How to switch ISP

Changing your broadband provider is like switching banks: an unnecessarily over-complicated process that appears to be designed solely to discourage people from doing so. Although rule changes from telecoms regulator Ofcom have simplified binning your broadband provider, the industry is changing and consolidating so quickly that switching allegiances can prove as painless as root-canal surgery.

Dozens of ISPs offer competing packages on various platforms – some using their own infrastructure, others running over BT’s network – and, as our broadband survey shows, service and satisfaction fluctuates wildly.

Depending on your situation, looking for an alternative ISP could leave you without a broadband connection for weeks, force you to change telephone numbers, and even leave you temporarily without voice calls. Back when dial-up was king, a simple change of phone number in your DUN settings moved you to a new ISP – now it’s sometimes impossible to know who even controls your phone line, let alone how to make the switch.

Choose unwisely and you could be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket once cancellation, sign-up and reconnection fees have been factored in, and if you’re changing provider in search of a faster service you won’t know if the ISP delivers an improvement or not until after you’ve signed on the dotted line. The situation is so dire that Colette Bowe, chairman of Ofcom’s Consumer Panel, recently wrote to ISPs asking them to consider “extending the cooling-off period within your contractual terms to a sufficient length so that the customer can actually experience the speed and quality of the connection before becoming contractually committed”.

Her call may spark action, but in the meantime there are no certainties. What follows should provide the information you need to weigh up all the factors in switching ISPs without running up huge bills for a service that doesn’t really suit. Forewarned is forearmed.

Demanding a Mac code

Reclaiming ownership of your broadband has become considerably easier since the dark days when ISPs routinely made it difficult to switch by withholding vital information that would prevent your new provider from connecting to your home or office.

Since February 2007, under regulations introduced by Ofcom, ISPs have been obliged to provide you with a Mac code, the magic number that (theoretically, at least) enables you to switch between ISPs with minimum fuss. A Mac code should ensure minimal downtime; potentially as little as a few minutes.

The Mac system was set up to protect consumers, but industry insiders have told PC Pro that ISPs tell staff to be oblique when explaining the rules, often telling people they can only release a Mac code once the getaway fees have been paid.

This is nonsense – Ofcom says a Mac code must be provided “whether you are still in a contract or not”, and any financial dispute between the consumer and ISP can be settled later. If your ISP tries to withhold a Mac code, threaten to report it to the ombudsman. You’ll find details of how to make a formal complaint at www.pcpro.co.uk/links/160bb2. We’re also happy to name and shame ISPs that don’t play by the rules – send details to watchdog@pcpro.co.uk

Bear in mind that if you’re subscribed to a local loop unbundler, Mac codes may not be available. However, there are alternative methods for switching in these situations…

Dealing with LLU suppliers
Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) was supposed to make life simpler for ISPs that wanted to provide different services to those offered by BT Wholesale. Unbundling has allowed ISPs such as Be, for example, to install equipment in exchanges that provide higher speeds than anything currently offered by BT.

It’s also led to ISPs offering phone and broadband packages, but opting for an unbundled service is very much a case of “look before you leap”. If you opt for a wholly unbundled package, which means both phone and broadband are handled by a company other than BT – Tiscali or TalkTalk, for example – you’re opting out of the BT network and can incur hefty costs if you ever decide to reconnect.

The standard charge for installing a phone line is £125, and many ISPs impose a connection fee of up to £60 for broadband, too. So even if you thought you’d be saving £5 a month for the duration of an 18-month contract, the overall cost could outweigh the benefits should you choose to switch back to a BT Wholesale product.

Some ISPs switch their broadband customers from BT ADSL lines to LLU connections without even telling them. Then, when the customer attempts to return to a BT ADSL provider, they find they’re trapped in the hellish “cease and reprovide” process, where the incumbent service is cancelled and another one is ordered afresh. This can take a staggering three weeks to complete and incur a £60 charge.

However, if you wish to change only one element of a package, perhaps changing broadband supplier but leaving your phone with the existing company, or if you want to set up phone and broadband with separate companies, things become even more complicated.

In such cases, potential subscribers need to link the orders between the telephone and broadband supplier, so they can be activated and organised on the same day. This is done under the catchily named “simultaneous link process” and involves obtaining a Linked Order Reference Number (or LORN code) from either the telephone company or the ISP.

Armed with this cipher, you can then approach the other provider, give it the LORN code, and somewhere in the ether the two should be linked together to ensure phone and broadband packages are switched and activated at the same time, or at least on the same day.

It’s a cracking idea. But in practice, according to Andrew Ferguson, network expert at internet watchdog, Thinkbroadband.com, it often falls apart. “Whether it’s people not knowing what LORN codes are, or problems connecting two at the same time, things often go wrong,” he reports. Possible problems include a broadband service that works but a dead phone line – then, when the phone line is eventually fixed, the broadband is cut off.

Unless the discounts are absolutely extraordinary, if you’re going down the LLU route then avoid having different suppliers for your phone and internet connection. It’s much easier dealing with a single point of contact, plus it avoids the inevitable problem of each company blaming the other for any faults and leaving you to pick up the pieces. The situation may improve in the spring, when Ofcom expects all operators to sign up to a new Openreach system that means switching to or from LLU providers should be similar to Mac code migration.

False speed promises

Speed is one of the crucial selling points for ISPs trying to lure you into switching or just persuading you to upgrade, and as better DSLAM equipment is installed into more telephone exchanges, “up to” 8Mb/sec services are advertised as the norm. This sounds a major leap forward, but it’s one of the most contentious claims since Tony Blair declared Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction would arrive in London more quickly than the Brighton Express.
The physics of ADSL broadband are well documented and, although the service is marketed as 8Mb/sec, no-one realistically achieves it – distance from the exchange, quality of wiring, modem settings and even the weather will all have an impact. According to Ofcom, the average headline speed is only 4.6Mb/sec. However, surveys show that the actual speeds are nearer 2-3Mb/sec.

Quite often, the biggest barrier to faster speeds is the maximum speed of the line itself. Switching from one BT Wholesale ISP to another won’t necessarily improve your connection speed, no matter what fanciful headline speeds your potential supplier is quoting. The same physical limitations still apply.

Enter your BT phone number into the ADSL checker at www.pcpro.co.uk/links/160bb3 to find out the maximum speed your line is liable to achieve. If you’re longing for a radical speed hike, high-speed ADSL2 technologies from companies such as Be, which offers 24Mb/sec, or cable services from Virgin might be the answer, although they’re not available in every area.

However, just because an ISP connects you at, say, 6Mb/sec doesn’t mean you should expect download speeds to match. This is where the provider’s spend per customer comes into play – only through investing in bandwidth can an ISP ensure high speeds for all users.

In reality, most ISPs invest as little as possible, then juggle their bandwidth using penny-pinching tactics – from higher contention ratios to download caps, and traffic-shaping and bandwidth management. The difference between connection rate and download speeds is governed by how well the ISP manages its bandwidth, and there’s no sure way of knowing how you’ll fare until after you’ve signed up, often to a lengthy contract. “Some ISPs are always very close to the wire, but others put more into investment and have more spare capacity,” says Ferguson, which is why Zen Internet, for example, has consistently won awards from PC Pro.

The results of the PC Pro 2007 survey show exactly what people think of services delivered by their ISPs over the past year, while ISP review sites such as Thinkbroadband.com offer both speed tests and monthly rankings of ISP speeds. Ofcom’s consumer council has suggested longer cooling-off periods, so you can actually try a service while there’s still an option of cancelling the contract, but this is meeting with strong resistance from leading ISPs.

One option for businesses or prosumers who are prepared to spend a little extra is to choose a service with a lower contention ratio, meaning you’re sharing the available bandwidth with fewer subscribers. Home services are usually contended at 50:1, whereas business deals often have a 20:1 ratio.

Bumper bundles?

Another confusing factor when choosing an ISP is how to compare real costs, especially now that companies as diverse as Sky and TalkTalk are offering “free” broadband if subscribers sign up for either TV or phone packages, too.

Virgin, for example, has a package that appears good value, as it includes TV, phone and broadband for £30, but call charges are higher than those available through DSL providers, and Virgin’s customer support ranking is well below par in our survey.

TalkTalk, the first of the bundled broadband pioneers, has also fared poorly in speed tests and initially had customer service and connection problems, but the 40GB monthly allowance is generous considering broadband is part of a £16.40 call and line-rental plan. The 18-month contract, however, rings alarm bells.
Giveaway bundles can also mean restrictions – Orange, for example, offers broadband at £5 a month with an 18-month mobile contract, but a 6GB download limit at 2Mb/sec makes Gordon Brown look financially frivolous.

The moral of the story? Don’t just make a decision based on price. If you take your internet seriously then buying into a cheap package could be a false economy. Of the major bundled providers, only Sky – with its free broadband with TV contract – breaks into the top ten ISPs rated in this year’s Reliability & Service Awards. In terms of performance, customer support and reliability, it’s the dedicated ISPs that dominate.

Avoiding extra charges

Choosing the right package is further complicated by the fact that most ISPs no longer offer truly unlimited downloads, and usage habits change. Some months, you’ll download more than others, perhaps watching more video during the football season. Download caps are an annoyance in this all-you-can-eat internet era.

Madasafish – which wins a Highly Commended award in this year’s Broadband category – is the exception rather than the rule, claiming it uses no port blocking or traffic management to restrict how and when you use your allowance. However, exceeding the limit comes at a cost, so it’s important to accurately predict how much data you’ll chew through. Check with a usage calculator such as www.pcpro.co.uk/links/160bb1 to make sure you’re not buying more capacity than you actually need, or vice versa.

Excess bandwidth charges can soon rack up. Madasafish’s Max Plus offering costs £20 a month, but if you exceed the 20GB download limit each additional gigabyte costs £2, whereas paying £26 for the Max Premier package secures 50GB. Were you to download 24GB on Max Plus, it would cost more than buying 50GB in advance. This type of charging is fast becoming the industry standard.

Even if an ISP claims to have no limit, watch out for soft caps, where an ISP might drastically reduce bandwidth (often at peak time if you exceed arbitrary levels within the dreaded acceptable-use policies). The devil’s in the detail. Tiscali, for example, sells Unlimited broadband, but the unlimited concerns how long you spend online, not data capacity. The company will restrict heavy users’ bandwidth.

Frustratingly, most fair-usage policies are vague and simply say what might happen if you exceed an unspecified limit (which is, of course, a misnomer on services that are advertised as unlimited). ISPs that state precisely what you’ll receive and stipulate charges for exceeding your limit may look expensive, but could prove cheaper than the cloak-and-dagger operators.

The cable option

Switching to or from the Virgin Media cable service should be reasonably straightforward. Since the new owner of the networks formerly controlled by ntl:Telewest uses different technology and cables to DSL, it’s possible to have the two services running concurrently, thus avoiding any broadband downtime. It’s the only switch that can be recommended without setting up a dial-up backup service (such as www.free-dialup.net) if you rely on your connection for a home office.

However, one of the carrots dangled by the Virgin marketing team is that subscribers no longer need to pay line rental, saving the £12 a month normally payable to BT regardless of which company provides your DSL service. What the company doesn’t promote is that by ditching the BT line you’ll incur the £125 reconnection fee and broadband activation charge should you choose to move back to BT and DSL in the future.
The advantage of cable is that, regardless of how far you live from the data hub, if you pay for a 20Mb/sec service that’s pretty much what you’ll receive. At least that’s the theory. Despite being the only provider with fibre all the way to the street (at least to 45% of homes), Virgin says it also needs to consider bandwidth management.

Consumers have been frustrated to learn that new terms and conditions cover permission for traffic-management software, and once you’ve passed 3GB in a day the company will throttle back your 20Mb/sec to 5Mb/sec for a few hours. This, despite the fact that the company touts its service as “without limits”.

3GB a day isn’t measly and will affect only voracious downloaders, but again this stretching of semantics shows just how closely you need to read the terms and conditions.

Contract killers

The more a company is prepared to offer you – free modem, free connection or introductory discounts – the longer it wants you on the books to recoup its investment.

Twelve months remains the norm, and for that you should expect connection and hardware charges to be waived, but companies such as TalkTalk demand that you sign up for 18 months, which might prove painful given its customer support rating in this year’s Awards.

You can always escape the remainder of a long contract, but at the very least there’ll be a cancellation fee, and some companies demand payment to the value of the time remaining on your contract. Pipex won’t only charge the remainder of the contract, but also £20 to collect that “free” modem.

As prices fall, long contracts look unappealing. Monthly contract options are available and provide maximum flexibility. You may need to pay a connection charge and provide your own hardware, but if you’ve already invested in a wireless router the costs are modest.

Beware, however, that even with some “no-contract deals”, jumping ship could still cost you money. Be, for example, says “there’s no contractual period, we simply ask for three month’s notice in writing to cancel your contract without incurring any additional cancellation charges”, which sounds like a three-month contract to us.

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