Broadband News
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Broadband switching to become easier in UK
13 Sep 2010 | 09.27 Europe/London
Ofcom, the UK telecommunications regulator, has announced that it is to make it easier for households and businesses to switch broadband provider.
It follows internal research that suggests nearly one in two people think that switching their broadband provider would be too much hassle.
Hence, it has announced that it is to publish proposals mid way through next year which will seek to change how connections are switched, empowering the ‘gaining’ provider to steer the process. This Gaining Provider Led (GPL) approach could replace the existing Losing Provider Led (LPL) set up which places the onus on the supplier losing the customer to initiate the switch with a migration code.
Under the new proposals Ofcom expects to publish next May or June, the ISP with more to gain from the switch will be empowered to push the process through quickly, making the switch hassle free and swifter, the regulator hopes.
7th million line unbundled
As it announced the proposals for next year, the regulator also revealed that unbundling has now been extended to 7m lines – this is the process where a rival is allowed to run a service over BT’s copper network.
Unbundling was brought in during September 2005 and in the five years it has been in place the regulator claims it has helped to bring down the cost of the average broadband connection from £23.30 per month to £13.31 and helped penetration levels nearly double from 37% of households to 71%.
It follows internal research that suggests nearly one in two people think that switching their broadband provider would be too much hassle.
Hence, it has announced that it is to publish proposals mid way through next year which will seek to change how connections are switched, empowering the ‘gaining’ provider to steer the process. This Gaining Provider Led (GPL) approach could replace the existing Losing Provider Led (LPL) set up which places the onus on the supplier losing the customer to initiate the switch with a migration code.
Under the new proposals Ofcom expects to publish next May or June, the ISP with more to gain from the switch will be empowered to push the process through quickly, making the switch hassle free and swifter, the regulator hopes.
7th million line unbundled
As it announced the proposals for next year, the regulator also revealed that unbundling has now been extended to 7m lines – this is the process where a rival is allowed to run a service over BT’s copper network.
Unbundling was brought in during September 2005 and in the five years it has been in place the regulator claims it has helped to bring down the cost of the average broadband connection from £23.30 per month to £13.31 and helped penetration levels nearly double from 37% of households to 71%.