Ofcom Proposes Ban on Mid-Contract Inflation-Linked Price Rises

New rules would require telecoms companies to clearly state any planned price increase at the start of a contract, aiming to protect consumers and enhance competition.

Ofcom, the UK's telecoms regulator, has proposed new rules to ban mid-contract, inflation-linked price rises by phone, broadband, and pay-TV companies.
The proposed rules require companies to clearly state any planned price increase in pounds and pence when customers take out a new contract.
Ofcom received over 800 complaints about telecoms price rises in the year to October 2023, almost double the number received in 2021.
As of April 2023, 40% of broadband customers (11 million people) and over half of mobile customers (36 million people) were on contracts subject to inflation-linked price rises.
Ofcom's final decision on the proposed rules will be published in spring 2024, and if approved, the new rules will be implemented four months later.