Mobile strategy
This document sets out the terms of reference for Ofcom’s strategic review of its approach to markets that deliver mobile services.
The aim of this review is to ensure that the markets that deliver mobile services work well for people and businesses over the next five to 10 years, as technologies develop and the market changes.
The review will consider how people’s and businesses’ use of mobile is likely to evolve, including what new uses might become possible due to changes in technology. It will cover how the value chain may change (both vertically and horizontally) and the potential impact of those changes. The review will consider whether there are any barriers to the market delivering good outcomes in the coming years, and whether any existing regulation might need to be revised to help ensure the delivery of those outcomes.
We intend to build a holistic view of how the mobile market operates and how Ofcom can best contribute to the delivery of good outcomes for people and businesses.
The review will have at least two main phases. The first phase will focus on evidence gathering and understanding people’s and businesses’ use of mobile connectivity, the impact that changes to the mobile value chain are having on the market and the extent to which the market is likely to deliver good outcomes. The second phase will draw initial conclusions and set out any next steps.
We anticipate concluding the first phase of the review with the publication of a discussion paper inviting stakeholder views in Q3 2021/22, and the second phase in Q1 2022/23.