Regulator outlines three potential authorisation routes as Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile lead UK charge in satellite-to-smartphone connectivity Ofcom has launched a consultation on proposals to authorise the use of mobile spectrum bands for satellite Direct-to-Device (D2D) services — a move that could transform mobile connectivity in rural and remote areas of the UK. Says Ofcom:

UK mobile customers will be better protected against unexpected roaming charges while using their phone abroad and at home under new Ofcom rules that have not yet come into force. Following Brexit, UK laws requiring operators to alert customers of roaming charges when they start roaming ceased to apply, although many operators have continued to

O2 customer experience slower file download speeds over 4G and 5G compared to other networks according to Ofcom’s latest ‘Mobile Matters’ report published today. The research, which is based on crowdsourced data supplied by Opensignal, analysed crowdsourced data collected between October last year and March, and highlights the varying experiences of mobile network users across the country. Ofcom

Three UK has revised its pricing structure to show annual price increases outlined in “pounds and pence” determined by tiers based on the data allowance of each contract. Each year mobile customers will see the following increases depending on their data allowance. 4GB or less: £1 more a month, 5GB-99GB: £1.25 more a month, 100GB

Regulator calls for evidence on innovative solutions to disrupt UK mobile number spoofing from abroad and mobile messaging scams Phone companies will have to identify andblock calls from abroad under strengthened industry guidance introduced by Ofcom to protect the public from scam calls. Current rules do not require operators to block all calls from abroad

Ofcom has a new telecoms Czar to oversee the regulator’s policing of the telecoms, post, and network sectors. She is Natalie Black, CBE, a senior civil servant who was the Deputy Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit and an ex- Director of the Internet Harms Unit*, and Director of the Office of Cyber Security.

Ofcom has fined BT £17.5 million for being ill-prepared to respond to a catastrophic failure of its emergency call handling service last summer after network disruption affected 14,000 emergency calls in June 2023 and lasted 10.5 hours  BT connects 999 and 112 calls in the UK and provides relay services for deaf and speech-impaired people.

Customers must be told upfront in pounds and pence about any price rises their provider includes in their contract, under new consumer protection rules announced today by Ofcom. UK phone, broadband, and pay TV companies will no longer be able to include price rises linked to future inflation rates in their contract terms. New Rules

Ofcom has fined BT £2.8m because subsidiaries EE and Plusnet  did not  provide more than a million customers with clear contract information before they signed up for a new deal. Ofcom said: “The company broke our consumer protection rules designed to ensure telecoms customers get clear, comparable information about the services they are considering buying.”

New Ofcom rules mean networks will have to send clearer roaming alerts to mobile customers from October and provide information about charges. Ofcom says the quality of information being provided to roaming customers has been inconsistent and unclear and that its research found 19 per cent of holidaymakers were unaware they could face roaming charges.

Telecoms customers must be told upfront about any price rises their provider includes in their contract, under new consumer protection plans set out today by Ofcom. Ofcom is to stop telecoms companies from levying mid-contract price rises and introduce tougher protections for customers by banning this practice The new ruling woud apply to new contracts. A

Ofcom has fined utilities supplier Shell Energy £1.4 million today for neglecting to remind over 70,000 phone and broadband customers to review their contracts or inform them about potential savings through new deals.

Ofcom is holding a consultation over its plan to overhaul the licensing and configuration regulations governing customer-installed indoor mobile phone boosters.

BT Mobile was the most complained-about mobile operator between April and June, according to Ofcom.

Consumer advice organisation Which? has urged Ofcom to investigate Virgin Media’s impending contract terms that allow it to raise broadband bills by “unlimited sums” from next April

BT Mobile was the most complained-about mobile provider in the first three months of the year says Ofcom. Customers complained mainly about issues with changing providers and how their complaints had been handled. Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, and EE attracted the fewest number of complaints during Q1.

UK mobile customers will have to be told about any roaming charges that apply when travelling abroad, under new rules proposed today by Ofcom.

Ofcom has opened an investigation into Virgin Media following complaints from customers that the company is making it difficult for them to cancel their services. Ofcom said; “Being able to switch provider easily is an important part of a competitive market. Telecoms customers can choose from a wide range of providers, services and packages, and

Ofcom has agreed with BT Group, Openreach, Sky, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media O2, and Vodafone to better support women to technology careers within the telecom industry. “Having a diverse workforce is crucial to the success of any organisation. But for too many women, climbing that career ladder in a male-dominated industry can be a real

Vodafone and Three have agreed their marriage. But they still require regulatory approval and there is already precedent for the authorities rejecting such massive consolidation.

In a blow to alternative network providers, Ofcom has allowed Openreach to sell its Equinox 2 full-fibre services at lower prices to retail providers.

Three has the best customer service average response times of just 47 seconds according to Ofcom’s latest annual customer service report

BT Mobile, Virgin Mobile and O2 were the most complained-about mobile operators according to Ofcom’s latest report about telecoms and pay-TV providers A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said:“Our number one priority is serving our customers. We’re investing in every area of our business to create an excellent customer experience, with complaints down across the board

But the good news is the effect of turning off 2G and 3G will have a negligible effect on consumers

Telcos are no longer required to provide fax support to customer lines

Sylwia Kechiche, Principal Analyst at Ookla, discusses the topic of consolidation and how it may impact consumers if network convergence is carried out incorrectly

Businesses need to being adopting a proactive approach to customer service to better support and retain valuable customers, says Ben Booth, CEO of MaxContact

The new guidance aims to support innovation, investment and growth, by content providers, broadband and mobile companies

Shell Energy, BT Mobile and Virgin Mobile among the most complained about broadband and mobile providers

Virgin Media O2’s extended services to help struggling families doesn’t eat into mobile data allowances

Only half of telcos surveyed offer special tariffs for those who apply

Millions losing out telecoms discounts.

Ofcom can make recommendations to the government to change regulations and involve the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) if the market isn’t working well

The regulations will be laid out alongside a draft code of practice providing guidance on how providers can comply with them

The cost of living crisis has meant many households have had to cut down on other essentials to pay for telecom services

The report shows the number of complaints made to Ofcom in the first quarter of 2022 per 100,000 customers

Ofcom rules in favour of protecting phone boxes in areas with bad signals

Carter is currently a non-executive director of FTSE 100 company United Utilities, but this will end in July

Over 2.3 million BT customer’s were allegedly overcharged by the telco

Meanwhile Tesco Mobile, EE and Sky Mobile among the best

However Virgin Media and Shell Energy among the most-complained about providers

Ex-Vodafone chief strategy officer Lloyd has specialist experience across the wireless and technology sectors spanning 20-years

Lord Grade is a Conservative peer and ex-chairman of the BBC and ITV

Nearly a million of those targeted followed scammers instructions as criminals become more sophisticated

This follows Ofcom’s call for more broadband providers to offer social tariffs to help those on Universal Credit and other benefits

Ofcom will consider adapting its regulatory approach if changes are made to the market and will clearly set out how it has considered investment when making future policy decisions.

However TalkTalk ranked the worst for broadband and landline complaints

Broadband and mobile companies such as BT, O2 and Vodafone use the rate of inflation to set its price increases.

Bandwidth danger not applicable in the UK and Europe

Ofcom regularly make statutory requests for information from companies to protect customers

Tesco Mobile remains in top spot, this time alongside BT Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE

At least 110 customers were ‘slammed’ by the two firms according to Ofcom investigation

More than two million customers in line for £500 payout

The most common scams were via texts, with 16 to 34 year-olds targeted the most

More than two million BT customers could receive compensation of up to £500 if the claim is successful at court

While 5G mobile usage expands to regions beyond the capital according to latest Ofcom report

Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and EE generated the fewest complaints

Landmark consumer case being will begin hearing tomorrow

Jogia will begin the role in October

The figure has jumped up from 18pc from last September

The campaign sets out to change rules that allow telecom firms to automatically renew businesses’ contract

However EE came top in two of the three categories for least complaints

Number of homes without internet has fallen from 11 per cent in 2020 to 6 per cent

Home phones on track to disappear from UK households by 2067

The regulation changes by Ofcom are expected to speed up the fibre rollout in the UK

EE, O2, Vodafone, and Three each won a portion of the offering

O2 reportedly identified billing issues in 2011

Complaints see quarterly rise due to increased call centre capacity

The launch was due to take part this month

Ofcom found in 2017 BT had overcharged millions of its landline customers 

The global coronavirus pandemic has meant more people are struggling to pay their broadband and mobile bills

While super fast broadband availability grows to 96 per cent in nationwide coverage

BT alleged to have broken rules in 2017/18

Decision on handset unlocking seen as progressive, but some say users will get too much freedom

The government overreached its authority in telling Ofcom to make GSM gateways illegal, says CoA

Finnegan, who took the reins at a challenging time, wants a better investment climate

The ruling upholds a previous judicial review challenge that also went against the Home Office

Vodafone also performed below the industry average across fixed line broadband and landline complaints

New rules to come in effect from December 2021

Vodafone, Three, BT Mobile and Virgin Mobile all recorded more complaints than the industry average

However Tesco Mobile achieved the best scores for the mobile measures 

Three currently holds the most amount of 5G spectrum acquired from previous auctions with 140Mhz

Ofcom estimates 40 per cent of broadband customers are currently out of contract

Marsden has began her new role with immediate effect 

The lockdown has seen a huge spike in broadband usage, reveals Ofcom

Oxley joined Ofcom in 2014 and was interim chief executive for a short spell last year

The challenge could delay the auction by up to a year-and-a-half 

Vodafone CEO welcomes move to take down ‘crackpot videos’

Older people are usually more likely to make these calls according to Ofcom

However Ofcom chairman Lord Burns has stepped down from role and will leave by the end of the year

EE and Sky received the least complaints among broadband providers

UK prices favourable to European countries, says regulator

Post Office have accepted the fine and liability for the rule breach

The regulator has teamed with the UK Regulators Network to compare the biggest companies

Ofcom hopes to drive better competition across the country, especially in rural areas

So far only O2, Three, Sky and Virgin choose to sell unlocked handsets 

First probe started in July over overcharging customers

At least 118 customers affected between April 2018 and January 2019

Second high-profile departure from regulator after CEO Sharon White