Vodafone will jack up its prices next month, it said today. Standard call charges will rise from 15p to 20p per minute for pre-pay customers and contract minutes outside monthly inclusive packages.

Calls to non-geographic 0871 numbers will cost 35p per minute from September, compared to 25p currently. Non-geographic 0870 lines will be charged at 20p per minute, an increase of one third.

Rivals O2 and T-Mobile increased their call rates in July. The squeeze is being interpreted as an attempt by the operators to recoup revenues lost to the European Commission's roaming caps.

Vodafone is the UK's second largest mobile provider, with about 17.5 million customers. ®

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