Broadband and mobile providers are set to impose significant price increases from April 2026, affecting millions of households across the UK. EE mobile and broadband customers will be hit with price rises starting 31 March 2026. 5 million from their customers each month from April 2026 due to these new billing adjustments.
These increases come in the wake of regulatory changes implemented by Ofcom in 2025. The communications regulator banned inflation-linked price hikes to make pricing more transparent for consumers. Mobile and broadband firms have been prohibited from linking mid-contract price rises to inflation, and customers must be told in pounds and pence how much their bill will increase by.
EE has detailed specific increases for its mobile and broadband customers. 50 per month from 31 March 2026. EE stated that annual price changes have been in pounds and pence since April 2024, with planned increases applied each 31 March during the minimum term and each 1 March after the term ends.
BT is implementing similar increases with specific timing mechanisms for different customer groups. 09 a month from 31 March 2026. BT will move customers who contracted before the introduction of the pounds and pence approach, as well as those outside their minimum term, onto the new plan.
Since April 2024, annual price changes have been in pounds and pence, so you can have certainty when it comes to the cost of our products and services from year to year. Any planned increases will be set out in pounds and pence and will be applied each 31 March during the minimum term of your plan. Once your minimum term has ended, the increase to your plan charge will be applied each 1 March.
For those in their minimum term, BT will apply an annual increase to their plan on 31 March of each year; once the minimum term ends, the increase takes effect on 1 March each year. 50; 4G/5G Home Broadband plans - £4; Broadband plans - £4; EE TV plans - £2. There is significant disagreement about whether Ofcom's new rules ultimately benefit customers or allow exploitation.
Alex Tofts described how changing the inflation-linked system removed a natural benchmark, leaving the door open for providers to further exploit loyal customers. In contrast, BT stated that this change means all customers will benefit from a fairer, more transparent pricing approach. The exact number of customers who will be affected by the April 2026 price increases across all providers remains unclear.
Some providers have made commitments to shield customers from immediate price increases. Major broadband providers have committed to freezing prices until April 2027. Providers promising no mid-contract price rises include BeFibre, Toob, Trooli, and YouFibre.
The full list of providers that have committed to price freezes until 2027, including any exceptions or conditions attached to these promises, has not been publicly detailed. Customers facing price increases have several options to consider. Sky Broadband subscribers have the option to switch providers even while still within their contract period if dissatisfied with price increases taking effect in April 2026.
This change means all our customers will benefit from a fairer, more transparent pricing approach, aligned with Ofcom and Government guidelines.
Some providers are covering early termination fees by taking money off your bill if you switch while locked in a contract. Switching can save broadband customers an average of £329, and mobile customers can save an average of £304 switching from a handset contract to a SIM-only mobile contract. The specific early termination fee coverage offered by individual providers for customers switching while locked in a contract varies and has not been comprehensively documented.
Significant customer awareness gaps exist regarding these impending changes. A Broadband Genie survey found that 45% of customers who took out a broadband contract after the introduction of fixed price rises didn't know their prices would rise annually. The same survey revealed that 58% of customers were in the dark about how much their tariff would go up by in April 2026.
The market context reveals a large population of customers particularly vulnerable to price changes. Approximately 8 million broadband customers and 14 million mobile customers are currently out of contract. Advocacy groups are pushing for more fundamental changes to pricing practices.
Broadband Genie has launched a campaign to ban mid-contract price rises altogether. For customers struggling with affordability, alternative options exist. If you claim benefits, you may be eligible for a cheaper social tariff, with prices starting from £12 a month for broadband and £10 for mobile.
The percentage of eligible benefit claimants actually taking up social tariffs, along with the specific barriers that exist to accessing these options, has not been comprehensively documented. Questions remain about regulatory oversight and enforcement. How Ofcom will monitor and enforce compliance with the new pricing transparency rules, especially for landline-only customers, represents a significant unknown.