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Today's challenges

The pace of change affecting the telecoms is accelerating. The focus of regulation of the sector has moved away from heavy economic and infrastructure regulation - the old licensing regime has been replaces by a 'light touch' authorisation regime. The agenda is now more focused on consumer protection and consumer benefits, and on widening the scope and range services and competition. OFCOM and the industry are currently working on plans for spectrum auctions, and on number porting, and on faster broadband speeds.

New market developments are generating a stream business development opportunities for our clients. Examples include convergence of content and platform; industry consolidation; moves by mobile players into broadband access provision - and the reverse (MVNOs); and continued innovation around pricing and revenue generation models.

Technological change is a threat for some, and an opportunity for others. Current examples include the developments in DVB-H and other mobile TV technologies;  the growing attraction of VoIP to create modern feature rich data and voice networks for the corporate market; and the rollout of BTs 21CN project which grows ever closer to launch.

How we can help

Eversheds is one of only a handful of law firms with specialist in-depth expertise in telecommunications, and a major UK and international telecommunications practice.

Current clients of the group include public network operators, service providers, equipment and infrastructure vendors and large-scale users of networks, systems and services.

Our team was the first European firm of lawyers to undergo specialist technical training at the Cable & Wireless College near Birmingham. This gives the team significant understanding of network infrastructure and architecture, and a working knowledge of the key existing and emerging technologies - essential in our view for lawyers working on communications network and services supply/procurement projects. And  unusually for a law firm, we are corporate members of leading industry organisations.

Our telecoms practice was established in the early 1990s and we were involved in much of the pioneering legal work associated with the early market liberalisation activities in the UK.