Key takeaways
Ofcom publishes an annual Plan of Work setting out its priorities and regulatory programme for the coming year. The 2026/27 Plan of Work was published in early 2026 and reflects the UK Government's Statement of Strategic Priorities published by DSIT in March 2026.
The Plan of Work identifies five main priority areas: implementing the Online Safety Act, improving mobile connectivity, supporting the transition to full fibre broadband and next-generation networks, managing spectrum effectively, and maintaining high standards in broadcasting.
Online safety is the dominant priority for 2026/27. Ofcom is implementing children's safety codes, tackling illegal hate and terror content, protecting women and girls online, and enforcing age verification for adult content -- with nearly 100 investigations already launched.
Mobile connectivity improvement is a major focus following the 'Connectivity You Can Count On' consultation published in June 2026. Ofcom is monitoring the VodafoneThree Network Commitment, overseeing the Shared Rural Network, and developing its 90% good performance benchmark.
Spectrum management remains a priority with the 2026 mmWave auction completed and the 6 GHz band consultation ongoing. Ofcom is also completing the 1.4 GHz spectrum release and exploring spectrum sharing for rural connectivity.
Reviewed: June 2026Key facts
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What the Ofcom Plan of Work is
Ofcom publishes an annual Plan of Work setting out what it intends to do in the coming year, how it will allocate its resources, and how its work relates to the government's strategic priorities. The Plan of Work is Ofcom's public accountability document -- it allows regulated industries, consumer groups, parliament and the public to understand what Ofcom is prioritising and why.
The 2026/27 Plan of Work was developed in the context of the DSIT Statement of Strategic Priorities published in March 2026, which set out the government's expectations for Ofcom's work. The Statement of Strategic Priorities does not direct Ofcom on specific regulatory decisions but sets the broader policy context within which Ofcom must operate as an independent regulator.
Priority 1: Online Safety Act implementation
Online safety dominates Ofcom's 2026/27 workload. The Act is now in its active implementation phase, with illegal harms duties and children's safety duties in force. Ofcom's compliance priorities for 2026 are: improving protections for children, tackling illegal hate and terror content, and protecting women and girls from intimate image abuse.
Specific workstreams include: enforcing age verification for adult content (following the first fines in May and June 2026); implementing the government's social media restrictions for under-16s announced in June 2026; finalising the statement on new priority offences (self-harm facilitation and cyberflashing); and progressing the consultation on additional safety measures including livestreaming and automated content moderation.
Ofcom expects its online safety investigations caseload to grow significantly in 2026/27 as the regime matures. The industry fees framework -- requiring platforms to contribute to Ofcom's regulatory costs -- becomes increasingly important as Ofcom's online safety resourcing scales up.
Priority 2: Mobile connectivity
The June 2026 'Connectivity You Can Count On' consultation marks a significant escalation in Ofcom's mobile connectivity work. In 2026/27, Ofcom will: engage with industry, government, local authorities and landlords on the consultation's proposals; develop its 90% good performance benchmark into a practical measurement and assessment framework; monitor VodafoneThree's delivery against its Network Commitment; and oversee the Shared Rural Network programme through to its January 2027 targets.
Ofcom will also continue developing Map Your Mobile with more granular data, support the government's rail connectivity initiatives (following the June 2026 train signal study), and consider whether additional spectrum allocation is needed for train-side connectivity. An update on the Connectivity You Can Count On programme is expected in early 2027.
Priority 3: Full fibre and next-generation networks
Ofcom's 2026/27 broadband work focuses on the transition to full fibre and monitoring the competitive dynamics of the wholesale broadband market. Following Openreach's notification of new commercial pricing offers in June 2026, Ofcom's Call for Inputs will inform whether any regulatory intervention is needed to ensure competitors continue to have fair access to Openreach's network on competitive terms.
Ofcom is also tracking the expansion of altnets and the competitive effects of their rollout in areas where both Openreach and altnet infrastructure exists. As full fibre coverage approaches 60% of UK premises (January 2026 data), Ofcom's focus shifts from monitoring rollout to assessing the competitive dynamics of a maturing gigabit market.
Priority 4: Spectrum management
The mmWave spectrum award in 2026 completed a major phase of Ofcom's 5G spectrum programme. For 2026/27, the key spectrum workstreams are: the 6 GHz band consultation (sharing between 5G and Wi-Fi 6E using AFC technology); completion of the 1.4 GHz spectrum release consultation; exploring spectrum sharing for rural connectivity; and developing the framework for satellite direct-to-device services. Ofcom is also supporting the government's review of planning rules for telecoms infrastructure in England.
Priority 5: Broadcasting
Broadcasting priorities for 2026/27 include: monitoring PSB compliance through the annual PSB Review; implementing Media Act 2024 provisions including updated EPG prominence requirements for online platforms; continuing enforcement of the Broadcasting Code; and managing listed events consents including the 2026 World Cup approved in June 2026 and future events. Ofcom's Election Committee will continue to oversee electoral impartiality requirements during election periods.
Royal Mail and postal services
The 2025/26 Royal Mail investigation (opened June 2026) will continue in 2026/27. Ofcom will also assess Royal Mail's progress against its improvement plan commitments, monitor the rollout of the alternate-weekday delivery model, and consider whether the 2026/27 delivery performance (under the revised targets) represents a genuine improvement trajectory. The Business and Trade Committee's May 2026 recommendation that Ofcom reset its postal regulation approach will inform Ofcom's longer-term thinking on postal services reform.
Related guides
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only. Kael Tripton Ltd is not regulated by the FCA. Information sourced from Ofcom, legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK. Verify at ofcom.org.uk.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ofcom Plan of Work?
The Ofcom Plan of Work is Ofcom's annual statement of its priorities and regulatory programme for the coming year. It sets out what Ofcom intends to do, how it will allocate resources, and how its work relates to the government's Statement of Strategic Priorities. The 2026/27 Plan covers five priority areas: online safety, mobile connectivity, full fibre networks, spectrum management and broadcasting.
What are Ofcom's main priorities for 2026/27?
Ofcom's 2026/27 priorities are: implementing the Online Safety Act (dominant priority -- children's safety, illegal content, age verification enforcement); improving mobile connectivity (VodafoneThree monitoring, Shared Rural Network, 90% benchmark development); full fibre transition and broadband competition; spectrum management (6 GHz band, 1.4 GHz release, spectrum sharing); and broadcasting standards and PSB compliance.
What is Ofcom doing on online safety in 2026/27?
Ofcom is focusing on: enforcing children's protection requirements (age verification, algorithm restrictions, social media restrictions for under-16s); tackling illegal hate and terror content; protecting women and girls from intimate image abuse; finalising guidance on new priority offences (self-harm facilitation, cyberflashing); and growing its investigations caseload across nearly 100 services already under review.
What is Ofcom doing on mobile connectivity in 2026/27?
Following the June 2026 'Connectivity You Can Count On' consultation, Ofcom will develop its 90% good performance benchmark, engage with industry on implementation, monitor VodafoneThree's Network Commitment delivery, oversee the Shared Rural Network to the January 2027 coverage target, and continue developing Map Your Mobile with more granular data.
What spectrum work is Ofcom doing in 2026/27?
Key spectrum work includes: consulting on the 6 GHz band sharing between 5G and Wi-Fi 6E; completing the 1.4 GHz spectrum release; exploring spectrum sharing for rural 5G; developing the satellite direct-to-device framework; and supporting government planning reform for telecoms infrastructure. The mmWave auction was completed in 2026.
What is Ofcom doing about Royal Mail in 2026/27?
Ofcom is conducting the investigation into Royal Mail's 2025/26 delivery performance (opened June 2026) and will continue monitoring Royal Mail's improvement plan progress, including the alternate-weekday delivery model rollout by Christmas 2026. Ofcom is also assessing the Business and Trade Committee's recommendation to reset its postal regulation approach.
How does the Plan of Work relate to government priorities?
The Plan of Work is developed in the context of the DSIT Statement of Strategic Priorities, published March 2026, which sets out government expectations for Ofcom's work. The Statement does not direct specific regulatory decisions -- Ofcom is independent -- but shapes the broader priorities Ofcom must have regard to. The 2026 priorities include supporting 5G rollout, online safety implementation and maintaining broadcasting standards.
Where can I find the Ofcom Plan of Work 2026/27?
The Plan of Work is published at ofcom.org.uk. Search for 'Ofcom Plan of Work 2026/27' or navigate to About Ofcom > Our work > Plan of Work. Ofcom also publishes an annual report at the end of each regulatory year setting out what it achieved against the plan.
