Posted: 11th Mar, 2009 By: MarkJ
UK ISP
Be Broadband (
O2) has responded to concerns about the stability of
Tiscali's UK service by encouraging the providers customers to jump ship and gain a £40 gift credit in the process. The move follows recent news (
here) that
Tiscali's sale talks with BSkyB had failed, forcing the operator to suspend shares and prepare for an uncertain future.
To that end
Be Broadband has offered up some simple advice to help customers migrate away from
Tiscali's service. However the process could take up to two weeks due to a lack of any speedy migration process between unbundled (
LLU) ISPs:
How to change (migrate) away from your current provider* Contact your existing broadband providers customer service and obtain your Migration Authorisation Code (known as a MAC key).
* Place your order online at Be Broadband and enter your MAC key when prompted.
* Once we have your MAC key and your completed order we can start moving you over to Be.
* The entire process will take around two weeks.
* During the changeover you will briefly lose your broadband connection, but well ensure that its up and running - at ludicrously high speeds - in as short a time as possible.
* The MAC codes that are compatible should be in the following formats:
4 letters, 7 digits, forward slash, 2 letters, 2 digits, 1 letter. For example, LLLN0189907/DF34L, or
4 letters, 7 or 8 or 9 digits, forward slash, 2 letters, 2 digits, 1 letter (example BBIP1757713/DJ29K or FTIP01753715/BD19J or FTIP012345678/BD23J).
Check your current contract, as some providers charge their customers for moving to another provider before a specified date.
If you are not able to get a MAC key from your current provider, it unfortunately means that you have to cancel your service before you can order Be. Naturally, there will be an interruption in your service before we are able to connect you. If you find that your MAC key is not accepted when placing the order and migration is not possible it would indicate that your current ISP is not compatible with the current migration process that we can offer. If this is the case, please call us on 0808 101 3430.
It's worth remembering that UK ISPs are required by
Ofcom to issue a MAC code within 5 working days of request and without charge. Typically you could still be forced to pay if there are months remaining on your contract, though MAC requests should be handled separately.
Meanwhile
Tiscali has countered to inform us that its customers are safe and, contrary to some rumours, it intends to continue operating normally in the UK. However their lack of cash could stifle investment in future network upgrades and may hamper the service unless it's sold.