Ofcom announces 2015/2016 annual plan

Ofcom has announced its 2015/2016 annual plan setting out priorities and other important work for the period. The regulator said the plan is based on a detailed consultation with stakeholders and is aimed at ensuring the market best serves both consumers and businesses.

Divided under five broader categories, the plan includes 11 priorities (detailed in figure 1 below), one of which is the recently announced, once-in-a-decade strategic digital communications review. The competition body also outlined plans for future spectrum releases in the 2.3GHz, 3.4GHz and 700MHz bands.

To protect the interests of consumers Ofcom said it will also continue work to make switching fixed and mobile providers as easy as possible, as well as protecting people from such as nuisance calls and ‘bill-shock’. It said clearer pricing for 08, 09 and 118 numbers will be introduced in the summer, and calls from mobiles to 080 and 116 numbers will be free.

Ofcom publishes its annual plan every year in March, and reports on its progress in July, coinciding with the publication of its annual report. The organisation said its budget for the year is £114.3 million. This apparently represents a 3.4% reduction in real terms compared to 2014/2015, and 35.7% real term reduction on a like-for-like basis compared to 2010/2011, the first budget during Ofcom’s expenditure reduction programme.