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Telecoms: broadband and mobile, and what leaving costs

Eleven providers, every number traced to the company's own published pages, plus the Ofcom rules that decide what you can be charged.

Last verified 26 July 2026 · Next review 26 October 2026

Two hubs

Pick your service

Telecoms

BT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, EE, Plusnet — who to call, how much notice, and what leaving early costs. Switching runs on One Touch Switch.

Mobile

O2, EE, Vodafone, Three — the numbers, the PAC and STAC codes, and the handset debt that outlives your contract.

The difference that matters

They are two separate regimes

Broadband and mobile look like one category and are regulated as two. Switching broadband runs on One Touch Switch, live since September 2024, where the new provider does everything. Mobile runs on switching codes you request yourself, in force since July 2019.

Both share the rest: end-of-contract notifications, annual best-tariff reminders, and the January 2025 rule that price rises must be stated in pounds and pence. Broadband rights · Mobile rights Verified

Unlike insurance

No price cap here

In insurance, the regulator caps what you can be charged relative to a new customer. Ofcom has no equivalent rule, so a telecoms provider may legally charge you more than someone signing up today. What you get instead is disclosure — they must tell you when your contract ends and what their best deal is. Knowing that is what makes the call worth making. Verified

Sourcing

Where this comes from

ClaimSourceChecked
Ofcom has no price-parity rule equivalent to the FCA banOfcom statement Prohibiting inflation-linked price rises, July 2024, which states the rules do not restrict price levels26 July 2026
One Touch Switch, live 12 September 2024Ofcom statement Quick, easy and reliable switching; Ofcom launch page26 July 2026
Switching codes, one-minute delivery, and no notice charge past the switch dateOfcom consolidated General Conditions C7, version in effect 8 April 202626 July 2026
Each provider’s number and its labelSourced on that provider’s own page — follow the link for the full tableDated on each page

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