Major broadband and mobile providers sign up to Telecoms Consumer Charter

In a move to make price rises on mobile and broadband more transparent the Chancellor and Technology Secretary has received undertakings from BT, Virgin Media O2 , VodafoneThree, Sky and TalkTalk to adhere to a new Telecoms Consumer Charter.

The main aim of the charter is to ensure customers are treated fairly and will not face unexpected price rises, and also have clear communications from their mobile or broadband provider.

Providers have also undertaken to do more to highlight the social tariffs that exist, particularly signposting social tariffs to eligible customers. While some providers have offered the ability to move to a cheaper plan when times are hard, e.g. just made redundant firms signed up to the charter will offer people the chance to move to cheaper plans without penalty.

“Broadband and mobile customers deserve to be treated fairly and not face sudden jumps in their bills.

Following action by this government, telecom companies have now agreed to end unexpected mid‑contract price rises and making social tariffs easier to access.

These changes will make a real difference to millions of consumers across the country and help with the cost-of-living pressures.“

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall

“We led the industry on price transparency and fairness, and now we’re calling on other mobile networks to do the same. 

Protecting customers is as much about resilient infrastructure as it is about price. Nobody is investing in the UK like BT – and we’re encouraging the Government to take bold decisions to support continued investment. The more people, businesses and society connect, the more our networks fuel growth.“

Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive, BT Group

“We welcome this Charter which strengthens predictability and transparency for consumers while recognising the significant value the telecoms sector delivers. Virgin Media O2 is making one of the largest investments in the UK worth billions of pounds every year to bring fibre to more places and improve 4G and 5G mobile networks. Maintaining essential digital infrastructure investment like this is essential if the UK is to keep pace with growing demand and emerging technologies which greatly benefit consumers and businesses across the country.“

Lutz Schüler, CEO, Virgin Media O2

“Sky is proud to support this voluntary Charter, which strengthens transparency and ensures customers have clear, straightforward information about their services. We also recognise the importance of supporting customers who are facing financial pressure. That’s why we continue to promote and improve access to our social tariffs, ensuring that those who need extra help can stay connected to the essential services they rely on. By working with Government and industry partners, we’re committed to raising standards across the sector and ensuring every customer receives great value, fair treatment, and the support they need.“

Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky UK

“INCA welcomes this engagement between Government, Ofcom and industry through the Telecoms Consumer Charter. Strengthening consumer confidence is good for the whole sector. Customers should be able to understand, in plain pounds and pence, what they are signing up to and what they can expect to pay. It is important these commitments are practical and maintain the conditions for continued investment and network competition, because that is what delivers better coverage, service quality and value over time.“

Paddy Paddison, CEO of the Independent Networks Cooperative Association

“ISPA is proud to be supporting the Telecoms Consumer Charter which builds on the range of pro-consumer regulatory reforms that our members are already putting in place. Providers are continuing to implement these in addition to providing support for those struggling with affordability through initiatives such as social tariffs, device donations and digital upskilling. Meanwhile, it’s easier to switch now than ever before.   
 
With this in mind, we believe now should be the best time to be a telecoms customer, with lower prices, and greater competition. But, this can only be achieved through a stable policy and regulatory environment, spearheaded by a Government which places connectivity at the heart of its ambitions on productivity and growth. This is all whilst broadband providers, including our members, have invested over £50bn to support the Government’s target of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.   
 
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Government to ensure broadband continues to be seen as a national priority – ultimately resulting in better outcomes for consumers.“

Steve Leighton, Chair of the Internet Service Providers Association

We have requested a copy of the charter to see what is actually different compared to the best practice Ofcom has previously recommended and the actual rules around price rises during broadband contracts.

Of the big broadband providers mentioned Sky is the only that has not adopted the stance of setting price rise amounts at the time you sign up to a service. Sky warns people that prices may change during the minimum contract term currently, and then inform customers when the actual amount of the rise is known, and people actually have 30 days to decide and leave if they don’t like the price rise. With the format preferred by Ofcom and it looks like will be adopted across the board, if you sign up in May 2026 for a £24 per month service with a 2 year contract you will know the value of any price rises during those two years e.g. price will rise from £24 to £28 on 1st April 2027 and then from £28 to £32 on 1st April 2028.

Providers have made noises about making social tariffs more visible ever since they were created, so we await to see what concrete changes appear as part of the charter.

The problem with knowing the price rises in advance is that generally they have been larger than under the old system and fixed value rises are actually impacting those on the lower tariffs more than those able to pay for the more expensive and faster speeds.

With broadband switching now easier than ever with the One Touch Switch system in place, for those who are out of contract and are unhappy with price rises it is very much a case of doing research to find out what other options exist at your address.

The cost per Mega bit per second has never been lower in the UK, with retail competition seeing some 900 Mbps packages starting at under £30 per month, and even packages from the big brand names can be had for between £30 and £40 per month. So while we all collectively moan about broadband price rises, compared to the £40 for 0.5 Mbps over 20 years ago it is very cheap – the difference today is that broadband is essential rather than a nice to have luxury.