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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Ofcom Tweaks Help UK People Who Struggle to Pay Broadband ISP Bills

17th March, 2022 (0 Comments)

The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has proposed to make a few changes to their ‘Treating Vulnerable Customers Fairly‘ guide, which aims to help the 1.1 million households (5%) that are estimated to still be struggling to afford their broadband and phone (this rises to around 1 in 10 among the lowest-income households).

Internet Censorship Beckons as UK Online Safety Bill Hits Parliament

16th March, 2022 (29 Comments)

The UK Government’s controversial Online Safety Bill, which will task Ofcom with clamping down on “harmful” online content (hate speech, bullying, terrorism, conspiracy theories etc.) by threatening such providers with web-blocks, fines and possibly even jail – if they don’t enforce the rules, has today been introduced to parliament.

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AltNets Brightstar and Urbanfibre Plan UK FTTP Broadband Rollout

16th March, 2022 (0 Comments)

Two new Alternative Network (altnet) builders – Brightstar Limited and Urbanfibre Limited – have today revealed some tentative details about their proposed plans to build or expand an existing Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network across some parts of the country.

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Ofcom UK Sets Out Approach to LEO Broadband Satellites

15th March, 2022 (2 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published their proposals for a new ‘Space Spectrum Strategy’, which among other things sets out their approach to supporting the growth of satellite broadband services, such as via the new mega constellations of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) platforms from SpaceX (Starlink) and OneWeb.

Mystery ISP Becomes First to Adopt Number Porting Flexibility

12th March, 2022 (7 Comments)

The Office of the Telecoms Adjudicator recently revealed that a “major” UK ISP had become the first to adopt the new ‘Right to Port‘ requirement for fixed line phones, which introduces some useful extra flexibility for phone users who want to switch (port) their number between operators. But none of the big players will confirm it.

Ofcom UK Tweak Geographic Phone Numbering and Local Dialling

11th March, 2022 (20 Comments)

Ofcom has today set out their final changes to the rules that govern the use of phone numbers in the UK, which has opted to retain the existing rules on geographic numbering and remove the obligation on telecoms providers and broadband ISPs to provide local dialling to customers.

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Switching Survey Claims 7 Million UK Broadband Users Overpaying

10th March, 2022 (6 Comments)

A new survey of 2,000 UK adults has estimated that around 6.95 million households are now out of contract with their current home broadband ISP, which they claim means that all of those customers could be “overpaying” by an average of £162 when out-of-contract (collective total of around £1 billion).

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Government Extends UK Online Safety Bill to Tackle Scam Adverts

8th March, 2022 (15 Comments)

The UK Government has today announced that their controversial new Online Safety Bill (OSB) will be extended to add a new duty, which aims to bring fraudulent paid-for adverts on social media and internet search engines into scope, whether they are controlled by the platform itself or an advertising intermediary.

New Rules and Taller Masts to Boost 5G Mobile in Rural England

7th March, 2022 (17 Comments)

The Government has today confirmed their intention to introduce a series of changes to Permitted Development (PD) rights for mobile infrastructure, which aims to help extend 5G and 4G (mobile broadband) coverage in rural areas of England via key changes (e.g. allowing taller masts of up to 30 metres).

Internet and UK Telecoms Security Picture

Gov Consults on New UK Telecoms and Internet Security Code UPDATE

1st March, 2022 (2 Comments)

The UK Government has today begun to consult on draft regulations for their new Telecommunications (Security) Act which, aside from banning Huawei inside 5G mobile networks (and restricting their involvement with FTTP broadband), will also impose a cacophony of tedious new security rules on telecoms operators.

Ofcom UK Propose Upper 6GHz Band for Shared Access Licences

28th February, 2022 (3 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed to make the upper 6GHz radio spectrum band (6425-7070MHz) available to Shared Access Licences for low-power, indoor use. But the move raises questions over the future use of this band to help improve 5G and WiFi performance, which has not yet been ruled out.

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Gov Confirm Measures to Tackle Anonymous UK Internet Trolls

25th February, 2022 (29 Comments)

The Government has today confirmed that they will add two new duties to the Online Safety Bill (OSB), which will act to crackdown on the anonymous online abuse that occurs on the largest social networks. The wider bill also tasks Ofcom with tackling “harmful” internet content through website bans, fines and other sanctions.

Ofcom Crackdown on Number Spoofing to Tackle UK SPAM Calls

23rd February, 2022 (11 Comments)

Last year the national telecoms regulator, Ofcom, estimated that 44.6 million UK people may have received scam calls and text messages during just the three months of summer (here), with 2% of recipients being duped by them. In response, the regulator has today proposed changes to tackle the use of fake phone numbers.

Gov Consult on Legal Measures to Ban Huawei from UK FTTP and 5G Mobile

18th February, 2022 (28 Comments)

The Government has today launched a new consultation, which sets out their proposed legal instruments to control the use of Huawei’s telecoms equipment in UK networks. The move reflects both their BAN on the company’s kit for ultrafast 5G mobile platforms and related restrictions in gigabit broadband ISP networks etc.

Altnets Global Reach Networks and Open Infra Plan UK FTTP Builds

16th February, 2022 (1 Comment)

Two further alternative networks, Global Reach Networks and Open Infra, have today revealed that they plan to deploy their own gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP networks across different parts of the United Kingdom. But they’re arriving in a market that is already aggressively competitive with rival builds.

BT Make Home Essentials Broadband Plan Available on High Street UPDATE

15th February, 2022 (4 Comments)

UK ISP BT has today announced that they’re making their home broadband social tariffs – ‘Home Essentials‘ – available to sign-up for on the high street for the first time, which forms part of their response to today’s affordability report from Ofcom (here).

Ofcom Finds Just 55000 UK Homes on a Social Broadband Tariff UPDATE2

15th February, 2022 (14 Comments)

Ofcom has published their latest report on the availability and take-up of cheaper broadband social tariffs from UK ISPs, which finds that – out of an estimated 4.2 million households in receipt of Universal Credit – just 55,000 homes have taken such a package (1.2% of those eligible). The regulator calls on all providers to do more.