[1][2] The act builds upon and strengthens the Communications Act 2003, in particular the role of Ofcom, the United Kingdom's Office for Communication, in regards of its role in policing the security of telecommunications and telecom providers.

The Act requires the provider of a telecommunications network to ensure that they identify, prepare, and reduce the risk of security compromises.

The act provides the government with "new national security powers"[3] and introduces a "duty owed to every person who may be affected" by a security breach.

[4] In November 2020, the government published its "5G Supply Chain Diversity Strategy"[5] It pledged to "introduce a new, robust security framework" for telecommunications suppliers, enhance security powers for OfCom, and place decisions on "high risk vendors" in statutory terms.

The bill, when introduced, represented "a watershed moment in the development of the UK's response to cyber-security threats.