Access to frequencies on the radio spectrum is vital to any private telecommunications operator. The radio spectrum and usable frequencies are considered limited natural resources and, as such, their assignment is highly regulated at international, regional and national level. In light of the liberalisation of the telecommunications market in Europe and its opening up to competition, it has become evident that preferential or unfair access to this limited resource may distort competition, contrary to principles of EC competition rules. The European Union has approached this problem by establishing that regulation of the spectrum should fall, at national level, on the independent National Regulatory Authority. This authority must ensure that radio frequencies are assigned according to objective, non-discriminatory and transparent procedures. However, while community-wide harmonisation appears to ensure equality of access to all actors entering the market, recent cases have illustrated the inherent weakness of new operators seeking access to spectrum or numbering resources, compared to those pre-existing operators, who may already have gained considerable access to these resources under the old regime. This paper examines the struggle to ensure fair competition in regulating access to these resources.