Page 126 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Ofcom: Use Comms Regulation to Drive Innovation

The UK should have the best mobile and broadband connectivity
in the world, and Ofcom will be playing its part to help unlock
opportunities, encourage investment and open doors for innovation,
according to the regulator’s group director for communications,
Natalie Black. Speaking at the Parliament & Internet Conference,
organised by Ispa UK – the trade association for the organisations
building and delivering the UK’s internet and telecoms services –
and attended by MPs, broadband providers and other technology
industry trade groups and advocates, Black noted that to assist the
UK in achieving its ambitions in connectivity and hence deliver a
platform for prosperity for general society and business, there were
three key areas for the regulator to prioritise: broadband, mobile,
and growth and spectrum in space-based communications.As less, with Ofcom data showing that average prices were 5% lower
regards broadband, Black stressed that while the UK wasn’t one of in real terms in 2024 than in 2023, and 23% lower than in 2019,
the first movers in the widespread roll-out of fibre communications, despite average data use trebling over this period. She pointed to a
over the past six years, the country has been catching up fast, now period of consumer policy interventions by Ofcom in that time and
having the fastest full-fibre roll-out rate in Europe. She noted that in the support it gave to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority
2019, only 7% of British homes and offices could access ultrafast (CMA) in getting the merger of Vodafone and Three UK over the
full-fibre broadband, but fast-forwarding to today, it’s now 75%. line as examples of how regulation was driving the market. Black
Ofcom attributed this growth to co-operation and shared ambition accepted there was more Ofcom needed to do to drive more gains,
among the UK’s broadband ecosystem. “Together, we have made and she welcomed the government’s new infrastructure strategy –
that happen,” she said. “Ofcom opened the door, and the industry particularly the support for improved mobile connectivity on trains.
stepped up to the challenge.“We were the first country in Europe “Ultimately, this requires a team effort, and we are absolutely
to review, in its own right, the market covering the underground committed at Ofcom to play our part,” she said. The third priority
tunnels and telegraph poles that carry the fibre cables,” said regarding spectrum and space was seen as “the final frontier”
Black. “That significantly improved access to [broadband market of growth, and Black emphasised how supporting innovation
leader] Openreach’s ducts and poles for rivals, laying their own was central to spectrum management. “We consciously look to
lines, hanging capital costs for some new entrants. And then, after allocate spectrum to new use cases, even when the commercial
years of traditional cost-based regulation and falling prices, we case is not yet there,” she said. “In recent years, Ofcom has run
transformed our approach to incentivising investment. “We gave several [projects] to support mobile broadcast, and has supported
Openreach a margin that gave its competitors margin,” she added. industries such as maritime, aviation and emergency services
“And then they didn’t need much help finding their way through the ahead of Europe. “The new private mobile network supports the
open door. Competing networks started building like fury to try to digital transformation of sectors such as logistics and transport,”
gain a coveted first-mover advantage, and that in turn spurred the said Black. “We’re opening up new opportunities of high-capacity
newly independent Openreach into action – and the rest, as they solutions for private networks by making available high-frequency
say, is history. Now that competition is driving innovation.” Among [services]. We’ll continue to support the mobile industry in the
the innovations noted by Black included new techniques for deployment of advanced 5G and 6G. Just over the past few
sliced fibre, new data linking standards and monitoring systems months, we’ve consulted on auctioning more spectrum for 4G and
that potentially mean faults can be fixed before customers even 5G mobile use, and announced we’re releasing more technology
see them. Moreover, she suggested that faster, more reliable and improved for satellite licenses.” She pointed out that the space
connections could unlock benefits for consumers and businesses industry has never seen growth like it is at present, with record
that they haven’t considered before. Full-fibre was key to gaining numbers of satellites in low orbit above the UK changing how we
digital benefits. Black highlighted that the average UK household can connect. Black stated this was one of its busiest areas of
uses more than 500GB of broadband data every month, but among work, offering huge potential for innovation and growth across the
households with full-fibre, that average usage figure goes up 50% to economy. She added that over the course of the next few years,
more than 750Gb. Black predicted that if all the planned broadband Ofcom would be “rapidly” expanding its spectrum allocations
network deployments were realised, nearly 96% of UK properties to space and satellite technology to increase the capacity for
could have full-fibre by 2027, but she stressed that Ofcom broadband services to both homes and businesses, particularly in
recognised long-term investments such as those made by the remote areas, and that it would be developing spectrum licenses
suppliers needed regulatory certainty and security. “We’ll continue to support UK space launch capability. “The last 30 years have
to balance the scales by protecting customers during this period of seen connectivity change like never before, a lifetime’s progress
transition and transformation,” she said. “This is not growth at all in a generation that has come with its opportunities and its
costs. Yes, people want faster networks, but they also want secure, challenges,” said Black. “But there’s one thing that Ofcom takes
affordable networks … This is a hard line in the sand for us, and we away from our small – but, we hope, significant – role in this story:
won’t accept growth leading to consumer harm.” As regards mobile, this is a team sport. Ultimately, it only works if industry, regulators
Black said it was now a market where users were getting more for and government come together.”
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