Millions of UK households face higher broadband and mobile bills from the end of March. Analysis by Uswitch puts the combined impact at £126 million a month, and says 18 million consumers could avoid the rises by switching provider before they take effect.
Uswitch estimates the spring uplifts will add an average of £39.60 a year to broadband bills and £27.60 a year to mobile bills, based on consumer research and expected contract increases across the market.
For customers on newer contracts, the increases can be higher. Uswitch estimates some broadband bills could rise by as much as £4 a month and some mobile bills by up to £2.50 a month - equivalent to £48 a year for broadband and £30 a year for mobile services.
The scale of exposure reflects the large number of customers approaching the end of minimum terms. Around 8 million broadband customers and 14 million mobile customers are already out of contract, or will be before the start of April, according to Uswitch. These customers can usually move without early termination charges.
Switching window
Uswitch also highlighted early-switching incentives for people still within contract. Some providers offer bill credits to cover early exit charges from a previous supplier, although amounts and eligibility vary.
Virgin Media, EE and Three have offered early-switching credit in current promotions, according to the analysis. Uswitch said Virgin Media has offered up to £250 in bill credit and EE up to £300, depending on the deal route and customer circumstances.
Some providers have also published price-freeze commitments for new customers. Uswitch listed broadband price freezes for new customers across Virgin Media, Community Fibre, EE, Plusnet, BT, Vodafone and Hyperoptic. In mobile, it pointed to price freezes from Three, Vodafone, iD Mobile and Tesco Mobile on certain plans.
Some smaller broadband providers say they do not apply annual price increases for either new or existing customers. Uswitch listed Hull Fibre, Trooli, Zen Internet, Befibre, Cuckoo, Hey! Broadband, YouFibre, Utility Warehouse, Squirrel Internet, Brsk, Voneus and Wessex Internet as having no price rises in its table.
How rises apply
Annual contract uplifts now typically follow one of two approaches. Some providers apply a fixed cash increase each year for certain cohorts. Others apply a percentage uplift linked to inflation measures such as the consumer prices index or the retail prices index, with an additional margin.
Uswitch's tables show how sharply the mechanics can vary between companies and by sign-up date. O2 is listed as applying a £2.50-a-month increase for all mobile customers, while Sky Mobile is listed with a £1.50-a-month increase for all customers.
For broadband, BT and EE are listed as applying £4 a month for some customers and £3 a month for others, depending on when they joined and whether they are still in contract. Virgin Media is listed with different cash increases depending on sign-up date, while older cohorts may see percentage increases based on inflation-linked formulas.
Uswitch also highlighted confusion about how these changes work in practice. It said 26% of respondents believed price rises are the same for everyone, and 25% believed they can always cancel penalty-free when prices go up.
In most cases, customers can only leave without penalty after a price rise if the increase was not set out in the contract terms. Uswitch said Sky Broadband customers are currently the only group where this applies, with customers able to exit within 30 days of notification.
Social tariffs are excluded from the annual uplifts in the tables. Customers on social tariffs will not face price rises, according to the analysis.
Consumer impact
Uswitch said switching remains one of the main ways to manage rising telecoms bills. It also pointed to SIM-only deals as a potential source of savings for mobile customers who are out of minimum term on handset contracts.
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said:
"With millions of mobile and broadband customers facing price rises this spring, it's crucial to check your contract status as you could be able to beat the hikes if you act now."
Doku added: "A number of providers, including Hyperoptic, EE and Virgin Media for broadband and Three and Vodafone for mobiles, are offering price freezes for 2027. This means if you switch now, you won't be subject to a price rise this April."
He said: "Even if you're in contract and you're unhappy with your current service, it's always worth checking whether you can switch early, as some providers offer early-switching credit."
"Switching can save broadband customers an average of £329, and mobile customers can save an average of £304 by switching from a handset contract to a SIM-only mobile contract. In broadband especially, the deals we're seeing at the moment are the strongest they've been in years, as a direct result of fierce competition between providers," Doku said.