Citation and Commencement U.K.

1.  This Order may be cited as the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 and shall come into force on 25th July 2003.

Interpretation U.K.

2.  In this Order—

“the Act” means the Communications Act 2003;

“disability” has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 M1 ;

F1 ...

[F2 “publicly available telephone service” means a service made available to the public for originating and receiving directly or indirectly national or national and international calls and access to emergency services through a telephone number or numbers in a national or international telephone numbering plan;]

“public pay telephone” means a telephone available to the general public, for the use of which the means of payment may include one or more of the following:

(a)

coins;

(b)

credit or debit cards; and

(c)

pre-payment cards, including cards for use with dialling codes;

F3 ...

“relay service” means a service which:

(a)

provides facilities for the receipt and translation of voice messages into text and text into voice messages, and the conveyance of that text or voice message to the textphone of subscribers of a person providing a publicly available telephone service; and

(b)

has been approved as a text relay service by OFCOM;

“subscriber” means any person who is a party to a contract with the provider of a public electronic communications service for the supply of such service; and

“textphone” means an integrated terminal incorporating an alphanumeric keyboard and means of displaying text, intended for connection to the public telephone network for the sole or primary purpose of supporting live telephone conversations between two or more individuals.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in art. 2 omitted (26.5.2011) by virtue of The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1209), arts. 1(1), 3(a)

F2 Words in art. 2 substituted (1.10.2022) by The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2022 (S.I. 2022/937), arts. 1(1), 2(2)

F3 Words in art. 2 omitted (26.5.2011) by virtue of The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1209), arts. 1(1), 3(d)

Marginal Citations

M1 1995 c. 50.

Universal service obligations U.K.

3.  The extent to which the things falling within section 65(2) of the Act must be provided, made available or supplied throughout the United Kingdom is set out in the Schedule to this Order.

[F4 Modification of universal service obligations U.K.

3A.   Where OFCOM has made a general condition under section 51 of the Act in relation to the matters in paragraph 6 of the Schedule, then OFCOM shall not impose a universal service obligation in respect of those matters.]

Textual Amendments

F4 Art. 3A inserted (26.5.2011) by The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1209), arts. 1(1), 4

Guidance on the pricing of universal service obligations U.K.

4.  The matters set out in the Schedule should be offered at prices that are:

(a) affordable for all end-users; and

(b) uniform throughout the United Kingdom, unless OFCOM have determined that there is clear justification for not doing so.

Stephen Timms,

Minister of State for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services,

Department of Trade and Industry