The Ofcom proposals continue: "Royal Mail would have the freedom to set the 'wholesale price' for access to its network but would be subject to rules regarding the allowed margin between the wholesale and retail prices. This would help ensure that efficient competitors can compete effectively with Royal Mail." This is known in the business as "headroom". It is the difference between what the Royal Mail is allowed to charge, and what the "competitors" – who don't, in any recognisable sense of the word, actually compete – require in order to continue to generate profits for themselves.