IT and telecommunications: check licences, cloud and contract durations

How prices are changing

Prices for IT services and telecommunications rose by 0.7 to 1.7% in Q2 2026 compared with the same quarter a year earlier, less than the 3.7% rise in services prices overall. According to Destatis, companies cited general cost increases and higher licence costs as the reasons behind prices for data processing and software. Hardware became significantly more expensive: in September 2026, computers and peripheral equipment cost 12.1% more at wholesale than a year earlier.

The producer price index for wireless telecommunications stood at 87.6 points in Q2 2026, below its 2021 level (2021 = 100). A mobile framework agreement from previous years may therefore be above today’s price level.

What is changing for contracts

What makes up the price

You pay for software as a perpetual licence with annual maintenance or as a subscription per user. In the cloud, you pay for consumption or for reserved capacity; discounts may be tied to a minimum commitment over a fixed term. You buy or lease hardware, with maintenance, service extensions and take-back on top.

For mobile and fixed-line services, you pay a basic charge per line that depends on the tariff and contract term, plus devices, roaming and add-on options. IT service providers bill at hourly or daily rates, as flat fees or per ticket.

Which index to use

For software, hosting, IT consultancy and telecommunications, Destatis publishes separate quarterly producer price indices for services (statistic 61311). For hardware, the wholesale selling prices for computers and peripheral equipment are suitable (statistic 61281). A reference to the consumer price index reflects prices for private households, not your IT service provider’s costs.

If a clause links the price directly and automatically to an index, the Preisklauselgesetz (German Price Clause Act) sets limits (§ 1 PrKG). Cost element clauses, among others, are permitted, provided that the price trend directly affects the provider’s own costs. How a price adjustment clause is structured

Six points where IT and telecommunications contracts cost money

1. Licences and lines without users. Licences of employees who have left, duplicate tools and SIM cards with no usage cost money every month. Compare licences and lines with your list of active users and reduce them at the next possible date.
2. Index clause without a cap. If the fee rises with an index every year, each increase is applied to the already increased amount. According to the producer price index, software and software licences cost 1.1% more in Q2 2026 than a year earlier. Agree an index that matches the service, and a cap.
3. Automatic renewal. If a contract is renewed because the notice period was missed, you lose the opportunity to negotiate. For Microsoft 365, the new list prices apply to existing customers from renewal. Keep a calendar of deadlines and negotiate before the cut-off date.
4. Maintenance on the list price. If maintenance is calculated as a percentage of the licence value, the base matters. If the base is the list price, you also pay maintenance on the discount you received at purchase. Set the price paid as the base and check whether you can cancel maintenance for unused licences.
5. Minimum commitment in the cloud. You pay a committed minimum even if your consumption stays below it. Compare commitment and consumption before you renew. From 12 January 2027, charges for switching to another provider no longer apply, which makes comparison easier.
6. Bundles that are only partly used. A bundle pays off if your users need its components. Check for each user group which features are actually used, and assign smaller bundles or individual licences.

Before you agree to an increase

Ask your provider in writing:

• On what basis do you calculate maintenance and support: list price or price paid?
• Which index is behind the increase, with what reference period and what cap?
• How many licences and lines have we actually used in the last twelve months?
• When does the contract term end, and with what notice can we terminate or reduce quantities?
• What minimum commitment have we made, and how much of it have we used?

For the review, you need: the contracts with price lists and licence terms, the invoices for the last twelve months, the usage reports from the admin portals, the list of lines and SIM cards, and the notice of the increase.

How we renegotiate IT and telecommunications contracts

We compare licences, lines and cloud consumption with your actual usage, check the invoices against the contracts and record all contract durations and notice periods. We negotiate index clauses and the maintenance base using Destatis figures. Our senior negotiators handle large contracts in person, together with your buyer. We handle the many small contracts in a standardised, software-supported way according to your rules. You approve every agreement.

Frequently asked questions about IT and telecommunications

Sources

• Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): producer prices for services in Q2 2026, press release of 18 September 2026
• Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): wholesale selling prices in September 2026, press release of 14 October 2026
• Microsoft Licensing News: Microsoft 365 Packaging and Pricing Updates, 16 February 2026
• European Commission: Data Act explained, accessed 29 October 2026
• § 56 Telekommunikationsgesetz (German Telecommunications Act)
• § 71 Telekommunikationsgesetz
• § 3 Telekommunikationsgesetz
• Preisklauselgesetz (German Price Clause Act), § 1