UK ISP Entanet says that new proposals by Ofcom to curb mis-selling (i.e. slamming) in the telecoms industry do not go far enough and is calling on the regulator to ensure that the rules are strictly enforced or face the prospect of continued malpractice. Ofcom launched a new consultation on the matter in September (here), although this may not be enough.

Following the announcement of the proposals, BT and the TSI (Trading Standards Institute) have suggested introducing a new PIN based system. The new service provider would need to submit the PIN obtained by the customer from their existing provider before any transfer would be authorised. This is similar to the Migration Access Code (MAC) system that is used for broadband transfers.


One of the most abused forms of mis-selling is known as slamming and we detail it HERE. Slamming is where customers are switched from one ISP to another without their knowledge or consent. In some cases you might only be aware of this once you’ve received a bill from a different company.

Entanet hopes that Ofcom will get aggressive and start actively "hunting down the offenders and enforcing their new powers," which is frustratingly unlikely to happen. Ofcom has always been more of a reactive than proactive organisation when it comes to complaints.