{"id":44717,"date":"2026-02-11T13:56:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T13:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=44717"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:38:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:38:30","slug":"major-uk-broadband-isps-sign-gov-charter-to-stop-unexpected-bill-increases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/02\/major-uk-broadband-isps-sign-gov-charter-to-stop-unexpected-bill-increases.html","title":{"rendered":"Major UK Broadband ISPs Sign Gov Charter to Stop Unexpected Bill Increases"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Government has managed to get some of the UK’s biggest broadband and phone providers, including BT<\/a>, Virgin Media<\/a> (O2<\/a>), VodafoneThree (Vodafone<\/a> and Three UK<\/a>), Sky (Sky Broadband<\/a>) and TalkTalk<\/a>, to sign-up to a new Telecoms Consumer Charter that pledges to “stop unexpected bill increases<\/em>“. But sadly, it’s not an end to mid-contract prices hikes.<\/p>\n

Under the commitments, the government said that customers will now know “exactly what they\u2019ll be paying when they sign up for a new mobile or broadband deal<\/em>” \u2013 with “no unexpected price rises midway through a contract<\/em>“. Customers will be given clear information on any future price changes up front, so the price they sign up to is the price they can expect to pay.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The new charter is also supported by the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA<\/a>) and the Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA).<\/div>\n

The move is largely seen as a belated reaction to last year’s controversial decision by mobile operator O2<\/a> (here<\/a>), which suddenly increased the cost of their existing mid-contract price hikes policy and applied that to their existing customers too (i.e. those who had signed-up via the previous policy were forced to accept the new one and its higher prices).<\/p>\n

Normally, existing customers would remain under the old terms, until they re-contract. But O2<\/a>’s approach changed that and appeared to go against the spirit of Ofcom<\/a>’s move to require a more transparent approach to mid-contract price hikes. The regulator did away with the old inflation-based model and replaced it with one that must now set out such price rises \u201cclearly and up-front, in pounds and pence, when a customer signs up<\/em>\u201d (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In fairness, O2 did allow customers impacted by this to exit their contract penalty free, which Ofcom<\/a> acknowledged when expressing their own \u201cdisappointment<\/em>\u201d at the change (here<\/a>). The Government were similarly angered, although they did later roll back on suggestions that mid-contract price hikes could be banned entirely (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Otherwise, the new Telecoms Consumer Charter<\/strong> said it would also ensure that “eligible customers find it easier to access social tariffs<\/em>“, which can sometimes still be hard to find on websites for service providers that offer them. “To support those who may be struggling to pay their household bills, providers will proactively signpost social tariffs to eligible customers and offer customers facing financial difficulty the chance to move to cheaper plans without any penalty and manageable payment plans<\/em>,” said the announcement.<\/p>\n

Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Broadband and mobile customers deserve to be treated fairly and not face sudden jumps in their bills.<\/p>\n

Following action by this government, telecom companies have now agreed to end unexpected mid\u2011contract price rises and making social tariffs easier to access.<\/p>\n

These changes will make a real difference to millions of consumers across the country and help with the cost-of-living pressures.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the one hand, this is a positive development and improves pricing transparency, at least for those providers that actually put their signature to it. On the other hand, its scope is limited, and it does NOT address the unfairness of how mid-contract price hikes are currently being applied (e.g. applying the same flat c.\u00a32-\u00a34 monthly increase to those who pay just c.\u00a320 a month and those who pay c.\u00a3100 \u2013 disproportionately targeting those least able to afford it), which in our view is one of the biggest issues.<\/p>\n

Given the above context, some of our readers might well point to the contradiction of how the Government are also busy calling on telecoms operators to \u201ctake proactive steps to move legacy customers onto the pounds and pence approach for price communications<\/em>\u201c. This is despite what we\u2019ve just said above about the reality that, for some consumers, the old CPI + X% (inflation) policy will actually be resulting in lower mid-contract hikes than the new one.<\/p>\n

We should point out that many smaller providers are still able to create stable fixed price contracts that don\u2019t apply mid-contract hikes, and so it\u2019s not beyond the bounds of realism for the biggest providers to do the same. But until the government and Ofcom<\/a> recognise that, then big retail providers will continue to get away with bad practices.<\/p>\n

On the bright side, switching between telecoms providers has been made significantly quicker and easier in recent years, thanks to systems like One Touch Switching<\/strong><\/a> (OTS) on broadband + landline phone and Text-to-Switch<\/a><\/strong> (Auto-Switch) on mobile. Consumers can often vote with their feet if they choose, but many remain wary of doing so.<\/p>\n

Ofcom are expected to come back to all this in the future when try review the impact of their policy, although we certainly wouldn’t bet on them ultimately proposing the ban mid-contract hikes.<\/p>\n

The Telecoms Consumer Charter<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Charter<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Transparency: <\/strong>Customers should always receive clear and easily understandable information about their telecoms services, prices, and any changes to those, so they know exactly what they are paying for and why.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Under Ofcom\u2019s current rules, consumers should expect:<\/strong><\/p>\n