Tariff transparency is no longer a high-level principle in European telecom regulation. With the European Electronic Communications Code (Directive 2018/1972), consumer protection and pricing clarity have become central regulatory objectives. Member States translated these principles into concrete, enforceable obligations.

Belgium sets a clear implementation standard!

In January 2026, the Belgian regulator (BIPT/IBPT) clarified the implementation of Articles 108, 109 and 110 of the Electronic Communications Act. Tariff transparency is now operational and auditable, applies to all customers (including B2B), and requires operators to provide at least an annual “best tariff” recommendation based on a defined consumption profile, including at contract renewals. Operators must also document and be able to justify the methodology used to identify the most beneficial plan. The main challenge is traceability: in case of audit, operators need structured data, consistent calculation logic, and documented processes to prove how the recommendation was determined.

Similar transparency requirements already exist in other countries, albeit in different forms. Germany has strengthened customer information and transparency duties. Austria and the Netherlands impose tariff comparison and clarity requirements, even if they do not mandate a strict annual proactive recommendation. At EU level, BEREC continues to emphasise consumer empowerment and pricing transparency.

The regulatory direction is clear: operators must provide understandable, demonstrable and fair tariff recommendations. While implementation differs between Member States, the expectation is consistent across the EU.

From Regulatory Obligation to Operational Challenge

Meeting tariff transparency obligations requires more than sending an annual notification.

Operators must be able to:

Manual approaches may appear manageable but become quickly inefficient as portfolios grow or regulatory scrutiny increases. IT developments are possible, but costly and difficult to adapt. What is required is a structured environment capable of analysing tariff portfolios and usage patterns in a transparent and defensible way.

A Practical Tool for European Operators

Neurocom has developed SurPrice, a tariff modelling and analysis platform designed for telecom operators. While originally built to support pricing strategy and revenue optimisation, its capabilities are directly aligned with today’s tariff transparency obligations.

SurPrice enables operators to:

In the current regulatory context, this type of structured tariff analysis tool can be used by any telecom operator to support compliance with tariff transparency obligations, regardless of national implementation specifics.

Conclusion: Compliance as a Strategic Investment

Tariff transparency is here to stay in Europe. Operators need to know how to implement it efficiently and robustly.

The IT developments required to fulfil these obligations should not be viewed solely as a regulatory cost. If properly designed, they can lay the groundwork for a powerful sales and customer insight tool. The capabilities required to identify the most advantageous tariff — such as usage analysis, portfolio comparison and scenario modelling — can also support proactive customer engagement, reduce bill shock, improve tariff alignment and strengthen retention.

In fact, several operators had already implemented SurPrice well before the EU Directive came into force. They used SurPrice not only to support transparency, but also as a retention tool and, in some cases, to enable upselling by helping customers migrate to offers that better suited their needs and provided better value.

Operators that view tariff transparency as a structured, data-driven capability will meet regulatory expectations and enhance customer experience and revenue stability.

If you would like to discuss how tariff modelling tools can support transparency obligations and customer retention strategies, please contact the Neurocom team.