"Switching ISP leaves 1 in 7 offline for weeks"

Changing broadband supplier leaves one in seven unable to access the entire web for two weeks or more, new research has revealed.

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Consumers often save hundreds of pounds per year by switching broadband supplier, but the process of switching can be convoluted.

Sebastien Lahtinen, co-founder of web news site thinkbroadband.com, who commissioned the survey, said “the current delays in migrating services are likely to put consumers off from switching providers. At the moment, the migration process varies depending on which combination of broadband and telephone service you’re changing and the matrix of possible options is simply too large.”

While six out of ten broadband migrations were carried out within the hour, many of the 800 customers surveyed were left in limbo while broadband providers tried to reconnect services from one provider to another.

Communications regulator Ofcom is planning to change the broadband service provider “migration rules” early next year. Its own research claims one in five routinely lose connectivity for a week. Over the last year, 130,000 households were also switched to the wrong phone line.

Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards said: “Smooth switching processes are essential to ensure that consumers can change providers with confidence. Many people think that the current systems are too difficult and unreliable which is why we have made it one of our priorities to tackle this problem.

The problems of switching are likely to be made more conspicuous with the introduction of new advertising rules, tightening up what speeds ISPs can promise customers. The average speed achieved for UK broadband customers was 7.6Mbit/s, compared to routinely advertised figures of 20MB and 24MB. New rules mean that 10 per cent of customers much actually be able to receive advertised figures.