Ofcom plans to open a new tech hub in Manchester ahead of taking on its new role as the UK’s first online regulator.

In February 2020, the government announced it intended Ofcom to play a larger role in internet regulation to protect users from "harmful and illegal content".

The government-backed organisation already has wide-ranging powers to regulate the broadcasting, telecommunications, and postal industries.

Ofcom hopes the move will create up to 150 new jobs by 2025.

Manchester was chosen for its skilled workforce, the research quality of its universities, and its abundance of graduate talent according to the regulator.

In November 2020, Manchester became second city in the UK for tech investment, behind London but ahead of Cambridge, attracting $687.6 million in venture capital in 2019 according to TechNation research.

Ofcom join the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the National Cyber Security Centre which already have bases in Manchester.

Tech firms employed more than 100,000 people in Manchester in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Ofcom also announced plans to expand into Cardiff, Belfast, and Edinburgh, while hiring across a range of roles in its different units.

“We’re delighted to be preparing for a new digital and technology hub in Manchester,” said Dame Melanie Dawes, chief executive of Ofcom. “We want to tap into the huge array of tech, digital and data talent in the city, as we prepare for pioneering new work around online safety and security.”

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