This article explains the new broadband switching process, called One Touch Switch (OTS) and the subsequent removal of the Notification of Transfer (NoT) process.
What is One Touch Switch? #
OTS is a new process designed to make switching broadband providers much simpler and hassle-free for consumers.
Introduced by Ofcom, it allows consumers to switch providers by only contacting their new provider, without needing to inform their current one.
From 24th October 2024, Ofcom has mandated that the option to cancel a migration attempt using an option called ‘Cancel Other’ is to be removed, which will result in the losing provider unable to stop migrations from leaving to another provider.
Lead times are typically 1-3 days.
Advantages #
The advantage of OTS is that a gaining provider can onboard a new customer within 1-3 days, as opposed to the current 10-working day lead time previously set by Ofcom.
The end customer is free to move between providers without having to contact the incumbent provider, which ought to lead to greater number of customers switching provider.
Disadvantages #
The major drawback of OTS is that NoT+ will be removed, for both business and consumer orders. This means that Cancel Other is no longer available as an option to prevent erroneous transfers, which can lead to end customers being knocked offline.
The incumbent provider will have no opportunity to cancel the request.
The gaining provider will only need access to the service identifier such as the CLI, the access line identifier (“ALID”) or the optical network terminal (“ONT”) reference when placing an order.
Best Practices – Gaining Provider
We believe that there three key considerations for gaining providers to make within this new
process:
- Verification – Please ensure that a when placing a migration order, the end user has verified their address and ALID/ONT serial number.
- Router Readiness – For the gaining provider, the best course of action would be to ensure a router is on site prior to the migration completing.
- Management of CRD – When placing a migration order, Gamma would advise not to select the next working day for the customer required by date (“CRD”) if you cannot ensure a router with the correct configuration will be on site.
Best Practices – Losing Provider #
In the event of Loss Of Service or Erroneous Transfer we recommend the below:
- Gamma have worked with BT Wholesale to synchronise the lead times on our Gamma Portal with OTS lead times, enabling customers to place an order to re-gain the service.
- Blue light services – BT Wholesale have ensured that all erroneous transfers have direct route into DSO (Director’s Service Office) and can be escalated accordingly with priority given to Blue Light Services.
- 4g/5g Solutions – We would recommend a 4g/5g solution is deployed to the customer to provide resilience should a service be lost temporarily. Gamma supplied Technicolors are compatible with 4G/5G dongles that can be plugged into directly into the USB port of the router.
- IP Addresses – An IP address can be updated on a SIP endpoint in the update endpoint
details section of the SIP service details.
For further details on One Touch Switch and other regulatory issues, please see our Compliance – how does Gamma support and protect partners? video here.