Telecoms | UK Regulatory Outlook July 2025

Ofcom confirms changes to ADR rules 

On 9 July, Ofcom published a statement confirming changes to the rules on handling complaints from residential and small business customers. Previously, such customers had to wait up to eight weeks from the date of their initial complaint before being given access to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). This time period has now been reduced to six weeks, meaning that communications providers will have less time to resolve customer complaints before they are escalated.  

In addition, Ofcom has also reapproved both the Communications Ombudsman and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme as the ADR providers for the sector. This is subject to some proposals for improvements to the schemes and a strengthening of the applicable key performance indicators.  

Providers have until 8 April 2026 to implement the changes in relation to the new timeframe to access ADR.  

Consultation on fees for satellite gateways 

On 1 July, Ofcom opened a consultation on proposals to update fees for satellite gateways. These changes are intended to reflect the significant growth in demand for spectrum from the satellite sector in recent years and include:  

• For NGSO gateways, moving from the "per satellite connection" fee used for geostationary (GSO) gateways to a fee based on the estimated impact of connecting with a satellite fleet.
• Limiting fees to the 10 most sterilising antennas at a gateway (for a given frequency band).
• Removing fees for "duplicate" emissions.
• Setting proportionate fees for higher frequency bands which it plans to make available for satellite gateway use.
• Updating how it calculates GSO gateway licence fees to incorporate relevant elements of its NGSO proposals. 

The consultation will close on 9 September 2025.  

Consultation on short notice/duration licences in 2.3 GHz 

On 1 July, Ofcom shared proposals for a new "short notice, short duration" licence for indoor and outdoor use, through which a mix of users could share access to 2320-2340 MHz. It is envisaged that this new licence could be used to support a range of applications including use of 5G cameras for breaking news stories, sports coverage, pop-up mobile coverage and private network demonstrator events. 

The key features of the proposed licence are:  

• A simplified "pre-coordination" process to protect existing users.
• A maximum transmit power of 30 dBm Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP).
• A maximum duration of fourteen days.
• An expected licensing turnaround time of around three days.
• A licence fee of £56 per 10 MHz for each 48 hours of use. 

Stakeholders have until 2 September to submit their responses to the consultation.