Statement: Review of ADR in the telecoms sector

Statement: Published 8 July 2025

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes are independent bodies that carry out impartial assessments of unresolved complaints between a customer and their communications provider. This process is designed to help ensure fair and effective complaints handling and it empowers consumers in their relationship with their provider.

Ofcom currently approves two ADR schemes for the telecoms sector: Communications Ombudsman (CO) and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS). We are required to keep our approval of ADR schemes under review and assess whether the schemes are continuing to meet our approval criteria.

In November 2023, we launched a review of how well the current ADR system is working, including carrying out research among consumers to understand their experiences. Following a consultation in January 2025 and the completion of our review, we have decided to strengthen our rules.

As part of our review, we considered whether the current timeframe before consumers can access ADR remains effective. Under our previous rules, consumers could take their complaint to ADR eight weeks after they complained, or before that, if it reaches deadlock. Following consultation, we are now reducing the timeframe before consumers can access ADR from eight to six weeks. This will ensure the ADR system remains effective and consumers get prompt access to ADR.  

We also carried out a review of the ADR schemes and have found that the schemes are operating well, but we consider that some improvements can be made and the targets we set for the schemes to meet can be strengthened and updated to be more in line with current practices and consumer expectations. We have therefore decided to:

• reapprove both CO and CISAS, with some minor improvements that we propose the schemes should implement, and
• strengthen the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) we set for the schemes to meet, which will allow us to better monitor performance

Our decisions will make sure that the ADR schemes continue to work well for consumers, while ensuring that our rules are effective in facilitating access to ADR for consumers.

Providers will have nine months to implement the changes in relation to the new timeframe to access ADR. The new rule will apply to complaints raised on 8 April 2026 onward. The new KPIs for the ADR schemes will come into effect in Q4 of 2025.