Book excerpt: The Postal Services Commission (Postcomm), the national regulatory authority, began to introduce competition to the UK postal services market in 2003, with new licensed operators able to provide 'end-to-end' services and offer 'consolidation services', and Postcomm is to end Royal Mail's monopoly by fully liberalising the market from January 2006. The Committee's report examines the impact of liberalisation of the postal service market on the quality of postal services; the thinking behind Postcomm's decision to open up the UK market before the rest of Europe; how Postcomm's proposals for the future of postage prices in the UK would impact on the ability of Royal Mail to compete in the open market; and the continuance of Royal Mail's universal service obligation.