Tough call over cost hikes

FIVE-MINUTE GUIDE TO... RISING MOBILE BILLS

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SWITCH TIME? Many customers will be hit hard

MILLIONS of households are facing yet another squeeze this April as broadband and mobile bills surge far faster than inflation.

Industry analysis shows that providers are planning increases of up to four times November's 3.2% inflation rate, leaving consumers staring at eye-watering price rises.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, said providers are using “flat-rate pounds and pence” increases as a smokescreen for inflation-busting percentage hikes. “For customers on newer contracts, these fixed jumps will have been clear from the start. But the scale of the increases could catch people off guard as they compound every year,” he said.

New rules force providers to give customers clear monetary figures for annual increases, rather than linking them to inflation, which could be unknown.