The AI boom has triggered a wave of investment into data centres – and a groundswell of opposition in the process. Realising the promise of considerable economic benefits will require further action to address the infrastructure’s impacts on energy resources, the environment and local communities.
BT’s rescue of TalkTalk from administration has not been without controversy. As the Government weighs up the pros and cons of the deal, it has (rightly) provided its strongest signal yet that it is open to exploring a safety net in the event of future operator failures.
Many operators are yet to complete their 2G retirements, leaving cost efficiencies and economic benefits unrealised. Given the risks to the continuity of vital services, industry and policymakers must collaborate to balance ensuring a timely process with effective consumer protection.
AI is being rapidly adopted across the customer journey, presenting both opportunities and risks. As regulators increasingly engage with the potential impacts of the technology, they must strike an effective balance between mitigating harms and promoting responsible innovation.
While consumer experiences of mobile coverage often fail to live up to what is promised, regulators have been slow to adopt the most effective testing and reporting practices. They should prioritise the most accurate testing methods despite their additional costs, with Arcep’s approach in France one to follow.
The fallout of the O2 price rise has seen DSIT ask Ofcom to look at in-contract price rises again in the UK, including a “rapid review” of how easy it is to switch providers. Our research suggests Ofcom has already gone the furthest in Europe, leaving few good options available to the regulator from doing nothing through to banning the practice entirely.
As regulators take on similar new statutory duties for online safety, the staff and budgets at their disposal vary greatly. Despite not benefiting from the EC, we find Ofcom to be as equipped, if not more so, when compared to its European counterparts.
As countries prepare for the PSTN switch-off, tensions have risen over whether consumers are ready to make the migration to digital voice. We review the role governments have played in communicating about the switch-off and consider other challenges in readiness
As operators work to limit their environmental impact, some regulators are actively supporting sustainability efforts, while others seem relatively less engaged. We outline tangible steps they could be taking to help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint
Telecoms operators have meaningfully embraced sustainability, with many having set targets even more ambitious than the net zero by 2050 aims. Regulators are paying attention too with ARCEP making environmental issues ‘the next chapter in regulation'
5G is now available in 300+ locations of the UK. So far, only EE has fully explained how it defines a location as covered. Ofcom could play an important role in helping consumers assess coverage claims, much like its equivalent in South Korea does
App stores and operating systems are under increasing scrutiny from regulators due to increasingly common competition concerns. As Australia and France take the lead, the EC is likely to adopt an ex-ante regulatory framework due to the recent rise in competition cases that have emerged
