One Touch Switch has now been used for 3.5 million broadband and landline switches across the UK, according to figures reported by ISPreview. That number counts completed switches rather than 3.5 million different people, as somebody could use the service more than once, but it remains an impressive milestone.
The system makes changing provider much simpler. You choose the company you want to join and it arranges the move with the company you’re leaving. Your current provider sends details of any final charges, but you don’t have to make the dreaded cancellation call or sit through an attempt to persuade you to stay.
It also works when the two providers use different networks, making it easier to move between familiar names such as BT and Sky and newer Full Fibre providers. More than 340 broadband and landline brands are now connected to the system. Around 1.6 million people used it during its first year, so switching has continued at a healthy pace.
Image Credit: Ofcom
Ofcom’s somewhat iconic, bulbous office building, photographed from Southwark Bridge
It still doesn’t make every switch painless
One Touch Switch relies on the two providers identifying the same customer and service. A difference in the name, address or account details they hold can cause a delay. TOTSCo, the company running the system, says improving the way providers match those details remains one of its biggest jobs.
Nor can the switching system prevent every installation problem. A new provider may still need to send an engineer or fit a new line, particularly when you’re moving to a different network. Ofcom says any loss of service during a switch should normally last no longer than one working day.
Even with those wrinkles, this is a considerable improvement on the old process. Making it easier to leave gives providers one less opportunity to wear customers down, while smaller broadband companies have a fairer chance of winning people away from the biggest names.
