On 6 September 2022, the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2022 (SI 2022/937) (the Order) was published, together with an explanatory memorandum.

The Order amends the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 to remove the requirement that the publicly available telephone services that a universal service provider must provide, where reasonably requested by an end-user, must be capable of allowing end-users to make and receive facsimile.

It also amends the definition of “publicly available telephone service” to clarify that the service is for originating and receiving national or national and international calls through a telephone number or numbers in a national or international telephone numbering plan.

Ofcom consulted on the proposed changes to the Order in November 2021 and announced its decision in June 2022.

The Order will come into force on 1 October 2022.