Meet the founder
Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith
Founder and head of editorial, BroadbandSwitch.uk
I started BroadbandSwitch.uk in 2026 with one simple aim: to make broadband easy to get right for every household in the UK.
That means honest prices, straight answers and free tools you can use in a couple of minutes.
Why I started BroadbandSwitch.uk
Broadband is one of the few household bills where staying put can quietly cost you more. Prices change when a contract ends, the small print is long, and most of us have better things to do in the evening than read Ofcom reports.
So I set out to build the site I wished existed. One that does the reading for you, tells you what you're really paying, works out the speed your home actually needs, and shows you what's available at your address. Then the choice is yours, made with the full picture.
At home we have four children and three dogs, so I know exactly what a busy household asks of its Wi-Fi on a school night. That's who I picture when we write anything.
If a deal isn't right for you, we'll say so. If a smaller full fibre provider is the better deal at your address, we want you to see it. That's the whole point of us.
What we stand for
Meaning before money
We discuss key facts and solutions like parental controls and social tariffs, and we put all of that above making money. We believe in making meaning and being of value. Only that way can we build your trust.
Here's what that looks like, day to day.
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Social tariffs
Cheaper broadband for people who receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit and certain other benefits. We earn nothing when someone moves to one, and we cover them in full anyway.
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Parental controls
Free, practical help for families keeping children safe online, through our Online Safety hub and ParentalControl.uk, which I fund myself.
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Compensation you're owed
If your broadband stops working or an engineer doesn't turn up, your provider may owe you money. Our free calculator shows how much. There's nothing in it for us.
Short videos I've made for you
About a minute each, on the questions I hear most. Tap one to play it right here.
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No tips today. I'm selling you something
Straight talk about what we offer: a free checker that shows the deals available at your address.
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£12.50 broadband if you're on Universal Credit
Social tariffs explained, and how to check if your household qualifies.
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Stop overpaying for broadband
Why your bill goes up when a contract ends, and how to put it right.
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Gigabit broadband is overkill for most homes in 2026
Why most homes don't need the fastest package, and how to check what yours needs.
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You never have to call your old broadband provider
How One Touch Switch lets your new provider do the work for you.
How we make sure you can trust what you read
There are two of us, and we check each other's work. Adrian James writes most of our guides and I check them before they go live. I write our Data Lab reports and Adrian checks those.
We get things wrong sometimes, like anyone. When readers in the ISPreview comments questioned two points in our report The Last Dial Tone, we checked both, agreed with them, thanked them publicly and put the fixes in our corrections log. I'd much rather be corrected than quietly wrong.
Research you can use
Our Data Lab reports are free to read, and every figure is dated and sourced so you can check it for yourself. A few of the findings that matter most to your bill:
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Report No. 28
£7 to £9 a month
The extra that out-of-contract customers pay compared with new customers on the same service.
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Report No. 29
82%
Of UK homes can now get full fibre, based on Ofcom's Spring 2026 data. Many still haven't moved over.
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Report No. 26
31 Jan 2027
The date the old copper phone network is due to switch off, and what it means for your landline.
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Report No. 30
6 per 100,000
Broadband complaints to Ofcom in early 2026, the lowest it has ever published.
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Report No. 27
68%
Our forecast odds of three national fibre networks, plus smaller local ones, by the mid-2030s.
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Report No. 31
100 years
Of the red telephone box, told with verified sources. A lighter one, but we loved writing it.
ISPreview called The Last Dial Tone “one of the better overarching summaries” of the copper switch-off.
Mark Jackson, ISPreview, 19 June 2026. Read the article
Free tools I've built for you
Some of the most useful things we make cost nothing at all. Pick the one that fits the job.
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UKSpeedTest.co.uk
Check the speed your connection is getting right now, straight from your browser.
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RightSpeed
Work out the speed your household really needs, so you don't pay for more than you'll use.
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RouterMap
Find the best spot for your router, for stronger Wi-Fi in the rooms you use most.
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Landline switch-off checker
Six quick questions about your phone line, then a personal checklist for the copper switch-off. Nothing is stored.
How we're paid, and what that never changes
BroadbandSwitch.uk is free to use. When you switch through some of our links, the provider may pay us a fee. It never changes the order you see: deals are listed from the lowest price up by default, and that order isn't for sale.
A little about me
- CMgrChartered Manager, Chartered Management Institute
- DBADoctor of Business Administration, LIGS University
I'm proud of both, but I'd rather you judged us on whether this site helps you. That's the test I hold us to every day.
I'm also a director of Upleashed Limited, the Isle of Man company that runs BroadbandSwitch.uk.
Get in touch
Questions, ideas or something we've got wrong? I'd love to hear from you.
- Guides and researcheditor@broadbandswitch.uk
- Press and mediapress@searchswitchsave.com
- LinkedInConnect with Alex
Prefer to talk? Call 0330 122 1223, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Quick answers
Who runs BroadbandSwitch.uk?
BroadbandSwitch.uk was founded by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith and is run by Upleashed Limited, an Isle of Man company (number 021517V). Alex leads the site and its Data Lab research. Adrian James is broadband editor.
Is BroadbandSwitch.uk independent?
Yes. No broadband provider owns us. Providers may pay us a fee when you switch through some of our links, but deals are listed from the lowest price up by default and no provider can pay to change that order.
Is BroadbandSwitch.uk free to use?
Yes. Comparing deals at your postcode and using our tools is free, and you don't need to sign up.
Does BroadbandSwitch.uk earn money from social tariffs?
No. We earn nothing when someone moves to a social tariff, and we cover them in full anyway, alongside free help with parental controls. We put meaning before money, because being useful is how we earn your trust.
What qualifications does Alex hold?
Alex is a Chartered Manager (CMgr) with the Chartered Management Institute and holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from LIGS University.
How can I contact Alex?
Email editor@broadbandswitch.uk about our guides or research, or press@searchswitchsave.com for media enquiries. You can also call 0330 122 1223, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
New to switching?
How switching broadband works, in under two minutes
Since September 2024, in most cases you only need to contact the provider you're moving to. They manage the switch for you. This video walks through One Touch Switch in nine steps, and the three that are yours to do.
References
- Jackson, M. (2026, June 19). New report examines the UK's public switched telephone network switch off. ISPreview UK. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/06/new-report-examines-the-uks-public-switched-telephone-network-switch-off.html
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026a). A century in red: 100 years of the red telephone box (Report No. 31). BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/a-century-in-red.html
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026b). The complaints floor: Ofcom complaints by provider, Q1 2026 (Report No. 30). BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-complaints-floor/
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026c). The 82% country: Connected Nations Spring 2026 (Report No. 29). BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-82-percent-country/
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026d). The great consolidation: Forecasting the UK fibre shake-out (Report No. 27). BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-great-consolidation/
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026e). The last dial tone: The UK PSTN and WLR switch-off (Report No. 26). BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-last-dial-tone/
- Martin-Smith, A. J. (2026f). The loyalty penalty: What disengaged UK broadband customers really pay (Report No. 28). BroadbandSwitch.uk. https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-loyalty-penalty/
Page updated . Spotted something that needs fixing? Email editor@broadbandswitch.uk.