Posted on: 7th January 2026, by Magrathea
Happy New Year and welcome to the January newsletter, the first edition for 2026 – combining news from Magrathea and around the industry
What’s included
- Round up of 2025 (article link)
- Ofcom Consultation: Promoting competition and investment in fibre networks – Hull Area
- Ofcom Statement: Free-to-Caller Wholesale Regulation Review
- MAGIC Portal Feature Update: Reporting
- Client Handbook update
- Reminder: Compliance with General Conditions
- Reminder: Paying invoices in Euros
- Events and outings
- What’s on our minds for January
Round up of 2025
In case you missed it, Tracey wrote her year usual end of year round-up article – you can catch up with it here.
Ofcom Consultation: Promoting competition and investment in fibre networks – Hull Area Review 2026-31
Ofcom are concerned about the anti-competitive nature of the connectivity environment in Hull which they assess to be restricting end-users from accessing more innovative products at competitive pricing. Before considering adding further remedies to law Ofcom has looked at the competition law but conclude that it is insufficient in this situation. In short, Ofcom wants to place an obligation on KCOM to provide physical access to the network that will encourage greater wholesale investment, whilst avoiding over building and widening the products available. As KCOM is also vertically integrated it also proposes to take a keener look at the current pricing for end-users and benchmarking to ensure residents in the Hull area are getting a fair deal.
If any of our clients operate or wish to operate in the Hull area we recommend reading the full document here. Replies to the consultation are due by 26th February 2026.
Ofcom Statement: Free-to-Caller Wholesale Regulation Review
This statement is the final conclusion of Ofcom based on their consultation launched in July 2025. It has found that there is a sustained used of this type of number, usually used by charities, public sector and businesses. Because these numbers have use-cases which are key to enabling vulnerable end-users to reach out for help, the conclusion is that on-going Ofcom regulation is important in securing their availability. Therefore, Ofcom are keeping the same access conditions with two modifications:
- There is an updated list of terminating communications providers that are subject to the conditions, and
- Removal of the notification requirement which obligated terminating providers to notify all interconnected originating networks of changes to their wholesale pricing, this is now considered obsolete.
There is also a minor update to the definition of ‘Public Pay Telephone’ as used in the access conditions to reflect the current wording in the General Conditions of Entitlement.
The modified access conditions will come into effect 13th June 2026. For the full statement please see here.
MAGIC Portal Feature Update: Reporting
In response to client requests, it is now possible to download details of porting orders directly from within the Porting Portal. Simply log on to the Porting Portal via MAGIC, apply filters to get the data you want, select the data for export and click on the ‘Export’ button. If you have any questions on how this works, please contact support@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
Client Handbook update
As there were quite a few changes over the past year to regulatory requirements as well as network updates and our processes, we have updated our client book to reflect these. We recommend that you download the latest version from our Client Info area or via The Guide within our MAGIC portal.
Reminder: Compliance with General Conditions
This is just a gentle New Year reminder if you operate as a ‘Voice Communications Service’ provider and/or a Number-based Interpersonal Communications’ provider’ you are required to comply with the Ofcom General Conditions of Entitlement document. It’s your responsibility to ensure you’re fully aware of how they relate to your business and how to comply.
To help navigate to the key areas we have a guide which includes information on the support we can offer in each area. Our clients can access the guide – Guidance for Providers of Voice Communications Services – from our client download area or via The Guide on our MAGIC Portal.
If you are not a client but would like a copy please email sales@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
Reminder: Paying invoices in Euros (€)
For any European clients who wish to pay invoices in Euros, you should see the Euro total shown automatically on your invoice alongside the Sterling equivalent. Please note the separate bank details listed for Euro payments. If you have any questions, please email accounts@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
Events and outings
Following a very busy November, we’ve had a relatively quiet December for events and outings, apart from our own Christmas Party!
Looking ahead the real events season doesn’t get going until March but meanwhile, as always, there is plenty of work to do with industry engagement behind the scenes. Tracey and others are busy, through our CCUK membership, engaging with government and regulators on key matters impacting our clients.
In the meantime, our team always enjoy an excuse for a trip out of the office so if you feel a catch up would be helpful, either face to face or virtually, please reach out to them at sales@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
On the subject of events, Comms Council UK (CCUK) are busy organising another Fraud Summit which is open to non-members and should be an interesting day for anyone trying to combat fraud and scams for their customers.
Taking place on 15th April 2026 at One Birdcage Walk. The event will build on the success of last year. The event will bring together representatives from sectors such as telecoms and banking, as well as regulators, law enforcement bodies, and civil servants to share insights on how to tackle fraud effectively. For greater insight on what happened last year please click here https://commscouncil.uk/fraud-summit-2025/
To book your tickets click here.
What’s on our minds…
The end of December marks the halfway point of our business year so January is a great chance to review priorities and ensure we are on track for delivering on our H2 workstack.
Alongside our continuous network maintenance and improvements, we are working on the development of some exciting additions to our wholesale offering. There is increasing demand from our clients to enable simpler integration of voice with other tools and their own bespoke offerings, so we are giving this area our attention this quarter and hope to have updates to share in our newsletter soon!
Meanwhile, if you have any other requests for specific services or features that you’ve not already told us you need, please do get in touch with our business development team or chat to one of our support team when you get a chance. We are always happy to consider ad-hoc projects that help you to be successful.
Kind regards
Client Support, Magrathea
The information contained in this guidance is for your information only and is not intended to be relied on. It does not constitute legal professional advice, nor is it a substitute for you obtaining your own legal professional advice. Magrathea accepts no liability whatsoever for any errors, omissions or statements in this guidance or for any loss which may arise from your use of this guidance.