Glossary · Regulation
TPS (Telephone Preference Service)
In one sentence
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the UK's free opt-out register for unsolicited live sales and marketing calls. Under PECR, businesses must not make such calls to registered numbers unless the person has told that caller they are happy to be called.
Also known as : TPS · Telephone Preference Service · CTPS · Corporate Telephone Preference Service
What is the TPS?
The Telephone Preference Service is the UK’s central opt-out register for unsolicited sales and marketing calls. Anyone with a UK landline or mobile can register free of charge. Ofcom holds the statutory duty to keep the register and has the DMA (Data & Marketing Association) run it; the ICO enforces the rules. Companies and other corporate bodies use a parallel register, the Corporate TPS (CTPS).
The legal basis is PECR, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which sit alongside UK GDPR. Several rules apply to marketing calls:
- no live marketing calls to numbers on the TPS or CTPS, unless the person has told you they are happy to receive your calls;
- no automated (recorded-message) marketing calls without specific prior consent;
- marketing callers must display a valid caller ID that can be called back;
- cold calling about pensions is banned, and claims management calls require prior consent.
Ireland works differently: people opt out of marketing calls by being marked in the National Directory Database, and marketing calls to mobiles need prior consent. The Data Protection Commission enforces those rules.
How it works
- A person or business registers a number on the TPS or CTPS. The registration takes effect after 28 days.
- Before a campaign, the calling business screens its list against both registers, either directly through a licence or through its data or dialler provider.
- Registered numbers are removed, unless the business holds a record that this person told it they do not object to its calls.
- Anyone who says “don’t call me again” during a call goes on the business’s own suppression list straight away, whatever their TPS status.
Example
A solar panel installer in Norwich buys leads from a comparison site and calls them from its sales team. The ICO’s guidance makes it check two things: whether each lead agreed to be called by this installer specifically, and whether the number is on the TPS. It now stores the consent wording and timestamp in its CRM, screens every list every 28 days, and keeps an internal do-not-call list fed directly from call outcomes.
What it means for your business
If you make sales calls, keep proof of screening and of any consent, and show a number people can ring back. If you record those calls, see call recording. Universal Telecom provides telephony, not marketing data: for questions about outbound lines or the number you present, use the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I screen my call lists against the TPS?
The ICO advises screening at least every 28 days, because a new registration takes effect 28 days after it is made. Keep a record of each screening alongside the list used for the campaign.
Can I call a TPS-registered number if they are an existing customer?
Only if that person has specifically told you they do not object to your marketing calls. Being a customer is not enough on its own. Service calls about an existing account are not marketing and are not covered by the TPS.
Does the TPS apply to businesses?
Companies, LLPs and other corporate bodies register on the Corporate TPS (CTPS). Sole traders and, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, partnerships can register on the TPS. Both registers must be screened before marketing calls.
Related terms
- GDPR and telephony
GDPR applies to business telephony whenever it handles personal data: phone numbers, call logs, recordings and voicemails. It requires a defined purpose and lawful basis, clear information for callers and staff, limited retention and safeguards from suppliers.
- Caller ID (CLI)
Caller ID, or CLI (calling line identification), is the caller's number passed through the network and shown to the person called. A business may only present a valid number that it is entitled to use.
- STIR/SHAKEN
STIR/SHAKEN is a set of standards that lets the originating carrier digitally sign a call to vouch that the caller is entitled to the number shown, so terminating carriers can detect spoofed caller ID.
- Call recording
Call recording saves business phone conversations as audio files for training, evidence, compliance or quality checks. Callers must be told, and the recordings are personal data under GDPR.
- CRM integration
CRM integration connects a business phone system to customer relationship management software, so the caller's record opens when they ring, staff dial with one click and every call is logged automatically.
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