Oftel
Oftel, the Office of Telecommunications, was the United Kingdom’s telecommunications regulator from its establishment in 1984 until the early 2000s, when its functions were transferred to Ofcom. It was created as part of the liberalization of the UK telecoms market, with responsibilities intended to oversee licensing, price regulation, competition policy, consumer protection, and universal service obligations within the sector.
The regulator’s remit included supervising market conditions as the industry moved away from a state-influenced monopoly
In the early 2000s, the UK government undertook a wider consolidation of communications regulation. Under the
Oftel’s legacy lies in its role during a period of rapid liberalization and market entry for telecom