Aquiss Calls for UK Broadband Cease Charges to be Scrapped at Wholesale
Shropshire-based independent ISP Aquiss has called for the abolition of “unnecessary and unjustifiable” Broadband Cease Charges across the industry, which reflects charges that are typically imposed by wholesale network operators on retail service providers when a customer disconnects from their network.
Aquiss states that, in the “vast majority of cases“, particularly with modern Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) deployments, the disconnection involves “nothing more than a simple software-based network stop or configuration change“.
The disgruntled provider then adds that no physical network equipment is removed or recovered from the customer’s premises during a cease, while new occupants of the same property can simply get the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) reactivated without additional effort or expense (when required).
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However, despite this “minimal operational impact“, cease charges continue to be levied – often passed on to end customers or absorbed by retail ISPs. Aquiss says they see “no credible justification for their persistence” in an era of efficient, software-driven network management and widespread full fibre rollout.
Aquiss Statement
As a provider committed to fair, transparent, and customer-focused broadband services, delivering ultrafast full-fibre connections over networks such as Openreach and CityFibre, to name but a couple, Aquiss urges the wider UK broadband industry, including wholesale operators, other ISPs, and regulatory stakeholders, to move decisively towards the complete removal of these charges.
Eliminating Broadband Cease Charges would:
– Reduce unnecessary costs for service providers and, ultimately, consumers
– Support the UK’s ongoing transition to full-fibre connectivity by removing outdated legacy frictions
– Align industry practices with the low-effort reality of modern network disconnections
Aquiss stands ready to collaborate with industry partners and welcomes dialogue on this important issue to drive positive change for customers nationwide.
Practical examples of this aren’t always visible to the public (only some wholesale providers openly publish their pricing), although we do note that BT Wholesale charges ISPs a flat one-off “cease charge” of £35.59 +vat regardless of whether you have an ADSL, FTTC, SOGEA or modern FTTP broadband line. Some other networks do seem to apply a similar charge.
BTW’s charges apply when the broadband service is terminated at an end user premises either as a result of an end-user requested activity, or a system’s generated activity as part of a migration. But such charges are often waived for service regrades/upgrades or switches that take place on the same network.
We do think that Aquiss has a valid point about such charges on modern FTTP lines, although it’s worth considering that they might still have some application for some older copper-line based broadband products that may, in some cases, still require a physical change to disconnect the line. Equally, such charges do form a part of how wholesale providers model their overall pricing, thus by removing them we might well see price increases occurring in other areas to compensate.
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We should add that, under Ofcom’s rules, ISPs that pass on such charges to consumer must usually make them transparent at the point of sale (only sticking them in the small print might not be good enough) and cannot charge excessive amounts that put them in a better financial position than if the contract continued.
Finally, a small apology for not covering this sooner, as the news actually came in last week but was overlooked in our already busy inbox (only spotted it by chance today).
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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Interesting take.
Ofcom state an ISP can only pass on this charge at cost.
Is there a reason Aquiss charge more than both BT Wholesale and CityFibre charge?
All good for making this demand when others have for an age but then not complying with the rules!
£35.59 * 1.2 for 20% VAT = £42.71.
As an Aquiss Customer I agree with this. The service is excellent and worth every penny – but the £45 to terminatie sucks for everyone.
Good on you Martin – Just another reason why we are all grateful for you being here and for the excellent service you provide.
Is that £45 inc or plus VAT?
Either way Openreach, BT Wholesale and CityFibre don’t charge this much on their standard rate card.
Whilst Aquiss need the push our their latest puff piece, would be nice of they were compliant with the rules
@NOPE
So for clarity, our charge is £45 inc VAT (across all networks suppliers) which is clearly listed during point of sale and on our website (I guess you didn’t check?)
In all case we make an small operational loss to cease a service, after wholesale costs, after VAT and after the costs to process said charge.
If you wish to highlight said non compliance, I would be all ears?
@Martin.
BT Wholesale do not cost as much as you are charging
CityFibre do not cost as much as you are charging
Ofcom state you cannot charge more than the wholesale cost, so why are you?
Or is it because Velox add their bit in to which you add yours.
Also cease fees should not include vat. BT Wholesale certainly don’t as they are compensatory charges as far as HMRCs treatment goes.
I would be interested in Martin’s replies to those point made by Nope. (As an Aquiss customer…)
Hear Hear!
It is outrageous that those fees are charged to service providers for essentially asking not to have a service they already completed the contractual obligations for. Being told you have to pay for the right not to pay them anymore is insane.
Much like how they can charge for ‘missed appointments’ when it supposedly the customer who misses them, but yet when they miss them (as they often do) it doesn’t work on equal terms in reverse, and of course they have total control because nobody else can provide those bits in the majority of cases.
This is why the Compensation Scheme is there. To force it to be fair
Openreach, CityFibre, and most other network operators don’t charge cease fees. They’re more common at the wholesale level,BT Wholesale, PXC, etc, where they often act as a deferred connection fee. Wholesalers keep upfront connection costs low to help retail ISPs minimise their acquisition costs, then recoup that subsidy through a cease fee if and when the customer leaves.
It’s solid overall, but the only downside of Aquiss is they don’t really do anything for existing customers – all the strong offers seem to be aimed at new sign-ups.
I’m also not sure how much leverage they’d actually have. From what I understand, they’re essentially reselling via Velox, so they wouldn’t have direct relationships with account managers at BT or CityFibre.
True fact. I actually turned them down to have 3 months half price. I just wanted to pay for what they provided and respect the rep and the man enough to do that. I don’t regret it. Based on this I am sure I can ID’d by Martin who may or may not confirm that’s up to him.
But as I said – true fact.
I agreee with Martin. Good call. I do HATE the cease charged by BTw (greedy) for SoGEA cease charge £45. And also CerberusISP cease charge for SoGfast £43.20. Both just a second click on computer to put jumper on the DSLAM. RIP OFF.
FTTP is a high tech fast way to do the old. “Start of a stopped line. In fact it’s often done minutes after the order is placed.
So I agree
Nah it done within few seconds of the flick switch off – stopped line!
Phil. You know a jumper is a physical device, right? Unless they’ve a robot in your cabinet a human being attended it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(computing)
What about mid-contract price hikes? It should be banned or customers should be allowed to leave without penalty like in other countries.
That’s the way it’s always been here for Broadband no?
If it’s in the contract that they can raise the price part way through you agreed to it. Can’t expect them to let you leave because they obeyed the contract.
Buyer beware.
I have no experience in this industry but quite a lot in development and operations in another. So I suspect that, although yes, an individual disconnection is effortless, the amount of investment that went into making that possible and the ongoing cost of maintaining the system is actually quite substantial. It doesn’t surprise me at all to hear a customer of a service not understand that. 🙂 How you structure pricing is a commercial choice, not my area but I am aware people are are far more influenced by immediate costs than costs that may come later. Any charges you regulate away will necessarily be recovered elsewhere.
It’s indeed absurd.
As is the “connection/activation charge”, and the fact that despite having an active, ready ONT, that you have to wait two weeks minimum for a line to be “activated”.
Come on.
The UK’s idea of broadband is still well in the dark ages.
Dark fibre should be a thing. We shouldn’t have to have multiple holes drilled into our walls for every Tom, Dick, and Harry’s fibre provisioning.
It’s a circus.
Do you have to pay the £45 when leaving Aquiss to go to a different ISP even if you’re out of contract?
You have to pay if your OR connection is being disconnected.
So if you’re leaving for say an alt-net or just stopping the connection you have to pay.
If you’re leaving for another OR bssed provider though, you don’t have to pay.
You pay it if you no longer want to move your FTTP to other ISP. Then it will be £45 cease charge. If you migration to other isp eg: Btw to Btw fttp – it free but there is a catch if you move btw to or sky fttp or or vodafone fttp you might end up paying £45 fee. Maybe Martin will correct me if I was right or wrong on this?
@Phil
Using your Vodafone/Sky example, it will depend on whether you’re being connected via OR or Cityfibre.
In the case of OR you wont be charged but with Cityfibre you will.
Many laying empasis on fttp here dont realise msjority of customers do remove their ont when moving despite the warning label on the ont not to do so, hence another unecessary engineer visit
Perhaps OR needs to rethink things then if it’s that common and costly?
For example, install sockets for the optical cable, similar to VM and make customers return the ONT like with allot of ISP routers?
Or charge the previous ISP if a customer takes it during a house move and the new customer is missing one? Then it will be up to the ISP to chase it up with the customer much like not returning a router.
Neither would be perfect but if this charge is because of the morons who take the ONT, then they’re basically punishing people who may not have done anything.
Interesting that Aquiss are complaining about this – the ISP that has higher prices than other ISPs who absorb the cost. You’d think the £45 fee could be waived especially for those paying £55 out of contract.
And is it /really/ a disconnection fee, or is it a deferred connection fee (as suggested by another comment here)