Ofcom · Authentication Profile

Ofcom Authentication

Authentication

Azure API Management subscription key, and nothing else. There is no OAuth, no OpenID Connect, no mTLS and no bearer-token option anywhere in Ofcom's surface — /.well-known/openid-configuration and /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server both return 404 on every Ofcom host. Keys are scoped to a PRODUCT, not to the provider: a Broadband key does not call the Mobile API. Issuance is self-serve to request but human-approved to grant.

Ofcom secures its APIs with apiKey across 2 declared security schemes, as derived from its OpenAPI definitions.

TelecommunicationsUnited KingdomRegulatorBroadbandMobile Network CoverageSpectrumOpen DataConnected Nations
Methods: apiKey Schemes: 2 OAuth flows: API key in: header, query

Security Schemes

apiKeyHeader apiKey
· in: header (Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key)
apiKeyQuery apiKey
· in: query (subscription-key)

Source

Authentication Profile

Raw ↑ 
generated: '2026-07-25'
method: searched
source: openapi/ofcom-connected-nations-broadband-api-openapi.yml, openapi/ofcom-connected-nations-mobile-api-openapi.yml
docs: https://api.ofcom.org.uk/
evidence:
- source: https://api.ofcom.org.uk/mapi/apis?api-version=2021-08-01
  status: 200
  finding: >-
    Both APIs report subscriptionRequired=true, authenticationSettings.oAuth2=null,
    authenticationSettings.openid=null and
    subscriptionKeyParameterNames={header: Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key,
    query: subscription-key, bearer: null}. Confirms API-key-only, anonymously.
- source: https://api.ofcom.org.uk/mapi/products?api-version=2021-08-01
  status: 200
  finding: All four products carry subscriptionRequired=true and approvalRequired=true.
- source: https://api-proxy.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/coverage/SW1A1AA
  status: 401
  finding: 'Anonymous call returns "Access denied due to missing subscription key."'
description: |
  Azure API Management subscription key, and nothing else. There is no OAuth, no
  OpenID Connect, no mTLS and no bearer-token option anywhere in Ofcom's surface —
  /.well-known/openid-configuration and /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server both
  return 404 on every Ofcom host. Keys are scoped to a PRODUCT, not to the provider:
  a Broadband key does not call the Mobile API. Issuance is self-serve to request but
  human-approved to grant.
issuance:
  sign_up: https://api.ofcom.org.uk/signup
  sign_in: https://api.ofcom.org.uk/signin
  self_serve: true
  approval_required: true
  approval_note: >-
    All four products are approvalRequired=true — an Ofcom person approves the
    subscription before a key is issued. Discovery, documentation and OpenAPI
    download are anonymous; only key issuance is gated.
  key_scope: per product (broadband, broadband-premium, mobile, mobile-premium)
  support: cnapisupport@ofcom.org.uk
oauth: false
oidc: false
mtls: false
scopes: false
scopes_note: >-
  No OAuth scope surface exists — this is a key-auth API, so scopes/ is
  deliberately absent rather than empty.
summary:
  types:
  - apiKey
  api_key_in:
  - header
  - query
schemes:
- name: apiKeyHeader
  type: apiKey
  in: header
  parameter: Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key
  sources:
  - openapi/ofcom-connected-nations-broadband-api-openapi.yml
  - openapi/ofcom-connected-nations-mobile-api-openapi.yml
- name: apiKeyQuery
  type: apiKey
  in: query
  parameter: subscription-key
  sources:
  - openapi/ofcom-connected-nations-broadband-api-openapi.yml
  - openapi/ofcom-connected-nations-mobile-api-openapi.yml

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