TOTSCo Clarifies Status of Change Freeze in UK ISP Switching Process
The industry-led One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), which is the central messaging platform for implementing Ofcom’s recently launched (Sept 2024) solution for easier and quicker consumer switching between broadband and phone providers (One Touch Switching), has caused some head scratching after clarifying the status of a key change freeze.
Regular readers will already know that OTS has had a bit of a bumpy start. One of its biggest challenges has flowed from the difficulty of getting the “matching process” to work properly, which exists to ensure that customer switches are correctly verified and then migrated between providers. But this process sometimes fails, occasionally even when ISPs have entered the correct data, which can make it difficult to tackle bugs and other issues.
Ofcom has tended to shift a lot of the blame for such issues on to ISPs and called on them to improve their testing and implementation of the platform. On the flip side, ISPs have privately complained that TOTSCo’s system does not make testing and correcting for errors as easy and transparent as it could be.
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Such issues may not have been helped by the prior understanding that key documentation was still stuck in a “change freeze“, which makes it difficult to get certain defects addressed (i.e. unfreezing this would help to introduce some much-needed fixes and clarifications by the process group). But a new bulletin (81) from TOTSCo appears to contradict what many providers had previously been led to believe.
TOTSCo Bulletin 81
We would like to clarify that the document freeze, which was announced in Bulletin 30 and began on 6 October 2023, ended at One Touch Switch go-live on 12 September 2024. The document freeze applied to all mandatory OTS documents, listed in the table below.
TOTSCo API Specification 1.1a
OTS Message Specification 1.1c
OTS Response Codes 1.0
OTS Industry Process 4.3
OTS Industry Process Flows 4.3
One Touch Switch Message Delivery Policies 1.0We are now therefore ready to process change requests relating to these documents and indeed across all aspects of our OTS processes and systems. All change requests will follow the rigorous OTS Industry Change Control Process to ensure they are carefully managed and assessed.
Needless to say, some ISP’s have privately expressed surprise, not least because TOTSCo’s own representatives have long been expressing to them, often while trying to get defects in the system resolved, that the freeze was still in place. The original bulletin (30) didn’t mention an end date for the freeze, either.
On the other hand, it’s good that TOTSCo has finally clarified this, which will hopefully enable providers to make a bit more progress on resolving some of the remaining defects.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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One touch switching is rubish dosent work for me I want to switch from one ISP to Another same network Cityfibre
I have contacted 6 diffrent ISP companys and they all said they dont or cant switch me one touch switching
i have to cancell cease my Broadband and then place a new order New connection
so much for being easy to switch
Can you name those providers, James?
Three to four steps:
When you complain to OFCOM you will receive an acknowledgement, but no direct reply. OFCOM don’t resolve individual complaints, these are only used for general enforcement actions.
So, start your new contract anyway, then follow these steps if the new provider fails to use one-touch switching:
1) Contact your old supplier and cancel. Document any additional costs you have incurred (disconnection fees, extra months paid due to late notice etc)
2) Contact your new supplier and request they pay compensation for these losses and your time.
3) Complain to OFCOM and detail the above so they have a record for enforcement.
4) If the ISP refused compensation, immediately ask for a deadlock letter to take to the Ombudsman.
5) When the letter arrives, or after 8 weeks go to the Ombudsman. (Set a reminder in your phone.)
I just did that.
Quickline called back about a week after I asked for the deadlock letter and refunded me £125 to cover losses and as compensation.
They also promised to train their callcentre staff better.
I know I am in the lucky position to cope with the temporary loss for the few months this could have taken to resolve, but if you can, then do it.
The Ombudsman will uphold your complaint and the ISPs know it.
I am also struggling with OTS. I thought I was switching tomorrow, but the gaining provider has confirmed that this won’t be possible and that they’re working with the losing provider to establish a new switch date. Sigh.
What do we do about providers who don’t seem to support One Touch Switching? I tried sending an email to Ofcom but (as seems usual) never received a reply.