Providers weigh price hikes as customers more jittery than ever

Could the major telecom operators increase prices on customer bases already reeling from general cost-of-living increases and other economic uncertainty? Executives from AT&T and Verizon both seemed to leave the door open to that possibility, but new research suggested that could be a very risky move. EY issued a report titled, “The top 10 risks in telecommunications,” which identified “Insufficient response to customers during the cost-of-living crisis” as the No. 1 risk operators currently face. An EY survey found that 60% of customer households that responded “are worried about future increases in broadband subscription prices.” Furthermore, 45% said they believe they overpay for content services and 44% said they believe their broadband provider “doesn’t do enough to direct them to the best deal.”