The telecoms giant said it is contacting customers to inform them of the price rise, which will see the average bill go up by 58p a month or £6.96 a year.

The increase is in line with December’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation figure.

Mobile phone providers are allowed to raise prices each year by the RPI rate so you won’t be able to exit your deal penalty free unless you can prove “material detriment”, Ofcom says.

If you’re out of contract, however, you should be able to switch deal. It’s worth remembering though that most providers hike prices by the RPI rate once a year, so the same could happen with a new operator.

The price rises affect pay monthly customers only, not pay-as-you-go customers.

An EE spokesperson said: “We go further every day to provide our customers with the UK’s best mobile network and great customer service, with 4G and 5G coverage in more places than any other operator.

“Like many service providers, our pay monthly plans increase by RPI annually, and this year customers on our most popular plan will typically see an increase of 58p a month. We’re currently contacting our customers to remind them this will take effect from 30th March 2020.”