Many Brits see their broadband and mobile phone bills rise every year thanks to mid-contract price hikes, but 2026 could see those increases go up more than in previous years.

That’s according to comparison firm Uswitch, which predicts millions of mobile customers could face bill increases four times higher than the current rate of inflation, a result of the industry’s move to a flat rate increase model.

Many broadband customers meanwhile face flat rate rises of £4 per month, which is calculated at an 11.1 percent rise for the average user, which is about three times the current rate of inflation. Price rises come into effect annually from April 1.

In January 2025, industry regulator Ofcom changed the rules by which telecoms firms could increase their customers’ bills. Instead of being based on the rate of inflation, firms can now decide flat rates for rises, which they can apply to all customers.

Known as the ‘pounds and pence’ scheme, it has made bill increases more transparent, but there are worries that firms can charge customers more than before.

Not all telecoms bills rise each year, with some mobile providers guaranteeing fixed ongoing rates. But the majority of internet and phone contracts come with annual increases.

“Flat-rate ‘pounds and pence’ increases appear to be being used as a smokescreen for price hikes that, in many cases, are much higher as a proportion of the bill than the current rate of inflation,” said Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com.

“For customers on newer contracts, these fixed jumps will have been clear from the start of the contract. But the scale of the increases could catch people off guard as they compound every year.”

BT, EE, Plusnet, Virgin Media and TalkTalk have all announced fixed monthly increases from April 1, 2026, for recently signed contracts, which amounts to an additional £48 per year onto customer bills.

EE has said it will increase mobile customers with handset plans’ bills by £4 per month for contracts taken out since April 10, 2024, while O2 came under criticism for announcing virtually all its pay monthly customers will see a blanket increase of £2.50 this year.

Vodafone and Three have also announced mobile price hikes, while Sky Mobile, popular for its lack of bill increases year to year, announced a £1.50 increase.

“The most important thing consumers can do is keep track of their contract end date. Once you are out of contract, you can switch and reset the clock on your bills,” Doku said.

“By moving to a new deal, you can avoid these increases compounding on top of high out-of-contract rates, which can save broadband customers an average of £203 a year.

“There are still providers, such as Lebara for mobiles and YouFibre for broadband, that choose not to apply mid-contract rises at all. With these hikes hitting in spring, the time to act is now.”