Communications Affordability Tracker

Ofcom regularly monitors people’s experience of communications services. This summary sets out the findings from our latest research into the affordability of home broadband, mobile phone, landline and pay TV services.

Around a quarter of UK households (23%) had difficulty affording communications services in January 2025

Twenty-three per cent of UK households struggled to afford their communication services in January 2025, consistent with October 2024. In total, we estimate this to equate to 5.3 million UK households (+/- 600,000) who found it difficult to afford communications service(s).

As seen in previous waves of the survey, those in receipt of benefits and those in households with a resident with an impacting/limiting condition, continue to be among those most likely to have difficulty affording their communications services.

Households continue to make changes to their communications services so that they can afford them

Ten per cent of households said they made changes to a communication service (e.g. switched package or tariff); while 8% stated they were reducing spend elsewhere, such as on food or clothes to afford communications services, compared to 11% in October 2024. The proportion of households that have cancelled a communication service in the last month (7%), missed a payment (4%), and made changes to a payment method (3%) also remain broadly consistent with the previous wave of the survey.

Approximately one in ten households struggle to afford subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) (9%) and pay-TV (8%) services

In January 2025, households taking SVoD and/or pay-TV were the most likely to say they struggled to afford these services (9% and 8% respectively). Seven per cent of households with a mobile phone found it difficult to afford their service, this equates to around 1.9 million (± 400,000) UK households. Seven per cent of those with fixed broadband found it difficult to afford their service in the previous month, which equates to around 1.6 million (± 400,000) UK households. Three per cent of households with a landline found it difficult to afford their service.

Over half of households (55%) that found it difficult to afford communications services also experienced affordability issues with other household items/services

Fifty-five per cent of households that found it difficult to afford their communications services in January 2024 also had difficulty affording other household items/services. The most common items/services that those taking communications affordability actions also had difficulty affording were gas/electricity (32%), food (31%) and travel costs (28%).

Around three in ten eligible decision makers (31%) were aware of fixed broadband social tariffs

Thirty-four per cent of decision makers who are eligible to apply for a social tariff were aware of fixed broadband and/or mobile social tariffs, which has remained consistent since January 2024. Those who were eligible were more likely to be aware of broadband social tariffs (31%) compared to mobile (21%). The most commonly reported ways in which those who were eligible for social tariffs had first heard about broadband social tariffs was through their communications provider (17%), television (14%) and general online search (13%).

*Base sizes too low to display demographic groups by month for ‘Where eligible respondents first heard of fixed broadband social tariffs’

*Base size too low to display ‘Where eligible respondents first heard of mobile social tariffs’

** Financial Vulnerability combines household income, working status and the size of the household and creates three distinct groups based on expected financial vulnerability. The Most Financially Vulnerable group are those who have a low household income relative to household size. For example, any household with an overall income under £10,400 or a household with at least 6 inhabitants and an overall income of £36,400 - £51,999 would both fall into this category. Please note that not all those taking part in the survey answer the household income question. In January 2025, 32% either didn’t know or refused to answer the household income question.

Communications affordability tracker - technical annex

Communications affordability tracker - technical annex (October 2024) (PDF, 283 KB)

Download the data

The data used in these charts is available to download via our statistical release calendars.

Data from previous research