The regulator is the first in the world to ban the practice, issuing an immediate ban to respond to the disproportionate harm that UK global licenses have facilitated globally
Ofcom has issued new rules to address the misuse of Global Titles, with UK Global Titles one of the most prevalent sources of harm globally
On 22 April 2025, Ofcom published its statement finalising a ban on the leasing of Global Titles (GTs) to third parties by operators in the UK. According to the regulator, GTs – which act similarly to IP addresses in supporting the routing of mobile traffic between networks – and particularly access to them by third parties have enabled the proliferation of fraud and other abusive practices. In discussing the scope of these harms, Ofcom notes that UK GTs (using the +44 code) have become one of the most prevalent sources of signalling violations, with research commissioned by the regulator ranking UK titles as having the sixth highest threat severity score in the world. Beyond the scope of harms directed to individual consumers targeted by malicious signalling, Ofcom also expressed concern over the potential for reputational damage for operators in the UK, as well as the potential for added costs for network security or even network outages.
While 2G and 3G network retirements will also phase out GTs, harm can persist anywhere these networks remain functional internationally
The global title system was developed with the intention that only national, trusted operators would access the system and was therefore not designed with security as a priority, which has resulted in a number of known vulnerabilities. The leasing of GTs, when conducted in good faith, can support a number of use cases, including MVNO operations, domestic and international roaming, and application-to-person (A2P) SMS messaging. However, as Ofcom identifies, access to this system also allows bad actors to access and manipulate traffic for malicious purposes, including:
Tracking the geographic location of consumers;
Improperly accessing SMS messages; and
Rerouting voice traffic without proper authentication.
GTs can therefore be leveraged to compromise other security measures, such as SMS authentication tools for banks, to commit fraud or to breach the sensitive personal data of individuals, including to target high-profile individuals and public figures. Ofcom notes that, to some degree, these risks presented by global title abuse are time-limited since only 2G and 3G networks utilise the SS7 protocol on which they are based, and these networks are due to be shut down in the coming years. However, the regulator states that the varying international timelines for the retirement of these legacy networks and the fact misuse can occur so long as one of these networks is functional, even if a consumer is connected via 4G or 5G instead, could allow harms to persist past the UK’s intended deadline for 2G/3G retirement of 2033.
The leasing of GTs and the creation of GTs from sub-allocated numbers is banned, effective immediately
In response to these risks, Ofcom decided to ban the practice of leasing GTs to third parties, effective immediately. Additionally, the regulator will no longer permit the creation or use of GTs based on sub-allocated number ranges. Ofcom adds that, in the context of sub-allocated numbers, it lacks any direct regulatory relationship with the entities that may be creating or using GTs through these ranges and that implementing a monitoring or reporting scheme for these cases would not be effective in mitigating the risks at play. For leases already in operator or GTs from sub-allocated numbers already in use, Ofcom will allow a transition period of two years for operators to adjust their practices and adopt other technical solutions to support relevant use cases. The regulator also clarified its guidance for operators to address potential misuse of GTs by number holders with directly allocated ranges and has tightened rules around the creation of GTs from non-allocated numbers. While Ofcom notes that the GSMA did not respond to its consultation on GTs, the regulator discussed its alignment with the industry organisation’s position on banning the leasing of GTs at length, evidencing the opportunity for collaboration with industry in combatting fraud.