from 8,411 in April 2025), with 186 further builds in-progress (down from 349).

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Ofcom and UK Mobile Providers Agree on Wholesale Price of Bulk Biz Texts

31st October, 2025 (1 Comment)

Ofcom has today announced that they’ve secured “voluntary commitments” from mobile operators including EE, O2, Sky and VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) to help stabilise the wholesale prices of automated text (SMS) messages that organisations send to people (A2P – application-to-person); these are widely used by organisations across the public and private sectors.

Ofcom UK Grant Gateway Licence for Amazon’s Project Kuiper Broadband Network

30th October, 2025 (4 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has today granted a new gateway licence for Amazon’s future Project Kuiper network. The move supports the retail giant’s effort to launch a global mega-constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which will deliver affordable ultrafast broadband and mobile (4G, 5G) services to rival Starlink (SpaceX).

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Ofcom Express Disappointment over O2’s UK Mobile Price Hike, But Doesn’t Act UPDATE

30th October, 2025 (38 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today said they’re “disappointed” by mobile operator O2’s (Virgin Media) recent decision (here) to increase their annual mid-contract price rises beyond what customers agreed when they signed-up (often above inflation too) and then forcing that upon existing customers. But so far an expression of disappointment is all they’ll do.

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EE and Three UK Attract Most Complaints for Broadband and Mobile in Q2 2025

30th October, 2025 (12 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their latest quarterly Q2 2025 study of UK consumer telecoms and TV complaints, which names EE as attracting the most gripes from customers for fixed broadband and Pay TV services, while Three UK took the most flak for Mobile services.

Ofcom UK Propose New Rules to Tackle Mobile Messaging Scams

29th October, 2025 (12 Comments)

Ofcom has today announced a “comprehensive package of planned measures” that are designed to improve protection for mobile phone users against messaging scams. According to the regulator, some 50% of UK mobile users said they received a suspicious message between Nov 2024 and Feb 2025 via text or iMessage, but it’s hoped today’s changes may reduce that figure.

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Ofcom Grant Starlink an E Band Capacity Boost for UK Satellite Broadband

28th October, 2025 (0 Comments)

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today granted “temporary authorisation” for SpaceX’s Starlink service to harness the E band (71-76GHz and 81-86GHz) frequencies for their mega constellation of compact ultrafast broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The move will boost their backhaul data capacity at three gateway earth station sites.

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5G on Aircraft and 5.8GHz for UK FWA Broadband as Ofcom Make Kit Licence Exempt

27th October, 2025 (1 Comment)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has today decided to proceed with all the proposals they outlined in January 2025 to exempt lots of additional equipment from needing a wireless telegraphy licence, such as 5G handsets and dongles on aircraft or ships and 5.8GHz (5725-5850 MHz) Fixed Wireless Access kit – used by many wireless broadband ISPs.

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Openreach UK Launch Rental Discount on up to 1Gbps EAD Ethernet Tiers UPDATE

27th October, 2025 (1 Comment)

Network operator Openreach (BT) has notified UK internet providers (ISPs) about the looming launch of a new special offer on their Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) lines for speeds of 1Gbps or below. The deal will apply a rental discount of 10% on the current one-year term rental prices with no CPI price rises for a full 36 or 60 months in return for signing up to a new 36 or 60-month term.

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Ofcom Make Part of 1900MHz Band Available for 5G Mobile on UK’s Rail Network UPDATE

24th October, 2025 (3 Comments)

As expected, Ofcom has today confirmed that they will make part of the 1900MHz radio spectrum band (1900-1920MHz), which had previously gone unused by mobile operators, available for use by both the UK’s rail network (5G / data services) and to extend coverage for the 4G Emergency Services Network (ESN).

Ofcom Publish Final Results of UK 5G Mobile Auction for 26GHz and 40GHz

24th October, 2025 (4 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has this morning revealed the final (assignment stage) results of last week’s auction of the 26GHz and 40GHz millimetre wave (mmW) spectrum bands for use by 5G mobile broadband operators, which sets out precisely which frequencies within each band will be allocated to EE, O2 and VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK).

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Internal Auditors Seek Greater UK Telecoms Role via New Security Code

24th October, 2025 (5 Comments)

The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CIIA), which recently complained that some of the UK’s major broadband ISPs operated without an internal audit (here) – potentially exposing them to “unchecked risks and increasing the likelihood of corporate collapse“, has now sought to drum up new business by pressing the government to make it a requirement of their revised telecoms security code.

Survey Claims UK Broadband and Mobile Users Save up to £258 by Haggling or Switching

23rd October, 2025 (6 Comments)

A recent survey of 5,014 UK adult consumers, which was conducted by Which?, has claimed that the average broadband-only ISP customer could save £100 per year by switching to a new provider – rising to £160 and £155 on Sky Broadband and Virgin Media respectively. Similarly, those who haggled saved £65 (rising to £92 and £85 respectively on Virgin Media and BT).