United Kingdom: Adopted Draft Telecommunications Security Code of Practice

On 5 September 2022, the draft Telecommunications Security Code of Practice was laid before parliament by the UK Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sports (DCMS). According to section 105F of the Communications Act 2003, Parliament has a 40-day period to veto the Code of Practice, at the end of which it can be issued in full. The Code of Practice outlines how providers can comply with the requirements of the Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022. Specifically, it contains explanations of key concepts for applying the relevant security measures and technical guidance measures. The Code of Practice also introduces a three-tiered system of large, medium, and smaller providers, each of which follow different obligation frameworks and compliance timeframes. Further, even though the Regulations will be implemented on 1 October 2022, the Code of Practice introduces different implementation timeframes for individual measures.