'Just not sustainable': Why your monthly 25 broadband internet bill could
soon hit 45

Date:
Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:05:00 +0000

Description:
Entry-level UK broadband around 25 is increasingly unsustainable as smaller alternative networks face rising costs, slowing growth, and potential price hikes.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Alternative network providers cannot sustain 25 per month without rapidly losing money Rising operational costs force smaller ISPs to consider higher monthly broadband bills Average revenue per user must reach 40 45 for Altnets to break even Entry-level broadband
pricing in the UK has remained relatively stable in recent quarters, with average tariffs for superfast services holding near 31 per month.

However, this stability masks a growing financial strain on alternative network providers that built their customer bases on discounts and low-cost full-fibre packages priced at around 25 per month. The core problem is
simple: these providers are losing money on every 25 subscriber because their operating costs per connection are significantly higher. Article continues below You may like Broadband costs set to rise for millions of
out-of-contract customers 'Big tech pays for power why not broadband?': Hyperscalers signed the rate protection pledge for electricity
infrastructure, so should they do it for broadband? An expert chimes in Openreach is planning major price hikes to force business users off old
copper networks Pressure on alternative networks and pricing models A report from PointTopic claims current pricing structures across many internet
service providers are under strain as operating costs continue to rise.

Veronica Speiser, Senior UK Plus Analyst, explains that smaller networks must raise average revenue per user to approximately 45 just to break even, which means the era of ultra-cheap broadband is likely ending.

Alternative network providers have reported average revenue per user between 25 and 35 per month, while larger operators operate within a broader range of 30 to 50.

Speiser stated that "the current pricing models are not fully sustainable for many ISPs," pointing directly to a gap between what subscribers pay and what it costs to serve them. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &
Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

She believes that the difference in scale and infrastructure burden is a key reason smaller networks struggle with sustainability.

"The Altnet model is not sustainable and they will need to be bringing this
up to around 40 45 per month to keep up with its current high operating
costs per subscriber," Speiser added.

This marks a shift away from earlier pricing strategies that relied on price freezes or no-contract increases. What to read next 'An incredible deal':
Grab a 1000GB monthly preloaded 5G data SIM valid till November 2027 for just 68 thanks to Three and Vodafone Public EV charging provider issues warning about major price hikes Britain's broadband roll-out enters final stage with final fiber rules confirmed

Total broadband connections in the UK reached approximately 28.96 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, with only limited growth compared to earlier periods.

Within this overall flat growth, full fibre adoption continued to expand to 12.39 million connections, whereas legacy technologies such as FTTC and DSL continued to decline.

Also, coverage increased to more than 80% of UK premises, with a rising
number of locations served by multiple fibre networks.

Despite this expansion, subscriber growth has slowed significantly, meaning new customer additions no longer keep pace with infrastructure rollout.

This slowdown eliminates the volume-based strategy that many Altnets relied
on to subsidize low prices.

Pricing differences remain visible across major providers and alternative networks, with some full fibre packages available below 25 per month, while others exceed 40 depending on service tiers.

Meanwhile, higher-priced legacy services persist, with some slower copper-based packages costing more than newer fibre alternatives.

Fixed wireless access remains a small segment of the market, accounting for around 1% of connections based on regulatory estimates.

This has not significantly altered the broader fixed broadband market landscape.

The path from 25 to 45 is not guaranteed for every customer, but the economic logic is inescapable for customers of smaller alternative networks.

The only real uncertainty is whether the increase happens through direct
price rises, the disappearance of discount offers, or a wave of bankruptcies. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the
Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/just-not-sustainable-why-your-monthly-gbp25-broa dband-internet-bill-could-soon-hit-gbp45


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)