Ofcom's Proposed Plan of Work 2025/26
Ofcom has published its proposed plan of work for the financial year 2025–2026, setting out its key priorities and approach. As part of this process, Ofcom has conducted a consultation to gather industry feedback on its proposed workplan.
techUK welcomes the publication of the plan, which provides valuable transparency on Ofcom’s priorities. The coming year will be pivotal, particularly with the continued implementation of the Online Safety Act. Strong collaboration between Ofcom and industry will be essential to ensuring effective and proportionate regulation that supports innovation while protecting users.
Key areas of focus
Ofcom has outlined four priority areas for the year ahead, detailing scheduled work under each category. techUK has summarised these priorities as follows:
Connectivity (Reliable internet and post services)
This priority focuses on ensuring resilient networks, competitive markets, fair consumer treatment, and an affordable postal service. Key areas of Ofcom’s work include:
The Telecoms Access Review and Wholesale Voice Markets Review
Telecoms and digital infrastructure security
Postal Universal Service Obligation (USO) review
Media Trust (Ensuring trusted and diverse content)
Ofcom aims to safeguard access to impartial news, fair competition, audience protection, and free expression. Key areas of work include:
Media Act implementation
Public service media (PSM) review
BBC periodic review
Strengthening protections against harmful content
Online Safety (Creating a safer digital environment)
With the Online Safety Act taking full effect, Ofcom’s focus is on establishing a robust regulatory framework that balances safety, transparency, and user choice. Key areas of work include:
Implementing and enforcing the online safety regime
Tackling illegal harms and protecting children online
Strengthening partnerships to enhance online safety
Spectrum (Maximising wireless innovation)
This priority ensures efficient spectrum use to support connectivity, minimise interference, and represent UK interests globally. Key areas of Ofcom’s work include:
International engagement on spectrum management
Enabling innovation through timely spectrum availability and greater sharing
Driving efficiencies through advanced spectrum management
Online Safety Approach
The area of particular importance to the technology sector will be Online Safety and how the Act is implemented. Ofcom have laid out their plan supporting Online Safety, as summarised below:
Enforcing protections against illegal harms and child safety – Ofcom will begin enforcing the Illegal Content and Protection of Children Codes of Practice once approved by Parliament, with further consultations on user protections starting in spring 2025. Best practice guidance on protecting women and girls will also be finalised.
Ensuring compliance – Ofcom is working with high-risk services to assess and strengthen their safety measures. Ofcom will launch broader compliance programmes to address sector-wide risks, while support will be provided to help all services meet their new obligations.
Duties on categorised services – Following the publication of the register of categorised services in summer 2025, Ofcom will start issuing draft and final transparency notices. The first mandated transparency reports are expected by the end of 2025, with further Codes of Practice and guidance set for early 2026.
Building regulatory infrastructure – Ofcom is enhancing its technological and data capabilities for effective oversight. Industry fees will fund regulation, with invoicing expected to begin in the 2026/27 financial year.
Collaborating with partners – Ofcom continues working with UK and international regulators, aligning regulatory approaches to aid compliance. It is also developing a super-complaints process to highlight systemic safety issues across platforms.
techUK Reaction
Ensuring high-quality, secure connectivity is critical for the UK’s digital economy. We support Ofcom’s efforts to promote competition, expand rural coverage, and advance technologies like 5G and 6G. Ongoing regulatory clarity—particularly around spectrum access, network security, and investment incentives—will be vital in maintaining the UK’s leadership in digital infrastructure.
Implementing the Online Safety Act will be a major focus for 2025–26. We welcome Ofcom’s clear regulatory timelines, which provide much-needed clarity for industry. To ensure effective collaboration, we encourage Ofcom to maintain openness and transparency throughout the enforcement process. In areas such as fees, penalties, and compliance monitoring, independent experts and external auditors could play a role in maintaining industry confidence.
Greater transparency in decision-making would benefit both regulators and industry. Our members would welcome the publication of more of the evidence Ofcom has used in reaching its decisions. This would help businesses better understand regulatory reasoning, improving industry engagement and fostering more informed discussions.
Tackling online fraud and improving digital inclusion remain key priorities. As highlighted in the UK Tech Plan, closing the digital skills gap—through measures such as reforming the apprenticeship levy—could unlock up to £5.69 billion in wage increases for UK workers. We encourage Ofcom to continue fostering collaboration across government and industry to address these challenges.
Stable and proportionate regulation supports long-term investment, innovation, and growth in the UK tech sector. We look forward to further clarity on how Ofcom will apply its new growth duty across its workstreams to ensure a regulatory environment that enables the sector to thrive.
techUK remains committed to working closely with Ofcom to ensure a competitive, secure, and forward-looking digital economy.
We have submitted a detailed consultation response directly to Ofcom.
