This year's Communications Market Report from telecomms regulator Ofcom has revealed a surge in smartphone ownership. In June 2010, 26.5% of people in the UK said they had a smartphone, more than double the number two years previously. Growth in the last 12 months was particularly strong, up 81% from 7.2 million users in May 2009 to 12.8 million in May 2010.

UK Minister for Communications, Ed Vaizey, has today launched a programme of measures for radio spectrum modernisation. It's a simplified version of plans that were proposed by the previous Government but didn't become law due to the General Election.

Ofcom is planning two more pan-European '116' helpline numbers for the UK.

Last year, 116000 was allocated to the Missing People service, 116111 to the NSPCC and 116123 to the Samaritans. These numbers work alongside the three organisations’ existing helpline numbers and are free of charge in the UK, whether called from a fixed line, a mobile or public phonebox.

UK communications regulator Ofcom has announced changes to the way fixed-line and mobile phone companies deal with customer complaints. From next year, UK communications providers will need to include information about dispute resolution services on all paper bills. They'll also be obliged to write to consumers whose complaints have not been resolved within eight weeks to tell them about their right to take complaints to a dispute resolution service.

The time to transfer a mobile phone number to a new network will be cut to just one working day next year. UK regulator Ofcom says new consumer regulations will come into force on 11th April 2011, halving the current two-day maximum to a single day.