US consumers paying most for services, with British customers choosing separate providers making best savings, according to Ofcom research

UK and French consumers are getting some of the best deals for TV, internet and mobile services, while those in the US are paying the most, according to research on the UK, Italy, France, Germany and the US by Ofcom.



The UK regulator looked at a basket of packages for five representative households, ranging from ones with basic needs, including phones and free TV but no broadband, to “sophisticated couples” with high-end pay TV and superfast broadband.

It found that the UK and France consistently came out cheaper on both the lowest available options and average prices for households taking on each service individually or signing up to discounted bundles.

France came out with the lowest prices, just overtaking the UK, which had the best prices overall in 2014. UK consumers picking services separately still get a better deal than those across the Channel, but French telecoms and TV companies are now offering better bundles, said Ofcom.

The better French deals come despite the increased emphasis on discounted bundles by companies in the UK such as Sky and BT. However, the regulator said that if a household wanted to have a fixed broadband internet connection, then it was almost always cheaper to buy services as a bundle, with consumers in the UK saving an average of 18%.

The US, which was assessed based on data from the state of Illinois, came out as most expensive for each representative household on both lowest and average prices.