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When fibre appears on your street, check your exact address and contract before ordering. In most UK moves, you contact the provider you want and its One Touch Switch process coordinates the change. A move to a different physical network, particularly a new full-fibre installation, can instead require an engineer visit, temporary overlap with your old service and contact with both providers. Check the final bill, equipment return and service performance after activation.
This guide is for UK residential and small-business customers. Ofcom’s consumer guidance cited here was updated on 25 August 2026; availability, prices, contract wording and installation dates can change, so confirm the terms shown for your address when you order.
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What changes when fibre reaches your neighbourhood?
A network being built nearby does not prove that your property can order it. The connection may terminate elsewhere on the street, your building may need additional work, or the network may be available only through selected providers. Enter your full address into each provider’s availability checker and note which physical network would serve the property.
“Fibre” can describe different arrangements. Full fibre runs the fibre connection all the way to the premises. Part-fibre services use fibre for part of the route and another cable or telephone connection for the final section. Cable services use a separate physical network. The practical difference is important: moving between providers that use the same network may be handled largely as a remote transfer, while moving to or from a different network can require a new installation.
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Compare the offer at your exact address
Do not choose solely because a headline download speed is higher. Record the complete offer before you place an order, including any price-rise wording that applies during the minimum term.
| Item to compare | What to verify before ordering |
|---|---|
| Network and technology | Whether the service is full fibre, part fibre or cable, and which physical network reaches your property. |
| Performance | The advertised download and upload speeds, and whether the quoted figures are typical, maximum or otherwise qualified in the offer. |
| Total price | The recurring monthly charge, scheduled price rises, one-off installation fee and any equipment charge. |
| Minimum term | The length of the commitment and the date it ends. |
| Equipment | Whether a router is supplied, whether an optical network terminal (ONT) is installed for full fibre, and what happens to loaned equipment when you leave. |
| Installation | Whether an engineer is needed, the available appointment dates, access requirements and where the ONT and router can be placed. |
| Support and remedies | How faults are reported, the appointment process and the compensation or service guarantees stated in the contract. |
| Bundle consequences | Whether broadband is tied to a landline or television service and what cancelling one component does to the others. |
Ofcom recommends using accredited broadband comparison sites to find deals available at your address. Treat a comparison result as a starting point: read the provider’s contract summary and order confirmation for the final price, term and equipment details.
Check your current contract before you order
Find the minimum-term end date
Look at your contract summary, latest bill or online account for the date your minimum term ends. Ask your current provider for the date in writing if it is unclear. A residential or small-business contract should be no longer than 24 months under Ofcom’s contract checklist.
Request a written early-termination amount
If you leave during the minimum term, the provider may charge an early-termination amount. Ask for a dated written calculation showing the amount, the assumptions used and whether any other charges will be added. Ofcom says early-termination charges should not exceed the remaining payments in the circumstances covered by its guidance. That does not make every line on a final bill disappear: unpaid invoices, unreturned equipment or other contract-specific charges can be separate issues.
A new provider may offer to contribute towards an exit fee. That is a commercial offer, not an automatic right. Get the contribution, eligibility conditions, payment timing and evidence requirements in writing before relying on it.
Check bundles and provider email
Broadband bundled with a landline or television service can have extra cancellation effects. Confirm which services will stop, which numbers or recordings need to be retained and whether a separate minimum term applies. If you use an email address supplied by your broadband provider, create and test a replacement address before switching or ask whether a retention option exists. Do not assume the mailbox will continue after the broadband account closes.
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Use One Touch Switch when the move qualifies
Ofcom’s current consumer guidance says: “Switching broadband is simple with One Touch Switch. Contact the provider you want to move to, and they will manage the switch for you.” You normally start with the new provider rather than cancelling the old service yourself.
The process has been used at scale: more than two million customers used One Touch Switch between its launch in September 2024 and the end of 2025, according to Ofcom, and some switches were completed in one day. The figure does not guarantee a one-day change for your address; installation, network differences, appointments and contract issues can make your move longer.
What information the new provider needs
- Give the new provider your complete address and any flat, unit or building details exactly as they appear on your bill.
- Identify your current provider and the broadband service you want to move. Tell it if a landline or television service is part of the bundle.
- Review the switching information it presents, including the activation date, expected interruption, price, minimum term and equipment.
- Keep the order confirmation and contract summary. These documents are the reference if the promised date or price later differs.
The old provider supplies important switching information to the new one. The normal process should end the old broadband service automatically once the new service is working, so do not cancel manually unless the providers specifically tell you that your case needs a different process.
Plan a different-network or full-fibre installation
Ofcom explains that switching to or from full fibre, or to a provider that does not use the same network, can require stopping the old service and starting a new one. Under that guidance, you may need to deal with both providers rather than relying on a simple remote transfer.
Before the engineer arrives
- Confirm the engineer’s date and the latest arrival window.
- Ask whether an adult must be present and which rooms, cupboards, communal areas or external walls need access.
- Agree where the ONT and router will be installed. The location affects cable routing and Wi-Fi coverage, so choose a place with power and practical access rather than hiding equipment in a sealed cupboard.
- Ask whether the old connection should remain live until the new line has been activated and tested. Do not arrange an early cancellation that creates an avoidable gap.
- Check whether building permission, landlord approval or access to a shared communications area is required.
On installation day
- Make sure the engineer can reach the agreed entry point and proposed equipment location.
- Check that the ONT, if installed, has power and that the router is connected to the correct ONT port or wall outlet specified by the provider.
- Ask the engineer or provider to confirm the service is showing as active before you rely on it for work, calls or security devices.
- Keep the old connection available until the new service passes your basic tests, unless the provider’s process requires the old line to be stopped first.
Set up the new router and reconnect your home
A new broadband service is likely to include a new router. Even if the physical installation is complete, your household devices will not automatically know the new Wi-Fi network.
Reconnect devices systematically
- Copy the new network name (SSID) and password from the router label, setup card or provider app.
- Connect one laptop or phone first and verify that it reaches several unrelated websites.
- Reconnect phones, computers, tablets, smart speakers, televisions, cameras, printers and other Wi-Fi equipment one group at a time.
- Update devices that were configured with a manually entered network name or password.
- Reconnect wired devices and confirm that any switches or mesh units are compatible with the new router’s settings.
Reusing the old Wi-Fi name and password on the new router may reduce the number of devices that need manual reconnection. Change the router’s credentials only through its documented administration page, and keep a record of the final password in your password manager.
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If the supplied router does not cover your home, check compatibility before buying additional equipment. A Wi-Fi 6 router or access point can be relevant when the provider permits customer equipment, but some services require the provider’s router for support or telephone features. A Cat6 Ethernet cable is useful for a wired test and for devices that need a stable connection; it does not change the speed delivered by the broadband line.
Test the service before you let the old one close
Test the new connection from a wired device where possible, then check Wi-Fi from the rooms where you normally work or stream. A wired result helps distinguish the incoming broadband service from local wireless interference. Compare the result with the speed and conditions promised in your order documents rather than with an unrelated speed claim from an advert.
- Confirm that the router’s internet or broadband status is connected.
- Open ordinary websites and sign in to a service you use regularly.
- Make a test call if your landline is part of the package.
- Check any security, smart-home or remote-work equipment that depends on the connection.
- Record the activation time and any error messages or warning lights.
If the new line is not working, contact the new provider promptly and give it the activation date, router or ONT status lights and the tests you have already completed. Keep a temporary mobile-data fallback if an interruption would affect work, study, medical monitoring or other essential access.
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Understand cancellation, cooling-off and outage rights
Fourteen-day cancellation period
Ofcom says a new order can be cancelled within 14 calendar days. If the service has already started, you may still owe proportionate charges for service use and installation. Cancelling the new order does not automatically restore the old broadband service, so ask both providers what happens to the connection and equipment before you cancel.
Service continuity
Ofcom says the old provider must not charge you for a notice period after the switchover date. It also says loss of service should not last more than one working day. Compensation may apply when the outage lasts longer or a confirmed appointment is missed; check the provider’s process and submit the evidence it requests.
Keep evidence of every commitment
- Order confirmation and contract summary from the new provider.
- Written early-termination calculation from the old provider.
- Promised activation date and any engineer appointment window.
- Messages about price rises, equipment and bundled services.
- Photographs of returned equipment, packaging and the handover receipt.
- Notes of outage start and end times, support case numbers and missed appointments.
Check both bills and return equipment
After the switchover, inspect the final bill from the old provider and the first bill from the new one. The old bill should reflect the actual stop date rather than an additional notice period after switchover. The new bill should match the agreed monthly price, installation charge, term and any stated price-rise schedule.
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Follow the old provider’s return instructions for routers, TV boxes, Wi-Fi extenders and other loaned equipment. Use the supplied packaging where possible, photograph the serial numbers and keep the postage or collection receipt. If equipment is listed as missing later, those records show what you sent and when.
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Troubleshoot the common failure points
The checker says fibre is nearby but not orderable
Re-enter the address, including the flat or unit number, and ask the provider whether the network is awaiting final activation or building access. A street-level announcement is not an address-level order confirmation. Do not cancel your existing service until a new order has an accepted activation plan.
The activation date moved
Ask which dependency changed: network construction, landlord access, an engineer appointment or information supplied by the old provider. Request the revised date in writing and ask whether the old service will remain active. Keep every change notice with the original confirmation.
The old provider is still billing after the move
Compare the bill’s service period with the confirmed switchover date. Contact the old provider, quote the date and request correction of the post-switch charges. Include the new provider’s activation evidence if available. Do not ignore the bill while the dispute is open; pay any undisputed amount and ask how the disputed balance will be handled.
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First test close to the router and then test the affected room. If the wired service meets the promised conditions but distant Wi-Fi does not, the issue is local coverage rather than necessarily the incoming line. Reposition the router in the agreed open location, remove avoidable obstructions and check whether compatible access points or mesh equipment are supported by the provider.
A bundle feature stopped working
List each affected service separately: broadband, landline number, television channels, voicemail and provider email. Ask the provider which component was cancelled and what restoration or retention options exist. Keep a replacement email address active before closing the old account.
A practical decision path
| Your situation | Next action |
|---|---|
| New service uses the same physical network and you are outside the minimum term | Order through the new provider, review the One Touch Switch information and keep the confirmation until billing is correct. |
| New service uses a different network or is full fibre to the premises | Plan an installation, confirm ONT and router placement, coordinate both providers and retain the old connection until testing if the providers allow it. |
| You are still inside the minimum term | Obtain the written exit amount, compare it with the cost of waiting and check any written contribution offered by the new provider. |
| Broadband is bundled with other services | Map the cancellation effect on the landline, television and provider email before accepting the order. |
| Uninterrupted access is essential | Arrange the activation carefully, keep a mobile-data fallback and do not return or disconnect the old equipment until the new service passes your tests. |
Final handover checklist
- Exact address availability and physical network confirmed.
- Download and upload speeds, total price, price-rise wording, installation fee, term and equipment recorded.
- Minimum-term end date and written early-termination amount obtained.
- Bundle, telephone number and provider-email consequences understood.
- One Touch Switch order or cross-network installation plan accepted.
- Engineer access, ONT and router location arranged where needed.
- New router installed, household devices reconnected and service tested.
- Old service stop date, final bill and equipment return documented.
- Outage or missed-appointment evidence saved in case compensation or a complaint is required.
The safest switch is not the one with the biggest headline speed; it is the one whose address availability, network, contract cost, installation plan and handover dates are all confirmed before you release the old connection.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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