Broadband Price Rises in April 2027: What Is Already Confirmed

For about a decade, working out what a broadband contract would actually cost you was impossible. Providers wrote increases into contracts as formulas, usually something like CPI plus 3.9%, which meant the answer depended on an inflation figure that had not been published yet. You were, in effect, signing a blank cheque with a polite covering letter.

That changed on 17 January 2025, when Ofcom banned inflation linked and percentage based mid contract rises in all new contracts and required any increase to be stated in pounds and pence at the point of sale (Ofcom, 2024). The rises did not go away. But for the first time, the whole schedule is knowable before you commit.

Which means that in July 2026, we can already tell you what most providers will charge you in April 2028.

How much will broadband go up in April 2027?

Direct answer: £4 a month at BT, EE, Plusnet, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, and £3.50 a month at Vodafone and Three. Sky has not yet published its 2027 figure.

These are the providers' own published amounts. The date each one applies from, and which customers it applies to, is set out below.

Check your own contract before relying on this. The figure that applies to you depends on the date you signed, and providers occasionally revise their published schedules. Your contract documents and your provider's own price change page are the definitive source for your household.

Two providers publish their forward schedules in a way that makes the point vividly. Vodafone's own worked example shows a £24 package becoming £27.50 on 1 April 2027 and £31 on 1 April 2028. TalkTalk's shows £28 becoming £32 in April 2026 and £36 in April 2027. In both cases the customer can see three years of pricing before signing, which is exactly what the 2025 rule was designed to achieve.

Why does a 24 month contract have two price rises?

Direct answer: because a 24 month term always contains two 1 Aprils, whatever month you start in. This is arithmetic rather than policy, and it is the single most commonly missed point in broadband pricing.

Try it with any start month. Sign in August 2026 and your contract runs to July 2028, taking in April 2027 and April 2028. Sign in January 2027 and it runs to December 2028, taking in April 2027 and April 2028. Sign in May 2027 and it runs to April 2029, taking in April 2028 and April 2029. Two Aprils, every time.

We call this the two rise rule, and it is worth remembering because almost every comparison people do in their heads assumes one.

How much do two price rises actually add?

Direct answer: around £80 on a 24 month contract starting in August 2026 with a £4 monthly rise. That is about £3.33 a month on top of the advertised price, which is more than enough to change which deal is genuinely cheapest.

Here is the arithmetic in full, using a £30 a month package as an example. The method is what matters, so substitute your own numbers.

Can a cheaper headline price be the dearer deal?

Direct answer: yes, routinely, and this is the most expensive mistake in broadband shopping. A package advertised at £2 a month more can work out over £30 cheaper across a 24 month term if it holds its price.

Here are two illustrative deals side by side, both 24 months, both starting August 2026, both with no setup fee.

Deal B costs £2 a month more and is £32 cheaper overall. Anyone comparing on the headline monthly figure alone would pick the wrong one, and would never find out.

This is precisely why our comparison tool ranks by Total Contract Value rather than by monthly price: the full cost across the term, including setup fees, minus rewards, with any confirmed rise built in. Our page on how we rank deals sets out the method, and total contract cost explained covers the components in more detail.

Why is my price rise different from my neighbour's?

Direct answer: because the amount usually depends on when you signed, not on what you buy.

Look again at the table above and you will see dates attached to almost every entry. Virgin Media applies £4 a month to customers who joined on or after 2 October 2025, but £3.50 to those who joined between 9 January and 2 October 2025. TalkTalk's £4 applies to contracts taken from 16 November 2025. BT, EE and Plusnet all have cutoffs in late July and early August 2025.

So two households on the same street, with the same provider and an identical package, can face different increases purely because one signed in September and the other in November. It is worth knowing before you ring up to complain that your neighbour is paying less, because the answer is usually chronological rather than unfair.

What if I am on an older inflation linked contract?

Direct answer: the January 2025 rule was not retrospective, so older contracts can still carry formulas such as CPI plus 3.9%. If you are on one, your future rises are genuinely unknowable, which is itself a good reason to review.

Those legacy terms produced increases of roughly 6% to 8% during the high inflation years, which is what prompted the rule change in the first place. If your contract predates your provider's move to pounds and pence, you are still on that basis until you re-contract or switch.

The practical implication is straightforward. A household on a legacy contract cannot do the arithmetic in this article at all, because one of the inputs does not exist yet. Moving to a pounds and pence contract at least restores your ability to know what you are agreeing to. Our full guide to in-contract price rises covers the two track system in detail.

Do price rises apply if I am out of contract?

Direct answer: mid contract rises are a feature of being in contract. If your minimum term has ended, you are in a far stronger position, because you can leave at any time with no exit charge.

Ofcom found that 28% of UK broadband customers are out of contract (Ofcom, 2026). Switching research quoted alongside Ofcom's pricing work puts the average annual saving from switching at contract end at £183.60, across around 8.8 million out of contract customers. Ofcom's own data shows in contract customers typically spend £7 to £9 a month less than out of contract ones for comparable service.

If you are in that position, the single most valuable thing in this article is not the 2027 table. It is the reminder that you owe nobody anything and can move today. Our guides on when to switch and saving money on broadband cover the approach, and One Touch Switch means you arrange everything with the new provider.

Are there providers with no price rises at all?

Direct answer: yes, several, but it is no longer universal among smaller providers and you should check the specific contract rather than assuming.

A number of independent networks hold your price fixed for the whole term. Zen Internet's Contract Price Promise is the clearest example, committing to no in contract rises for the length of the contract (Zen Internet, n.d.), and several other independent providers market fixed pricing in the same way.

The honest caveat is that this is a moving picture. At least two providers that previously built their marketing around not raising prices have since introduced annual increases for new customers. So "altnets do not raise prices" was a fair rule of thumb two years ago and is not one today. Read the price clause.

If a fixed price for the whole term matters to you, that is a legitimate thing to shortlist on, and it can be worth a couple of pounds a month as the head to head above demonstrates. Our guide to contract lengths compares the terms available.

Can I cancel if my broadband price goes up?

Direct answer: usually not, if the rise was set out in pounds and pence when you signed, because it forms part of the contract you agreed rather than a change to it.

This is the trade off at the heart of the 2025 reform, and it is worth understanding clearly. Under the old inflation linked system, an increase was arguably a change to your terms. Under the new system, the increase was disclosed upfront, so agreeing to the contract means agreeing to the increase.

Where a penalty free exit right does generally arise is when a provider makes a change to your contract that you were not told about at the point of sale and that is not purely administrative or to your benefit. In that situation you are usually entitled to notice and the right to leave without an early termination charge. Our guide to exit fees and our leaving early guide set out the circumstances.

Will Ofcom ban annual price rises?

Direct answer: there is no ban on rises themselves, and Ofcom has said it will assess how well the current rules are working during 2027.

Ofcom's position, set out in its pricing report, is that the pounds and pence rules give customers greater clarity at the point of sale, and that there is not yet sufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions about their effect. Consumer groups have argued the rules do not go far enough and that mid contract rises should be banned outright. Providers point to the cost of continued network investment.

Both positions are arguable, and the 2027 review is where it will be settled. In the meantime, the practical position for households is unchanged: the increases are lawful, they are disclosed, and the only real defence is doing the arithmetic before you sign.

Five things to do before you sign anything

Two free tools worth using alongside this. Our speed calculator stops you buying more speed than your household needs, which is the other common way of overspending, and our speed test tells you what your current line actually delivers before you decide whether to change anything.

Frequently asked questions

How much will broadband go up in April 2027?

Most major UK providers have already published the figure. BT, EE and Plusnet have confirmed £4 a month from 31 March 2027, Virgin Media and TalkTalk £4 a month in April 2027, and Vodafone and Three £3.50 a month from 1 April 2027. Sky has not yet published a 2027 amount. The exact figure that applies to you usually depends on when you signed.

How can providers know their 2027 price rise already?

Because Ofcom requires it. Since 17 January 2025, any mid contract price rise in a new UK broadband contract must be set out as a fixed amount in pounds and pence at the point of sale, rather than linked to inflation. That means the whole schedule for the life of your contract is published before you sign.

Does a 24 month broadband contract have one price rise or two?

Two. A 24 month term always spans two 1 Aprils, whatever month you start in, so unless your provider exempts your first year you will take two annual increases before the contract ends. At £4 a month that means your final months cost £8 more than your first months.

How much do two price rises add to a 24 month contract?

It depends on your start month, but for a contract beginning in August 2026 with a £4 rise, the two increases add about £80 across the term. That is roughly £3.33 a month on top of the advertised price, which is enough to change which deal is actually cheapest.

Do price rises apply if I am out of contract?

Mid contract rises are a feature of being in contract. If you are out of contract you are free to leave at any time with no exit charge, which is a much stronger position. Ofcom found 28% of UK broadband customers are out of contract, and switching research quoted alongside Ofcom puts the average annual saving from switching at contract end at £183.60.

Can I cancel if my broadband price goes up?

Not usually, if the rise was set out in pounds and pence when you signed. Because the increase was disclosed at the point of sale, it is part of the contract you agreed rather than a change to it. A penalty free exit right generally applies where a provider changes your terms in a way you were not told about upfront.

Are there broadband providers with no price rises?

Yes, several independent networks hold prices fixed for the whole term, including Zen Internet through its Contract Price Promise. But it is no longer universal among smaller providers, and some that previously advertised fixed pricing have introduced annual increases, so always check the specific contract rather than assuming.

Why is my price rise different from my neighbour's?

Because the amount usually depends on when you signed. Providers set different figures for different customer cohorts, so two people with the same provider and the same package can face different increases purely because they joined in different months.

What is a legacy inflation linked broadband contract?

Older contracts signed before providers moved to pounds and pence can still carry inflation linked formulas such as CPI plus 3.9%. The January 2025 rule was not retrospective, so those terms continue on existing contracts. If you are on one, your rise is not knowable in advance, which is itself a reason to review.

Is a cheaper monthly price always the cheaper deal?

No, and this is the most common costly mistake. A deal advertised at £2 a month more but with no mid contract rise can work out cheaper across a 24 month term than one with a lower headline and a £4 annual increase. Always rank by full term total rather than the first monthly figure.

Will Ofcom ban annual broadband price rises?

There is no ban on rises themselves. Ofcom banned inflation linked and percentage based increases in new contracts from 17 January 2025, requiring pounds and pence disclosure instead, and has said it will assess how effectively those rules are working during 2027. Consumer groups have argued for an outright ban, while providers point to investment costs.

When is the best time to switch broadband to avoid a price rise?

The most valuable moment is when your minimum term ends, because you can leave without an exit charge. Providers must notify you between 10 and 40 days before your contract ends and tell you their best available deals, so that notice is your prompt to act rather than something to file away.

References

• Ofcom. (2024). Ofcom bans mid-contract price rises linked to inflation. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/ofcom-bans-mid-contract-price-rises-linked-to-inflation
• Ofcom. (2026). Pricing and consumer engagement report. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/new-ofcom-research-reveals-how-to-cut-phone-and-internet-bills
• Ofcom. (n.d.). End-of-contract and annual best tariff notifications. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/switching-provider/end-of-contract-notifications
• Ofcom. (n.d.). General Conditions of Entitlement. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/general-conditions-of-entitlement
• Zen Internet. (n.d.). Zen's Contract Price Promise. https://www.zen.co.uk/contract-price-promise/

Written by Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk (LinkedIn). Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith (LinkedIn). Published 23 July 2026. Provider figures are as published at the time of writing and may be revised; your own contract documents are the definitive source. Worked examples are illustrative. This guide is information, not advice.