Ofcom out-of-contract broadband: what it means before your contract ends
A dated note on Ofcom rules requiring providers to notify customers when their fixed broadband contract is about to end, and why the contract end date is the active review point.
Published January 2026
What changed
Ofcom requires broadband providers to send an end-of-contract notification setting out the price the customer will pay after the fixed contract ends and the best tariffs available to them.
Out-of-contract customers can still end up paying more than they would on a new fixed deal — the notification flags the change but does not act on the household's behalf.
What it means before the contract end date
Once a fixed broadband contract ends, the line typically reverts to an out-of-contract monthly price until the customer acts. The contract end date is the moment that reversion either does or does not happen.
The household's own diary entry for that date is what makes the end-of-contract notification useful — without it, the date arrives and the higher price is already on the next bill.
What to do now
Check the contract end date stated on the provider's end-of-contract notification.
Check the out-of-contract monthly price compared with the current monthly price.
Check whether the household's actual broadband usage still matches the speed tier.
Related pages
Broadband reminders
Track your broadband renewal date so the next change is on your calendar, not the provider's.
Broadband contract ending report 2026
Evidence on how UK prices move at this renewal — what households are paying and why.
What to check before your broadband contract ends
A short guide to the dates, terms and decisions behind this renewal.
Sources
- Ofcom — End-of-contract and annual best tariff notifications. Broadband, mobile and pay-TV providers must notify customers when their fixed contract is about to end and what the price will be afterwards.
- Ofcom — Ban on inflation-linked mid-contract price rises. Ofcom rules require providers to set out any in-contract price rises in pounds and pence at the point of sale.