UK phone, broadband and pay-TV firms face ban on ‘confusing’ price rises

Research by Which? found that the UK’s biggest telecoms providers are lining up above-inflation price rises for broadband and mobile customers that will add almost £500m to bills from next spring. Photograph: Dzianis Apolka/Alamy

Phone, broadband and pay-TV companies will be banned from imposing inflation-linked price rises in the middle of a contract and must instead tell customers upfront and in “pounds and pence” about any price rises, under rules proposed by Ofcom.

The telecoms regulator said inflation-linked mid-contract price rises did not provide enough clarity about the prices people will pay, and caused “substantial amounts of consumer harm” by hampering their ability to shop around for a better deal.