Phone-paid or premium rate services (PRS) are any services that are charged for via a consumer’s phone bill or pre-pay mobile credit. These include services such as access to music and video streaming platforms, charity donations by text, voting on TV talent shows, broadcast competitions, directory enquiries and app store purchases including in-app content such as add-ons for games.
Ofcom assumed responsibility for the day-to-day regulation of phone-paid services in February 2025, taking over from the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA). This annual market review report continues the series of annual market insight reports previously published by the PSA, and has been produced for Ofcom by Analysys Mason.
We are committed to ensuring that our regulatory decisions are informed by high-quality evidence. Reports such as this help us understand market trends, consumer behaviour, and emerging issues in the PRS sector.
Ofcom is reviewing how it will continue to report on the PRS sector and welcomes feedback on this publication to help inform its decisions. Please send any comments to MID@ofcom.org.uk.