New UK broadband rules will make it easier to switch supplier

Ofcom, the media and telecommunications regulator for the United Kingdom, has introduced a new service to make it easier for customers to switch broadband supplier to get a better deal. Ofcom hopes that the new process, One Touch Switch, will encourage people to seek out better deals after research found that more than two-fifths of people were put off switching broadband suppliers because of the hassle. People can already switch between providers that use Openreach’s broadband network – such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk – through a process requiring a customer only to contact their new supplier. However, until now customers hoping to change networks or technologies – such as between Virgin Media’s network and a provider on Openreach or other smaller networks such as Hyperoptic or CityFibre – had to deal with both the new and old supplier simultaneously.