Is late payment a big problem in the telecommunications sector?

The telecommunications sector is slightly better than the UK average, with 22% of invoices paid late compared to 24% nationally. However, late payment still affects freelancers and suppliers in this sector.

Can I charge interest on late invoices?

Yes. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998, you can charge statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate on any overdue business-to-business invoice. You can also claim fixed compensation of £40 to £100 per invoice. You do not need to include this in your contract for it to apply.

How can I check if a specific company pays on time?

Use the PennyFetch payment checker tool to search over 9,000 large UK companies and see their actual payment record, including average days to pay, percentage of invoices paid late, and whether their payment speed is improving or getting worse.

Industry Data

Late payment in telecommunications

How the UK telecommunications sector compares on payment practices, based on official government data from 86 reporting companies.

Overview

The telecoms sector has some of the slowest average payment times in the UK. Large network operators and infrastructure companies often impose long payment terms on their suppliers and contractors, and the actual time to pay frequently exceeds those terms.

Key statistics

Avg. days to pay

UK median: 32

Invoices paid late

22%

UK average: 24%

Companies reporting

of 9,336 total

Telecommunications companies pay their suppliers in 53 days on average, which is 21 days slower than the UK median of 32 days. 22% of invoices in this sector are paid after the agreed terms.

Slowest payers in telecommunications

These are the telecommunications companies with the highest percentage of invoices paid after the agreed terms, based on their most recent government filing.

Company	Avg. days	% paid late
MAXUS COMMUNICATIONS (UK) LIMITED	1120	100%
LIQUID TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED	63	93%
AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION INSURANCE SERVICES LIMITED	26	74%
CENTURYLINK COMMUNICATIONS UK LIMITED	45	72%
TALKTALK TELECOM LIMITED	74	68%
MOBILE PHONES DIRECT LIMITED	84	67%
AMINO COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED	22	67%
PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES UK LIMITED	198	65%
INTEGRITY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP LIMITED	53	60%
AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED	7	58%

Advice for freelancers working in telecommunications

Telecoms companies are large and their accounts departments can be difficult to reach. Make sure you have a direct contact in their finance team, not just your project contact. If your invoices are being ignored, escalate early. The statutory interest calculator can help you work out what you are owed.

Frequently asked questions

Based on official government data, telecommunications companies take an average of 53 days to pay their suppliers. 22% of invoices in this sector are paid later than the agreed terms.

Related tools and guides

Company payment checker

Look up a specific company to check their payment record.

All industry statistics

Compare late payment across every UK sector.

Late payment interest calculator

Work out what you are owed in interest and compensation.

How to chase an unpaid invoice

Step-by-step guide with email templates.

Data from the UK Government Payment Practices Reporting service. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Industry classification and analysis by PennyFetch. This page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or legal advice.

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