That quiet jump on your broadband and TV bill after the “welcome” period ends? Ofcom reckons a lot of us are still paying it without noticing. On 12 September 2026 they launched a Consumer Hub built around one blunt message: check if you are in or out of contract, compare what is on offer, and switch if it actually helps.
The hub sits at ofcom.org.uk/onyourside. Money-saving tips and tools for broadband, mobile, landline and pay-TV in one place. Not a magic price cut. A map for people who are busy and slightly fed up of guessing.
Natalie Black, Ofcom’s Group Director of Infrastructure and Connectivity, put it plainly. Check whether you are in or out of contract. Compare the offers. If it is right for you, switch and save. ISPreview and LADBible both covered the launch the same day, so this is not a quiet soft launch buried in a PDF.
The £78 vs £69 problem
Here is the number that made me open my own account page. For bundled TV, broadband and landline, Ofcom’s research put the average out-of-contract customer at about £78 a month. In-contract customers averaged around £69. Roughly £9 a month. About £108 a year if you sit still.
And last year, around one in three people on those triple-play style contracts were out of contract. Rolling. Quiet. Easy to ignore until the direct debit looks chunkier than your mates’ deals.
That gap is not a conspiracy. It is how introductory prices work. Fine when you know the date. Expensive when you do not.
Affordability context, without the panic
Ofcom still says communications services are affordable for most people. Same release notes that 4% of telecoms customers missed a payment last quarter. Another slice cut a service or cut spend elsewhere. Cost of living is still biting some households hard.
The day before the hub went live, the Public Accounts Committee pressed for stronger support for vulnerable customers, including more free telecoms consumer advice. The hub will not replace a statutory advocate overnight. It is still useful if you just need a clear starting point instead of twenty browser tabs.
Quick checklist before you touch anything
- Find your contract end date. App, online account, or last bill. Note any early termination charges if you are still locked in.
- Write down what you actually use. Speed you need for work and streaming. How many mobiles. Whether you still want pay-TV or a cheaper stream stack.
- Run Ofcom’s coverage and availability tools from the hub so you are not comparing fantasy packages for your postcode.
- Compare like for like. Price comparison sites help. So does asking your current provider to match a real quote. Loyalty discounts appear when you sound ready to leave.
- If you switch broadband or landline, ask about One Touch Switch. New provider can handle the move. Less “cancel then pray” theatre.
- Glance at social tariffs if you are on Universal Credit or similar benefits. Take-up is still low. Eligible households leave money on the table every month.
None of that requires a weekend project. Half an hour and a cup of tea is enough to know whether you are overpaying.
When not to panic-switch
Do not rip everything up on day one of a fresh 18-month deal just because Twitter is loud. Early exit fees can wipe the “saving” before Christmas.
Do not chase the cheapest headline speed if your street only gets a slower tier reliably. A bargain 900Mbps quote that is not available at your door is wallpaper.
And do not ditch a bundle that still works for your household just because an altnet advert looks shiny. Sometimes re-contracting with the same provider is the boring win. Sometimes splitting broadband and TV is smarter. The hub’s job is to help you decide, not to push one brand.
If you are in Northern Ireland or Cumbria and already looking at Freely-style TV on fibre, my note on Fibrus TV is worth a skim. Cornwall and Devon folk might prefer the Wildanet TV route. Different maps. Same habit: check the contract dates first.
Pay-TV and the “do I still need this?” test
Ofcom also nudges people to look at overlapping streaming and pay-TV packages. Fair point. Plenty of living rooms run a big TV package plus three apps that all carry the same late-night film.
If sport and entertainment are the only reason you keep a fat bundle, check whether a lighter broadband line plus something like NOW’s current Saver deals lands cheaper after your contract ends. Not always. Often enough to do the sums.
Copper lines still matter for some postcodes too. If you are weighing fibre upgrades against old-world pricing, the recent Openreach copper path from April 2029 is the longer backdrop. Today’s bill is still the urgent bit.
What I am doing this week
Open the provider app. Screenshot the contract end date. Drop the postcode into Ofcom’s checker via the hub. Save two rival quotes as PDFs. Then either haggle or switch. Or leave it alone with eyes open.
That is the whole game. Ofcom built a door marked “on your side”. Walk through it before another £108 quietly walks out of your account.
