{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/communications-act-2003/section-57",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/communications-act-2003/section-57.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2003/21",
  "legislation_title": "Communications Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/communications-act-2003",
  "path": "section/57",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "57",
  "heading": "Conditions to secure access to telephone numbers",
  "text": "(1) General conditions may impose such requirements as OFCOM consider appropriate for securing that every end-user of a public electronic communications service is able, by means of that service—\n(a) to make calls or otherwise transmit electronic communications to every normal telephone number; and\n(b) to receive every call or other electronic communication that is made or transmitted to him using such a service from apparatus identified by a normal telephone number.\n(2) A normal telephone number is one which—\n(a) has been made available, in accordance with the National Telephone Numbering Plan, as a number to be used for the purpose of identifying the destination for, or the recipient of, electronic communications; and\n(b) is for the time being—\n(i) a number adopted by a communications provider to be used for such a purpose; or\n(ii) a number in use for such a purpose by a person other than a communications provider to whom it has been allocated in accordance with conditions under section 59.\n(3) In this section “electronic communication” has the same meaning as in section 56.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 57 in force at 25.7.2003 for specified purposes by S.I. 2003/1900, art. 2(1), Sch. 1 (with art. 3) (as amended by S.I. 2003/3142, art. 1(3))"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 57 in force at 29.12.2003 in so far as not already in force by S.I. 2003/3142, art. 3(1), Sch. 1 (with art. 11)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/21/section/57",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:18:16.154105+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}