Telecoms | UK Regulatory Outlook July 2026

Ofcom questioned on consumer outcomes, social tariffs, vulnerability and dispute resolution 

On 29 June 2026, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) took oral evidence from Dame Melanie Dawes (Ofcom CEO), alongside the CEOs of Ofgem and Ofwat, as part of its inquiry into the regulation of water, energy and broadband. The session drew on the National Audit Office report, Regulating water, energy and broadband to protect consumers in vulnerable circumstances (HC 27). A panel of consumer experts, including Martin Lewis CBE (MoneySavingExpert) and Citizens Advice, preceded the regulators. 

The main broadband topics covered were: 

1. Mid-contract price rises. Martin Lewis cited research finding that 75% of consumers (based on an examination of 47,000 tariffs) are paying more under Ofcom's current rules than they would have done otherwise, and argued that Ofcom should prohibit above-inflation increases mid-contract. Dame Melanie Dawes responded that Ofcom has introduced end-of-contract notifications and, separately, outlawed inflation-plus mid-contract price rises. She also argued that broadband pricing is falling, noting that average monthly prices have decreased from around £50 to £32–£34, with further discounts available, and that flattening the increase could eliminate discounting. 
2. Social tariffs. Take-up is less than 9%, compared with 70% for the energy equivalent. Citizens Advice noted the lack of standardisation as a serious problem and observed that the current framework for broadband is a voluntary scheme without incentives for telecoms companies to promote social tariffs. As such, they recommended either a mandatory scheme or a voucher-based model. Dame Melanie Dawes acknowledged that take-up has stalled, pointed to the need for DWP data-sharing to identify eligible consumers, and noted that mandating social tariffs is a decision for government. 
3. Vulnerability and priority services. There is currently no priority services register (PSR) in broadband. Dame Melanie Dawes was asked whether she supports the Department for Business and Trade proposal for a multi-sector "share once" register, which she said Ofcom supports in principle. However, she flagged concerns about data being held at local level rather than centrally, raising questions about how individuals can be identified and prioritised. Citizens Advice also called for a statutory advice and advocacy function in telecoms, noting it is the only essential sector without one. 
4. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR). To provide customers with quicker resolution of their complaints, Ofcom has reduced the period after which an unresolved complaint can be escalated to ADR from eight weeks to six weeks, factoring in digital communications and speed. 
5. Consumer debt and disconnections. Overall broadband satisfaction is 84%, falling to approximately 80% for vulnerable customers. Ofcom intends to follow up on disconnections, noting a rate of 1% every six months, which it considers potentially high. Dame Melanie Dawes confirmed that Ofcom will launch a consumer hub on telecoms shortly after the summer 2026 recess. 

The session flags a number of areas of concern for both the public and the government, and signals potential areas for change in regulation. Notably, however, Ofcom did defend providers during the session. Dame Melanie Dawes highlighted that broadband and mobile are highly competitive markets operating on narrow margins, and cautioned that pushing social tariff adoption too far would almost certainly increase bills elsewhere. She also noted that certain measures sought by the committee, such as mandating social tariffs or establishing a PSR in broadband, are decisions for the government, and that investment in infrastructure such as mobile mast backup is costly and ultimately driven by government policy choices rather than provider reluctance. Providers may therefore take some comfort that Ofcom recognises the commercial constraints under which they operate, even as the regulatory and political environment continues to evolve. 

Ofcom publishes updated Network and Service Resilience Guidance 

On 16 June 2026, Ofcom published an updated version of its Network and Service Resilience Guidance, setting out the measures it expects communications providers to take in relation to the availability, performance and functionality of their networks and services. The updated guidance clarifies the expectations placed upon Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to manage and mitigate the risks of power outages. This guidance supersedes and replaces Ofcom's 2022 Resilience guidance document and is intended to be read in conjunction with the Telecommunications Security Code of Practice, which focuses primarily on cyber-security aspects. 

The Ofcom Statement on Network and Service Resilience Guidance (published in September 2024) left open the question of what specific measures MNOs should take to limit the risk of power outages. The updated guidance addresses this gap by setting out the following expected measures for mobile cell sites: 

• Communications providers should run an ongoing risk assessment programme and make plans and investments proportionate to identified risks, considering both likelihood and impact, including vulnerabilities of specific communities (for example, to mobile Radio Access Network (RAN) site power failures). 
• For access sites and equipment aggregating a significant number of customers' last-mile connections, resilience of the equipment and all key dependencies must be built into site and equipment design. 
• Where possible, providers should eliminate the risk of losing key dependencies (such as mains power and network timing/synchronisation) for extended periods, recognising that citizens rely on access networks to reach emergency services. 

The updated guidance does not specify a fixed number of hours of battery power backup for mobile cell sites. This represents a key difference from the guidelines on power backup for other network infrastructure, such as fixed access network active cabinets, for which Ofcom considers approximately four hours of power backup to be good practice, with longer durations expected in areas that suffer more frequent or prolonged outages. 

Ofcom expects MNOs to take robust measures to manage and mitigate the risks of power outages, as outlined above, and to support continued communications services during power outages and surges which might reasonably be expected to occur. As such, MNOs should undertake greater action to ensure power backup in mobile RAN sites rather than relying on specified benchmarks.