Broadband

"Terrible" inflation-busting mobile and broadband price hikes are to be probed by the Chancellor after Martin Lewis grilled him on the issue. In an interview with the MoneySavingExpert.com founder, Jeremy Hunt said he would write to the competition and markets watchdog and "get to the bottom of it".

Broadband, mobile and pay TV firms will no longer be able to hit customers with inflation-linked price hikes mid-contract, under proposals put forward by the telecoms regulator. But while MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis has welcomed the move, he has also called on Ofcom to ensure any rises are never above inflation.

Broadband and mobile firms should be banned from hitting their customers with unpredictable mid-contract price hikes, consumer group Which? and charity Citizens Advice have said. The organisations have urged the telecoms regulator to stop these "unjust hikes" to ensure people are given certainty about how much their contract will cost when they sign up. 

If you're a Shell Energy broadband and home phone customer, you should urgently check you're not overpaying, as the provider has been fined £1.4 million by the regulator for failing to notify around 65,000 customers that their contracts were ending. The firm has also refunded more than 6,000 customers who were overcharged after being quoted the wrong price in their end-of-contract notifications.

Millions of Virgin Media broadband, TV and home phone customers will see their bills increase this spring by an average of 13.8%. The telecoms provider has also announced that its prices will rise above inflation in future. But affected users can cancel penalty-free this year – here's how to beat the hikes.

Broadband customers switching to or from cable networks including Virgin Media, Hyperoptic and others will still have to contact both their new and existing provider when moving across, as plans to introduce easier 'one touch' switching from April 2023 have been delayed. 

Virgin Media is being investigated by telecoms regulator Ofcom, after the watchdog received a worrying number of complaints from broadband, home phone and TV customers who said the firm had made it too difficult to cancel their contracts.

BT customers will no longer be able to get a discount on their home phone and broadband line rental by paying for a year upfront as its 'line rental saver' product is being axed for new sign-ups and renewals from 21 July. If you currently use it, you won't pay any more until your contract expires after this date, but when it does you'll be switched to paying line rental monthly – meaning you'll lose the £20 a year saving.  

Virgin Media's broadband customers have been hit by a widespread email outage this week, leaving users unable to send or receive emails. Here's what you need to know if affected.

Millions of Sky broadband and TV customers will see their bills increase from 1 April by an average of £67.20 a year (8.1% or £5.60 a month), the telecoms provider has announced. But some affected users may be able to cancel penalty-free as a result – here's how to beat the hikes.