Uswitch warns that Ofcom’s failure to enforce the One Touch Switch deadline could cost around 11 million UK broadband customers an estimated £1.85 billion a year in unnecessary overpayments.
The warning coincided with the date the One Touch Switch standard was due to take effect. The new standard is intended to simplify and speed up switching between broadband providers, but reports earlier this month suggested the deadline was likely to be missed.
Ernest Doku, Telecoms Expert at Uswitch, said:
“With inflation-driven price hikes hitting millions of households this month, the delay to One Touch Switch is a missed chance for Ofcom to help customers find better deals and restore their confidence in switching.
Nearly half of broadband customers say they want to switch now, but many are deterred by unfounded worries and confusion about the process.
Those concerns would have been largely addressed if One Touch Switch had launched as planned.”
Uswitch estimates that missing the deadline could prevent households from saving up to £162 per year on average.
One Touch Switch is designed to make changing providers easier and faster, letting consumers move to cheaper plans, upgrade to faster packages, or change provider if they are unhappy. The process also aims to enable smooth switching between physically separate networks—such as Openreach, Virgin Media, Hyperoptic, and CityFibre—so customers can access the most competitive offers. Ofcom’s expectation was that the new process could be completed in as little as one day.
Despite the potential benefits, many customers are hesitant to switch because they fear being left without service, worry about aggressive sales calls, or worry about being charged twice. In practice, these concerns are largely misplaced: the incoming provider typically manages most of the work, including cancelling the existing contract, and new service start dates can be scheduled up to a month ahead to avoid double billing.
Survey findings show significant dissatisfaction that could drive switching: 30% of respondents feel their broadband isn’t as fast as it should be, and 19% report problems with dropouts and reliability.
One Touch Switch aims to make switching broadband as straightforward as changing banks or mobile providers. Uswitch urges Ofcom to set a new firm deadline to ensure the rollout happens as soon as possible.
“If Ofcom is serious about supporting consumers and encouraging uptake of full-fibre networks, there needs to be closer oversight of implementation programmes like this and firmer consequences for providers that miss deadlines,” Doku added.
“Switching broadband providers can save the average household around £162 a year. Ofcom should not allow further delays that penalise customers, particularly while household budgets are under pressure.”
Broadband is essential for most UK households, used for streaming TV and music, working from home, and accessing important information. Four in ten people (38%) said they would have less entertainment choice if they lost broadband for one to two days, and 24% said they could not perform their job while working from home without it. Other worries included difficulties staying in touch with friends and family, managing household finances, and losing access to up-to-date information.
According to Uswitch’s most recent customer satisfaction survey, the top reasons users switch broadband are price (including price rises), internet speed, reliability, and customer service.
Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie, commented on the missed One Touch Switch deadline:
“This is a complete shambles at a time when millions of households are facing major increases to their broadband bills.
Plans for the system were published back in autumn 2021, yet 18 months on Ofcom and providers are blaming each other and there is still no new start date.”
Typically, customers should expect a switch to a new broadband service to take around two weeks to arrange, though actual downtime is rarely that long. On the day of the switch, most customers experience only a short interruption—often about 30 minutes—while the service is transferred.
“Ofcom appears content to leave customers in the dark about today’s missed deadline. It is failing to simplify an already overly complex switching process,” Tofts added. “We urge them to work with providers to set a realistic new start date as soon as possible.”
UK broadband customers can use Uswitch’s comparison service to check they are on the best available deals for their needs.
(Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash)
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