Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Rochdale-based ISP Zen Internet has recently begun notifying customers of yet another migration of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for a small subset (under 2%) of user IPv4 allocations, which for most subscribers should only result in a brief service disruption (c.30 seconds) and possibly the need for a router reboot. But others may find it more of a pain.

Most consumers tend to connect via broadband providers that use dynamic IP addresses (or shared addressing via CGNAT), and so a change in your IP – however often it may occur – is somewhat par for the course. But in Zen’s case it’s worth remembering that they’ve long sold their broadband packages alongside Static IP (IPv4 and IPv6) addresses as standard (i.e. the IP address shouldn’t change or won’t change very often).

Static (or Fixed) IPs tend to be more associated with premium / business packages for advanced users, where customers are more likely to desire a fixed address because they’ll be hosting servers or domains, using bespoke VPNs or VLANs, have specific security requirements (e.g. the need to whitelist a specific IP to firewalls) or want to avoid problems with Carrier Grade NAT etc.

Suffice to say that a change of static IP assignment can create problems for some network admins and users with more complex IP needs (casual users need not worry), although Zen are giving customers 30 days’ notice of the change (several messages will be sent) and will confirm once the new IP addresses are live. The process is running between 1st May and 30th August 2026, with impacted IPs being in the following ranges.

Impacted Zen IP Ranges

The changes are happening to a small subset (<2%) of customer IPv4 allocations that sit in the following ranges.

62.3.64.0/20
82.69.64.0/18
88.97.0.0/18
82.68.128.0/18
82.68.192.0/18
82.69.128.0/18
82.69.192.0/18
62.3.96.0/19
212.23.12.0/22
212.23.22.0/23
212.23.24.0/21
82.68.0.0/18
82.68.64.0/18
82.71.0.0/17
217.155.0.0/18
217.155.64.0/18
217.155.128.0/18
217.155.192.0/18

At this point you might well be asking, why are Zen Internet assigning new IP address(es) to some of their broadband services and customers at all? The official line is as follows.

Zen’s Statement

“Zen operates one of the largest independent data networks in the UK. We invest significantly for better performance, better resilience, and a network that operates without limits or restrictions. This means constant evaluation to ensure we are optimising resources.

To ensure we can continue to deliver a reliable service, we regularly review how our IP address space is used and make changes where needed.

This helps us use available capacity efficiently and support both existing customers and future demand.”

However, over at Thinkbroadband they’ve suggested that the change may be more reflective of a desire to free up unused IP address space, possibly for trading away (sale) on the open market (IPv4s have value due to being a finite resource). For example, Zen’s IP Address Migration Page notes that customers who already had multiple IP addresses as part of a paid package will be assigned the same amount of new IP addresses, but they also said this:

“In some instances, you may have been provided with multiple IP addresses outside of an allocated package. In this case we will adjust the amount of IP addresses down to one. If you wish to purchase additional IP addresses, please email notifications@zen.co.uk and a case will be assigned,” which seems to reflect Zen’s desire to release multiple IP blocks that were once provided for free and may have thus gone largely unused.

Regular readers may recall that this is NOT the first time that Zen Internet has conducted such an IP address migration (example), which seems to be a process that they’re doing very gradually, in phases, so as not to cause too much upset and change all at once.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Back in May 2026 we reported (here) that broadband ISP Virgin Media Business (VMB) were preparing to introduce new packages for small business customers that would offer symmetric speeds via their latest XGS-PON based full fibre (FTTP) network at speeds of up to 2Gbps (2,000Mbps). ISPreview has spotted that they’ve now quietly introduced the new plans.

The move, which finally sees VMB catching up with their consumer division, includes the introduction of five new symmetric speed (same speed both ways) packages ranging from 200Mbps and all the way up to 2,000Mbps. Customers of this service appear set to receive a variant of the same Hub 5x router as used on Virgin Media’s consumer broadband packages and will have the option of adding Static IP addresses.

A quick test by some of our readers (special credit to Clive) shows that customers in Virgin’s Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network areas are still limited to speeds of up to 1Gbps on the old packages. So as expected you’ll need to be in one of the operator’s newer XGS-PON powered Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network areas to take the new tiers (via Virgin Media or nexfibre).

Otherwise, the new packages and prices (excluding VAT) are as follows. All packages apply a £75 one-off installation charge and £25 activation charge for new customers.

VMB’s Symmetric Speed Broadband Packages

Voom 200Mbps Full Fibre X
Unlimited downloads
Wi-Fi router with Guest Wi-Fi
28 working-hr issue resolution
Dynamic IP

PRICE: £39.95 per month (24-month contract)

Voom 400Mbps Full Fibre X
As above except..
24 working-hr issue resolution
Dynamic IP

PRICE: £44.95 per month (24-month contract)

Voom 600Mbps Full Fibre X
As above except..
20 working-hr issue resolution
1 Dynamic IP or 1 Static IP

PRICE: £48.95 per month (24-month contract)

Voom 1Gbps Full Fibre X
As above except..
12 working-hr issue resolution
1 Dynamic IP or 1 Static IP

PRICE: £53.95 per month (24-month contract)

Voom 2Gbps Full Fibre X
As above except..

PRICE: £93.95 per month (24-month contract)

Take note that Virgin’s mid-contract price hikes policy does apply, which means that your monthly prices will rise by +£3.50 (exc. VAT) every April. In addition, VMB also offers “Daisy Full Fibre” plans in areas outside of their network patch (off-net), which harnesses Openreach’s FTTP lines. But they don’t like to talk about that too much .

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Rural broadband ISP and alternative network builder Wessex Internet, which is deploying a mix of full fibre (FTTP) and fixed wireless networks across Southern England, has published their annual accounts to the end of 2025. The report reveals that revenues jumped by 47.7% to £8.5m in the year and their network coverage passed 66,000 premises.

The provider’s latest accounts, which also highlighted a gross profit of £5.69m (up 57% from £3.63m), could be said to be healthier or more stable than those of quite a few other altnets we’ve seen. Customers are also said to have increased by almost 50% in the year (similar to last year), although we haven’t yet found a solid total in the report, but were recently told that they had a base of 16,000 customers (here) and a take-up of over 30%.

Wessex also increased investment in their network to £35.6m (2024: £24.7m), which partly stems from the network expansion through their Project Gigabit contracts (currently worth a total public subsidy of £86m). On the flip side, the company reported an operating loss of £8.94m (worse than £7.85m in 2024) and suffered an EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) loss of £2.1m, but this is better than the £3.3m loss seen in 2024.

However, the provider said they expected to reach positive EBITDA territory sometime in the second half of 2026, but they also reported having net liabilities of £37.55m (2024: £22.27m). Finally, the company has a £68m debt facility with no capital repayments until 2031. According to the latest results, they’ve so far drawn £34.7m from that and have £33.3m available.

Overall, it seems to be a case of steady as she goes for Wessex Internet and, as usual, the main drag on profitability remains the enormous cost of financing a full fibre network build in remote rural areas. The operator is currently working to expand their rural full fibre network to 137,000 premises (here).

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American cable giant Comcast, which back in 2018 gobbled Sky’s pan-European TV and broadband ISP business with a bid of £30bn (here), has today announced that they intend to separate their media and technology businesses into public companies through a “tax-free spin-off” of NBCUniversal and Sky.

The move will create two companies – Comcast and NBCUniversal (existing Comcast shareholders will own shares in both companies). Comcast’s Board and management team claim that each company will thus be better positioned to pursue its “own strategic priorities, invest for growth and create long-term shareholder value as independent entities“.

Under the change, Comcast will naturally be the technology company, serving residential and business customers through its broadband, wireless and entertainment platforms. Meanwhile, NBCUniversal will become a premier global media and entertainment company, consisting of Universal’s film and television studios, NBC and Telemundo networks, Peacock, Bravo and Sky’s UK and European media business.

In short, Comcast believes its broadband / network business and its media business are worth more, while also being easier to run, as separate companies. But there’s no escaping that this is one of the biggest media industry restructurings in recent years.

Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Co-CEO of Comcast Corp, said:

“This is a very exciting day for our company. The transaction we are announcing will unlock a more entrepreneurial management approach and open up a multitude of new opportunities for each business. I very much look forward to helping guide our collective growth for this next chapter.

Mike Cavanagh will lead the new NBCUniversal media and entertainment company as CEO. Mike is one of the finest executives I’ve ever worked with and a trusted partner. His vision is for a unique, independent, focused company that will be home to some of the industry’s most valuable brands and assets across theme parks, film, television, streaming, sports and news. This new company will be well-positioned to pursue the significant opportunities that lie ahead, to partner across the media and entertainment ecosystem, and will be poised to grow.

I am also incredibly pleased to welcome back Michael Angelakis as Comcast CEO. As our widely admired former CFO, Michael’s deep knowledge of the business and passion for technology – combined with the leadership of Steve Croney, Jason Armstrong and the entire Comcast management team – will serve us well as we continue to take bold actions in today’s competitive environment. Our recent momentum is the launchpad to propel our advanced network, substantial customer base, and outstanding products to even greater success. Michael’s drive, proven track record and the tremendous level of respect he commands within our organization and beyond, make me exceptionally excited to work closely with him again.”

The wider media and telecoms market has gone through a lot of dramatic changes since Comcast took the helm, such as with the rapid rise of video streaming (i.e. replacing traditional TV). By placing Sky inside NBCUniversal the new company should be better able to compete and adapt, all without having to share priorities with a US-focused broadband business. The move might also make it easier for NBCUniversal to merge with other media companies in the future.

At this stage we don’t expect there to be any sudden or dramatic changes for customers of Sky UK to worry about. The initial focus is likely to be on the separation process and establishment of independence. But over time we may start to see more changes creeping in, for either good or ill. Some questions may also arise in regard to debt and investment, since pay TV and content rights can be a very expensive business (e.g. sports rights), but NBCUniversal might not have the same security on this front as they did when being part of Comcast.

The move is particularly noteworthy given how Sky has recently been in the news over their expected £1.6bn swoop on ITV’s broadcasting and streaming arm, which we presume would now be placed within NBCUniversal. The proposed deal covers the ITVX platform, along with ITV’s free-to-air channels, but not ITV’s Studio operations.

The separation is expected to be completed through a tax-free spin-off to Comcast shareholders in “approximately one year“, subject to the satisfaction of the usual conditions, regulatory approvals and financing arrangements etc.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) has announced their intention to launch a national week-long campaign commencing on 4th July 2026 called Broadband Independents’ Day, which aims to raise awareness about alternative broadband networks (altnets) to help homes and businesses discover what ISP options are available.

According to INCA’s data, altnets now account for more than 3.6 million live broadband connections in the UK, while more than 850,000 customers switched to an independent provider during 2025 alone (here). The latter figure is roughly equivalent to how many broadband lines Openreach lost over the same period.

Research commissioned by INCA, and conducted by Whitestone Insight, also claims to have found that around two-thirds of independent customers feel that smaller internet providers care more about their customers – and close to half of national customers say they expect the same.

Altnets are also said to deliver an average Trustpilot rating of around 4.4 out of 5, which compares well with 1.8 for Sky (Sky Broadband etc.), 1.3 for BT, 2 for TalkTalk and 2.4 for Virgin Media / O2.

Paddy Paddison, Chief Executive of INCA, said:

“Across the UK, independent providers have spent years building world-class full fibre networks, supporting local communities and delivering strong service, yet many consumers and businesses still default to the same handful of familiar brands.

The sector is no longer a fringe part of the market. Millions of premises can now access an independent broadband provider, hundreds of thousands of customers switched last year alone, and the evidence increasingly shows strong performance on customer satisfaction and community impact, alongside being the only part of the market offering 100% full fibre.

Broadband Independents’ Day is about making people aware that they have more options than they may realise and helping them discover the provider that may already be available right on their doorstep.”

The new awareness campaign will thus be designed to highlight the role altnets now play in the UK broadband market and encourage households and businesses to look beyond ‘big-name’ brands. “It spotlights how Altnets are bringing more choice than ever before, while competing with incumbent providers on connectivity and customer experience, and delivering local community benefits through jobs, skills, local supply chains and social impact,” said the announcement.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

[Copenhagen, Denmark, June 26, 2026] At Digital Transformation World (DTW 2026) hosted by TM Forum, the joint project submitted by China Telecom and Huawei—”To AN Level 4 and Beyond – How 900+ AI Agents Have Transformed China Telecom’s Operations”—was honored with the 2026 Excellence in Autonomous Networks Award. This marks the second consecutive year the partners have taken home a heavyweight industry award, following their success at the 2025 TM Forum Excellence Awards. This latest win underscores high industry recognition for their breakthrough progress in the evolution of autonomous networks.

Booming services, including mobile AI, live streaming and mobile gaming have raised consumer expectations for mobile network quality. To address this demand, China Telecom and Huawei have co-developed a domain-specific large model dedicated to radio network experience improvement: the Network Experience Improvement Large Model. Built on China Telecom’s proprietary network large model foundation and powered by SRCON 2.0 (Simulated Reality of Communication Networks 2.0) as its core engine, the model identifies poor-QoE events network-wide and translates complex user experience anomalies into precise, readily actionable network optimization solutions. Combined with large language models to enable end-to-end autonomous operation, the solution effectively improves network quality, mitigates potential customer complaints and consistently boosts user satisfaction.

The solution has been rolled out across 21 cities with remarkable results: grids suffering from poor user experience have been cut by 20%, while network-related customer complaints have dropped by 10%. The deployment successfully converts AI computing power into tangible, high-quality network experiences for end users.

Looking ahead, China Telecom and Huawei will further deepen their strategic partnership to drive technological innovation and standards development. Committed to building AI that truly “understands networks and users,” the two parties will keep injecting robust momentum into the intelligent transformation of the global communications industry, and translate the requirements for developing new quality productive forces into concrete industrial practices.

The post China Telecom and Huawei Win TM Forum 2026 Excellence Award for Second Straight Year appeared first on Total Telecom.

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Press Release

[Copenhagen, Denmark, June 24, 2026]‌ At the DTW 2026, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH), in partnership with Huawei, won the “Excellence in AI & data for business impact” award for the new Generation intelligent operations solution AUTINOps based on the AI-Native Framework for Intelligent Operations. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Digital Twin Network (DTN), Multi-agent collaboration, and Domain Specific Model (EDNS 2.0), the solution addresses the complex challenges of network operations in Indonesia, establishing a benchmark for AI-Native-driven operations transformation in the global telecom industry.

IOH and Huawei are committed to joint innovation centered on value and technology, pioneering the deployment of the AUTINOps solution across IOH’s network. This initiative elevates technology, processes, and organization through comprehensive intelligent transformation. By applying data governance framework of “Identify-Analyze-Optimize-Retain,” along with full-domain DTN and EDNS 2.0. These enable real-time, network-wide visibility, supporting fault management and predictive risk prevention. Through core capabilities such as multi-agent collaboration, dynamic chain-of-thought, and domain knowledge management, the solution achieves an 80% one-hop closure rate for fault-handling and reduces mean time to repair (MTTR) by 15%. In terms of network quality, availability improved from 99.3% to 99.7%, and site traffic loss decreased by 15%.

Simultaneously, both parties redefined the operations model, streamlining the original nine-step manual process into a two-step intelligent closed loop. This transformation facilitated the skill upgrade of over 400 operations personnel and cultivated 65 “digital employees,” establishing a new intelligent operations paradigm characterized by “humans supervising/enhancing AI Agents to execute and close tasks.”

The solution has been deployed at scale across all IOH network domains, including wireless, microwave, IP, transport, and energy, with annual agent calls exceeding 2 million, supporting communication services across more than 17,000 islands in Indonesia. Furthermore, based on project practices, IOH and Huawei have contributed 15 new standards, protocols, and methodologies to TM Forum, providing reusable practical experience for the digitization operations transformation of global operators.

IOH and Huawei Win “Excellence in AI & Data for business impact” Award

This TM Forum Excellence Award reaffirms Huawei’s technical strength and deployment capabilities in intelligent operations. Huawei will continue to explore and practice Agentic Operations together with leading operators like IOH, accelerating the journey towards ANL4 and implementing a new operations paradigm driven by value.

The post Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Huawei Win TM Forum 2026 Excellence in AI & Data for business impact Award appeared first on Total Telecom.

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Broadband and mobile operator Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) have this morning set out their new Green Transition Plan, which claims to reveal how it will achieve Net Zero carbon emissions across its full value chain, while reducing its environmental impact, by their current target for the end of 2040.

Admittedly keeping tabs on all these “green” initiatives has become a bit of a choir, particularly when you have operators like VMO2 attaching several different labels for helping to achieve the same thing every few years and months. For example, we had the “Better Connections Plan“ between 2022 and 2025, then we recently had the “Responsible Business Plan” to 2030 (ESG strategy) and now the “Green Transition Plan“.

Suffice to say it can be a real pain to wade through all the waffle, but the focus this time seems to be on “sharing a long-term approach to becoming a low-carbon business“, which admittedly is what we thought the original plan was also attempting to do.

As before, the “new” plan includes a range of measures to decarbonise, support nature recovery, strengthen the resilience of its network infrastructure to climate risks, and drive device reuse and recycling. Once again this mostly seems to consist of summarising the expected impacts of their existing initiatives.

Climate – reducing the impact of our network:

➤ Near-term decarbonisation: By 2030, Virgin Media O2 will reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90% and Scope 3 emissions by 50%. It has already reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 63% against its 2020 baseline.

➤ Long-term net zero: Achieve net zero carbon emissions across its full value chain by the end of 2040.

➤ Carbon-free power: Support the UK’s energy transition by sourcing 100% carbon-free energy from UK sources and driving energy efficiency across its operations.

➤ Climate resilience: Building and operating more climate-resilient broadband and mobile networks.

Circularity – Extending the life of technology:

➤ Supporting every device to ‘live twice’: Virgin Media O2 will continue to drive the UK’s circular economy so technology, such as smartphones, tablets or consoles, can be given a second life and repaired, recycled or refurbished and sold as ‘like new’ products. This reduces demand for critical materials, supports business resilience and increases customer choice.

➤ Refurbished growth: Aim to double the number of people buying refurbished devices from Virgin Media O2 by 2030.

➤ Recycling: Aim to double the number of people recycling unwanted devices via O2 Recycle by 2030.

➤ Reuse culture: The company will build on its partnership with Coventry City Council by championing a device reuse culture in 30 cities by 2030, supporting programmes and initiatives to keep tech in use for longer and support digital inclusion. This means devices will be reused locally and passed to people who need them, creating social value and preventing electronic waste.

The plan is said to be underpinned by 14 ‘transition levers’ that will help the company reach its goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. These include working with its supply chain to cut carbon and waste from network and customer equipment, sourcing carbon-free energy, improving the energy efficiency of customer devices, and continued investment in its networks which will support the UK’s Net Zero transition.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:

“Our Green Transition Plan is a milestone in Virgin Media O2’s journey to become a more resilient, lower carbon business.

It’s a long-term commitment backed with action across many interconnected areas where we’re working to reach net zero, give technology a second life, and build and operate climate-resilient networks.

Embedding responsible business into every decision Virgin Media O2 makes is key, as we reduce our environmental impact, help protect the planet, and keep our customers connected.”

The new plan does also contain a useful update on the progress that VMO2 has been making toward their target, which we’ve pasted below to save you needing to read through the document.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

British telecoms and broadband giant BT Group has this morning announced that they’ve signed an agreement with Verizon Communications to combine their respective international enterprise operations into a 50:50 joint venture. Both operators will hold equal voting rights and Verizon has agreed to pay BT an equalisation payment of $625m (£473m).

The new JV, which is expected to “unlock significant scale efficiencies across the combined global network and service operations“, will focus on serving multinational organisations. It is expected to serve more than 3,000 customers across more than 180 countries, representing approximately £3bn ($4bn) in combined annual revenue.

“Designed specifically for a cloud-first world in the age of AI, the joint venture brings together BT International, which serves multinational customers with secure and resilient communication and network services around the world, with Verizon’s international enterprise wireline arm, which provides secure connectivity to enterprises worldwide … At the same time, the parent companies will be better able to focus on their domestic markets, while providing support to the new joint venture as equal shareholders,” said the announcement.

As part of this, Martijn Blanken has been appointed CEO-designate of the new joint venture (effective from 1st Sept 2026). Martijn has almost three decades in senior leadership positions across telecommunications, technology and digital infrastructure at Telstra, Openwave Systems, EXA Infrastructure and KPN. Meanwhile, Clive Selley will continue to lead BT International as CEO, ensuring continuity in readiness for the creation of the JV.

Allison Kirkby, CEO of BT Group, said:

“The world’s leading brands and international organisations trust BT International to connect them across the world. Bringing together this expertise and heritage with Verizon’s deep relationships with multinationals will create a stronger, scaled connectivity partner – one that has the reach, innovation and investment to succeed. Customers will benefit from new, secure and resilient connectivity platforms, which are designed for the age of AI and sovereign where it matters. It will create new opportunities for our people and long-term value for our owners. Today’s announcement marks a major milestone for BT International, and an important step forward for BT as a whole, as we deliver on our UK-focused strategy.”

Dan Schulman, CEO of Verizon, said:

“Our international customers require secure, flexible connectivity that works seamlessly across borders and cloud environments. When we thought about how to best support them, this joint venture was the clear answer: a cutting-edge, AI-ready and secure platform run by a single global organization dedicated to their needs. At the same time, our relationship with those customers will stay equally strong as we continue to directly provide them with the connectivity they need in the U.S.”

The transaction is currently expected to complete sometime in 2027, albeit subject to the usual regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions. BT and Verizon hope the JV will create a stronger platform for growth and accelerate the rollout of next-generation connectivity platforms.

The new JV will be incorporated in the Bailiwick of Jersey and headquartered and tax resident in the United Kingdom. Goldman Sachs acted as lead financial advisor to BT, with Deloitte as transaction services advisors and Freshfields LLP as legal counsel. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisors to Verizon and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel.

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In news that will not come as a great surprise to ISPreview’s readers. A new MSE survey of 47,000 tariffs – all from UK mobile and broadband providers with the biggest market share – has found that Ofcom’s latest policy to improve the transparency of mid-contract price hikes actually seems to have resulted in consumers paying more for their service.

At the start of last year the UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, began requiring telecoms providers to adopt a new approach to mid-contract price hikes, which finally did away with the old and sometimes confusing percentage and inflation-based model – replacing it with one that require providers to set out such price rises “clearly and up-front, in pounds and pence, when a customer signs up” (here).

On the surface this seemed like a good idea, not least because it made annual price hikes clearer and more transparent. On the flip side, it also made it more difficult for providers to balance price rises across lots of different packages, which resulted in many providers adopting a flat price rise – set at the same level for every package.

For example, BT were the first to jump by increasing the monthly broadband price that customers pay by a flat £3 extra – effective from March or April each year (the level of increase varies a bit between providers), which was later increased to £4 after inflation remained higher than forecast (here). Many other providers have since adopted a near identical approach.

The problem with this approach, which we’ve raised many times before on these pages, is that it has a tendency to hit those on the cheapest broadband and mobile packages the hardest (i.e. if you pay £20/month then a £4 rise equates to a 20% price hike each year), while only giving a reprieve to the smaller portion of consumers who take more expensive packages (e.g. if you pay £60 then a £4 rise equates to a 6.67% increase) – not very fair to those on cheaper packages.

Results of the new study

According to the new study of 47,000 tariffs from UK mobile and broadband providers, which was conducted by Martin Lewis and MoneySavingExpert (MSE), some three in four were found to be worse off under Ofcom’s new system than they would have been under the previous inflation-linked approach.

In addition, in almost all cases, “all customers faced above-inflation price rises under the new system” and “those who suffer most are those who have tried to keep their costs down by choosing cheaper tariffs“.

Impact on a selection of broadband contracts

Martin Lewis said:

“This was frustratingly predictable. Let’s be plain, it provisionally looks like the regulator’s intervention resulted in most contracts costing more. Transparency only goes so far, we don’t want customers overpaying just because they were told about it first.

The solution has always been bleedin’ obvious. Just ban above-inflation mid-contract price hikes. Of course, many, including me, would prefer a ban on any mid-contract rise, as the price you sign up for should be the price you pay over the length of the contract. Yet that risks possible market distortion, as firms may lift initial prices as a provision against unexpected costs mid-contract.”

Sadly the government has, thus far, only seemed inclined to pay lip service to this problem, such as through their soft voluntary Telecoms Consumer Charter (TCC), while at the same time saying they have “no plans to ban in-contract price rises” for UK consumers taking broadband, mobile and phone services (here).

One difficulty for the industry is over the question of how you ban mid-contract hikes without also disrupting the ability of providers to offer a diverse range of attractive first-contract-term style service discounts. In a competitive market this can help to attract or retain customers, while also supporting the growth of new alternative networks against established incumbents.

Finding a balanced approach that preserves some discounting, while still being easy to understand and apply in a way that’s fair across lots of different package tiers, is not an easy task. But much like MSE, we remain broadly in favour of a ban on mid-contract hikes. Finally, inflation has since fallen back a bit over the past year, so we’re waiting to see if any big providers reduce their mid-contract hikes later in 2026.

Take note that there is some choice in the market, so not all providers adopt a policy of mid-contract hikes, although the current system is common amongst the largest players and most consumers use those.