How do I switch broadband provider?

Start by finding out when your minimum contract period ends. It's usually shown in your online account or on your bill. Your provider must also send you an end-of-contract notification between 10 and 40 days before the contract ends, setting out what you'll pay afterwards.

If you leave during the minimum period, you'll usually have to pay an early termination charge, often based on the monthly payments left. Once you're out of contract you can normally leave without an exit fee, though you may need to give notice.

Since September 2024, Ofcom's One Touch Switch process has applied to switches between most home broadband and landline providers, including moves between different networks such as Openreach, cable and full-fibre networks. You contact the new provider, give some details, and it handles the rest.

Your new provider gets the information it needs from your current one and both coordinate the switch date, so you shouldn't need to call your old provider to cancel. Your old provider should tell you about anything the switch affects, such as exit fees or bundled TV or mobile services.

• Choose a new deal and contact the new provider
• Confirm your details and whether you want to keep your landline number
• Agree a switch date and any engineer visit
• Your old service ends when the new one goes live

You can usually keep your landline number when you switch — tell your new provider at the start. The switch is designed so your old service carries on until the new one is ready, which limits any gap in service.

If you're moving home at the same time, the process can be different, so check with the new provider. Keep your old router until the switch is complete, and check whether your old provider wants it returned.

Headline monthly prices are only part of the picture. When comparing deals, look at:

• The speeds available at your address — providers should give you a speed estimate before you sign up
• The contract length and the total cost over the whole term
• Mid-contract price rises — since January 2025, Ofcom rules require these to be set out in pounds and pence in the contract
• Upfront costs such as set-up, installation or router delivery fees
• What happens to the price when the contract ends
• Whether a social tariff is available if you receive certain benefits such as Universal Credit

If you sign up online or by phone, you normally have a 14-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel. If something goes wrong with the switch, raise it with your new provider first. If it isn't resolved, you can take an unresolved complaint to the provider's alternative dispute resolution scheme, usually after eight weeks or once you've received a deadlock letter.