London, 14 October 2026. For immediate release. Issued by BroadbandSwitch.uk and distributed by EIN Presswire.
Nine steps take a UK household from one broadband provider to another, and the customer carries out three of them. BroadbandSwitch.uk has published a free process map and a two minute animated video showing all nine steps, who is responsible for each, and the rights that apply at every stage, as Ofcom reports that 3,431,195 people started a One Touch Switch between the launch of the process in September 2024 and 3 September 2026.
The map and video land at a point where switching matters to household budgets. Ofcom's latest data shows that 28% of broadband customers are out of contract, and that customers in contract spend between £7 and £9 a month less than those who are not. Prices vary by postcode and so does the saving, but Ofcom's advice is to check the contract, compare, and switch where it is right for the household.
Key facts
- 3,431,195 people had started a One Touch Switch by 3 September 2026 (Ofcom, 12 September 2026, using TOTSCo data).
- More than 300 providers are signed up to the process, and 344 brands are live in the TOTSCo hub directory (Ofcom; TOTSCo, October 2026).
- 28% of broadband customers are out of contract, and in-contract customers spend £7 to £9 a month less (Ofcom, 26 February 2026).
- Out-of-contract customers taking pay TV, broadband and landline together pay £78 a month on average against £69 in contract, and many could save over £100 a year (Ofcom, 12 September 2026).
- In September 2026 the industry hub received 623,500 match requests and returned 215,947 match failures (TOTSCo).
- Any loss of service during a switch should not last longer than one working day, and customers have 14 calendar days to cancel an order (Ofcom, 25 August 2026).
- Compensation of £6.46 a day for a late start and £32.31 for a missed appointment applies where a provider is in Ofcom's voluntary scheme, at the rates in force since 1 April 2026.
What is One Touch Switch?
One Touch Switch is the Ofcom process for moving home broadband and landline between providers, in force since 12 September 2024. The customer contacts only the provider they want to join. That provider manages the switch through an industry hub run by The One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), and the old service should stop automatically. Nobody has to ring the company they are leaving. The BroadbandSwitch.uk switching hub sets the process out as a map with four lanes, the customer, the new provider, the hub and the old provider, drawn from Ofcom's switching rules and the TOTSCo industry process.
How does a One Touch Switch work, step by step?
A switch has nine steps. The customer does steps one, five and nine.
- The customer orders from the new provider, giving their address, their current provider and the services to switch.
- The new provider sends a match request through the hub.
- The old provider looks for the account, matching on the address first and then the surname. An account number helps but is optional.
- The old provider sends the customer the switching information by email, text or post, including any early exit charges.
- The customer reads it and tells the new provider yes or no. Nothing happens without a yes.
- The new provider books the switch date. Ofcom designed the process so a switch can take "just one day where this is technically possible".
- The new service goes live.
- The old service and its billing stop, with no notice charges after the switch date.
- The customer plugs in the new router and is online.
What rights does a customer have when switching?
Six protections, each quoted from Ofcom's Switching broadband provider guidance as updated on 25 August 2026. "Any loss of service should not last longer than one working day." "Your old provider must not charge you for any notice period after the switchover date." "If you switch using One Touch Switch, your provider must tell you about any charges before you switch." "You have the right to cancel your order within 14 calendar days." "Once your new service is working, your old service should cease automatically." And a provider "must compensate you in certain cases, including if you are left without service for more than one working day, or if they miss a confirmed service or installation appointment."
How much could an out-of-contract household save?
Ofcom's research published on 26 February 2026 found 28% of broadband customers out of contract and an in-contract saving of £7 to £9 a month across standalone broadband, dual play and triple play. Its 12 September release put the gap for pay TV, broadband and landline bundles at £78 a month out of contract against £69 in contract, said many of those customers could save over £100 a year, and noted that one in three triple play customers were out of contract last year. Natalie Black, Ofcom's Group Director, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: "Our advice to everyone with a broadband, mobile, pay-TV or landline contract is to check whether you're in or out of contract, compare the offers out there, and if right for you then switch and save."
Where do switches get stuck?
TOTSCo's September 2026 hub figures show that the step most likely to fail is the first one between the providers: the match. The hub received 623,500 match requests in the month, confirmed 402,414 and returned 215,947 match failures. Order requests ran at 219,230, and 184,947 switches were triggered. TOTSCo says the end-to-end success rate "will be higher than the hub match rate" because many requests are repeat attempts for the same customer, and that the highest match rate observed between two larger providers is 83%. For the customer the fix is usually simple: give the address exactly as it appears on the latest bill, use the surname on the account, add the account number if it is to hand, and ask the new provider to send the request again. A failed match does not stop anyone trying again.
"Most people still think switching means a difficult phone call with the company they are leaving," said Adrian James, broadband editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk. "It does not. You order from the new provider, you read the switching information and say yes or no, and you plug in the new router. The other six steps happen between the two companies. We drew the map because nobody had shown the whole thing on one page, and the match failures tell us people need it."
What happens if a switch goes wrong?
Where a provider is in Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme, a customer is owed £6.46 for each calendar day a new service starts late, £32.31 for each missed engineer appointment, and £10.34 for each calendar day a total loss of service is not fixed after two full working days, at the rates in force since 1 April 2026. The scheme is voluntary, and ten providers are in it: BT, EE, Hyperoptic, Plusnet, Sky (including NOW), TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Zen Internet. A complaint that is not settled can go to the Communications Ombudsman or CISAS for free after six weeks, a wait that Ofcom cut from eight weeks on 8 April 2026. The compensation calculator on the switching hub works out what is owed.
Who is not covered?
One Touch Switch covers home broadband and landline switches at the same address. Ofcom's 2022 statement says switches that take place at the same time as a home move "are not required to be in scope of One Touch Switch", so movers should ask their provider how a move is handled. Business switches are not required to use the hub. Pay TV and other extras in a bundle may need cancelling with the old provider. A customer who arranges a switch by cancelling one service and ordering another gives up the process and its protections.
What about social tariffs?
Customers who receive Universal Credit, Pension Credit or certain other benefits can take a social tariff, and Ofcom says that where a provider offers one it can be switched to "at any time, free of charge". Ofcom found that 70% of eligible households were unaware of social tariffs in October 2025, and that 532,000 customers were using one in June 2025. A customer whose provider has no social tariff can switch to one that does, and the switch itself follows the same nine steps.
Where can consumers see the map and the video?
Both are free on the switching hub, with the map as a PDF and a PNG that is free to reuse with a link, the full transcript, and the six rights quoted from Ofcom. The One Touch Switch explainer video runs for one minute and 55 seconds with a British voice-over and captions, and is also on YouTube. Step one starts with a postcode: consumers can compare broadband deals by postcode, choose one, and let the new provider do the rest.
"The rules are on the customer's side, and they are not widely known," said Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, head of editorial at BroadbandSwitch.uk, who reviewed the guide. "A one working day limit on lost service, no notice charges after switch day, 14 days to change your mind. We have put them on one page, quoted from Ofcom, so people can check them before they order and hold their provider to them afterwards."
Frequently asked questions
Does a customer need to tell their old provider they are leaving? Not for the broadband and landline switch. Under One Touch Switch the new provider manages it and the old service should stop automatically. Pay TV in a bundle may need cancelling separately.
How long does a switch take? Ofcom designed the process so a switch can happen in as little as one day where technically possible. A move to a different network can take longer if an engineer visit or new equipment is needed, and the new provider should say so before the order.
Will the household lose its internet during the switch? Ofcom says any loss of service should not last longer than one working day. Where the provider is in the automatic compensation scheme, a longer loss is compensated.
Can a customer change their mind? Yes, within 14 calendar days of the order. If the switch has already happened, Ofcom warns that the old service will not automatically be reinstated.
One Touch Switch at a glance
- What it is
- the Ofcom process for moving home broadband and landline between providers, in force since 12 September 2024
- Who you contact
- only the provider you are joining; the old service should stop by itself
- Your three steps
- order, say yes or no to the switching information, plug in the new router
- Lost service
- should last no longer than one working day (Ofcom)
- Changing your mind
- 14 calendar days from the order
- Compensation
- £6.46 a day for a late start, £32.31 for a missed appointment, £10.34 a day for a loss of service, where the provider is in the voluntary scheme
- The map and video
- free on the switching hub, as a PDF, a PNG and a 1:55 video with captions
About BroadbandSwitch.uk
BroadbandSwitch.uk is an independent UK broadband comparison service, part of the SearchSwitchSave group. It earns a commission when a customer orders through its comparison, which does not change the price the customer pays. Deals are listed by monthly cost, lowest first, and commission never decides the order. Its guides and Data Lab reports are written by named authors and carry a public corrections log. Customer line: 0330 122 1223.
Notes to editors
- Ofcom's figure of 3,431,195 counts people who started the One Touch Switch process. TOTSCo's milestone of 3 million, passed in June 2026, counts completed switches. The two are different measures.
- Set against Ofcom's count of 29.4 million fixed broadband lines at the end of March 2026, the 3,431,195 starts are equivalent to roughly one in eight lines. That is a BroadbandSwitch.uk calculation, and the two figures are not strictly comparable.
- The September hub match ratio of about 65% (402,414 confirmations from 623,500 requests) is a BroadbandSwitch.uk calculation from TOTSCo's published message counts. TOTSCo states that the customer-level success rate is higher.
- The map, the video and the five images with this release are free to reuse with a credit and a link to the switching hub. Adrian James and Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith are available for interview on 0330 122 1223.
