Mobile phone providers will have to offer 12 month contracts under new EU rules.



Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-and-rip-offs/broadband-and-phones/article.html?in_article_id=521766&in_page_id=182#ixzz1CYVl8Ova

This is welcome but all it means is that the upfront fee for a phone, especially a smartphone, will be really high obviously to help offset the money lost due to the reduction in the minimum term.

I like the overall cap of 24months though because it probably wouldn't be long before 30month contracts come along.

This is off-topic but related but I just noticed that VirginMedia's minimum term is now 18months.  No reason for that because it's not like they are cheap.  They are just copying of TalkTalk but at least TalkTalk's prices are cheaper.

bbb_uk wrote on Jan 30^th, 2011 at 10:04pm:

This is off-topic but related but I just noticed that VirginMedia's minimum term is now 18months.  No reason for that because it's not like they are cheap.  They are just copying of TalkTalk but at least TalkTalk's prices are cheaper.

Still 12 months in some cases  ;)

http://shop.virginmedia.com/broadband/up-to-10mb.html

wrote on Jan 30^th, 2011 at 9:16pm:

Mobile phone providers will have to offer 12 month contracts under new EU rules.

Please forgive me for not reading more on this, but what's to stop providers offering very poor deals merely to satisify this directive, thus resulting in costs rising further for consumers?