Five UK mobile networks – EE, O2, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone – have agreed to limit the bill customers could face if their phones are stolen.
Under a voluntary agreement with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the companies will introduce a liability cap set at £100 ($149), provided the device is reported as lost or stolen to the provider and police within 24 hours.
EE will introduce the new policy in the next few weeks. Virgin will follow on 1 July, with O2 and Vodafone falling into line later in the summer.
According to the UK’s National Mobile Phone Crime Unit around 300,000 mobile are reported stolen to the police each year.
The £100 cap is part of the new Code of Practice that all five operators have signed up to. It also obliges them to inform customers when they reach their data limits and make it easier to monitor usage, as well as offering better control over roaming.
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➤ Government action secures end to shock mobile bills [Department of Culture, Media and Sport]
Image credit: Shutterstock
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