Nearly 3.5 million people have started the process of switching their landline or broadband provider through One Touch Switch since the system launched two years ago. The milestone arrives as Ofcom reports continuing pressure on household telecom budgets and substantial potential savings for customers who have fallen out of contract.
The figures do not prove that every switch was caused by a price rise, and they do not represent all telecom cancellations. They bring together three related developments: easier fixed-line switching, a persistent out-of-contract price gap, and signs that some households are changing or cancelling services because their wider budgets are under strain.
The figures behind the headline
- 3,431,195
- People who had started One Touch Switch by 3 September 2026, according to data cited by Ofcom.
- More than 300
- Landline and broadband providers participating in the switching process.
- £108 a year
- The average gap identified between out-of-contract and in-contract triple-play bills: £78 a month compared with £69.
- 7%
- Telecom customers in Ofcom's affordability research who said they had cancelled a service.
What the 3.5 million milestone actually measures
One Touch Switch is the regulated process for moving a residential landline or broadband service between providers. The customer contacts the new provider, which coordinates with the old provider and arranges the transfer. It applies across different fixed networks, not only between providers using Openreach.
Ofcom's detailed note says 3,431,195 people had started the process by 3 September 2026. That is slightly different from saying every switch completed successfully. It is nevertheless a substantial increase from the 1.6 million customers Ofcom reported at the system's first anniversary.
Two years of One Touch Switch
- 12 September 2024
One Touch Switch launches for residential broadband and landline customers.
- 12 September 2025
Ofcom reports more than 1.6 million customers switched during the first year.
- 3 September 2026
TOTSCO data records 3,431,195 people having started the process.
- 12 September 2026
Ofcom publishes the two-year milestone alongside new cost and affordability analysis.
Switching, cancelling and renegotiating are not the same
Four routes that are often confused
- Switching provider moves a service to a different company. For landline and broadband, the new provider normally manages this through One Touch Switch.
- Recontracting keeps the service with the same provider but starts a new minimum term, often at a different price.
- Cancelling ends a service without replacing it. One Touch Switch may not be the correct process where no new service is being ordered.
- Mobile switching uses PAC or STAC rather than One Touch Switch, and separate handset finance can continue after the airtime service moves.
This matters when interpreting the affordability data. Ofcom found that some customers changed a service, some reduced spending elsewhere and some cancelled. Those groups should not all be described as provider switches, and the research does not establish a single cause for each decision.
How One Touch Switch should work
The switching sequence
Choose and contact the new provider. Give the account and address details needed to match your existing service.
Read the switching information from the old provider, including any early termination charge, linked services or other consequences of leaving.
Confirm the switch. The providers coordinate the date, and the old service should end only after the new service is working.
The old provider should not impose notice-period charges beyond the switching date. Any loss of service during the transfer should not last longer than one working day. Compensation may be due if the new service starts late or the customer is left without service for longer than the rules allow.
A mid-contract increase does not always create a free exit
Ofcom did not ban every in-contract price rise. Since 17 January 2025, providers entering new consumer contracts cannot express future rises by reference to inflation or as a percentage. If a contract includes a scheduled increase, the amount and timing must be displayed clearly in pounds and pence before the customer signs up.
A rise that was clearly specified in the agreed contract does not normally give the customer an automatic right to leave without charge. The position changes where the contract did not state how much the price could rise, or where the provider increases it by more than the contract allowed.
Check your position before switching
| Your situation | What it usually means | Possible charge |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum term has ended | You can normally recontract or switch provider. | No early termination charge for the expired minimum term. |
| Agreed fixed rise takes effect | The rise was part of the price information accepted at sign-up. | Leaving during the minimum term may trigger an early termination charge. |
| Rise was not specified, or exceeds the agreed amount | The provider must normally give at least 30 days’ notice and a 30-day opportunity to leave. | You can switch or take another contract without an exit fee if the right applies. |
| Eligible for your provider’s social tariff | Ofcom says you should be able to move to that tariff even while in contract. | The switch should be penalty-free. |
Do not rely only on the amount shown in a renewal email or on a call. Check the contract summary, pre-contract information and the provider's price-change notice. If the increase appears to exceed the agreed term, ask the provider to confirm in writing whether the penalty-free exit right applies and when the 30-day window ends.
Mobile customers use PAC or STAC
Mobile switching uses a separate Text to Switch process. Text PAC to 65075 to keep your number, or STAC to 75075 if you do not want to keep it. Text INFO to 85075 to check contract information. A PAC or STAC is valid for 30 days, and the new provider should complete the switch within one working day after receiving it.
Check whether the phone itself is covered by a separate credit or device-finance agreement. Moving or ending the airtime service does not necessarily cancel the handset repayments, and an outstanding balance can remain payable.
The cost pressure behind the switching story
Ofcom's pricing analysis found that one in three customers taking broadband, landline and pay TV from the same provider were out of contract last year. Their average monthly bill was £78, compared with £69 for equivalent in-contract customers. Across a year, that is a £108 difference before considering whether another provider might offer a still cheaper or more suitable package.
The affordability tracker adds a more serious context. Four per cent of telecom customers had missed a payment in the latest quarter. Twelve per cent said they had changed a service, 10% had reduced spending elsewhere and 7% had cancelled a service. Switching can save money, but the figures also show households making difficult trade-offs to remain connected.
Before pressing the switch button
Check the whole deal, not only the headline price
- Confirm whether you are still within a minimum term and obtain the exact early termination charge.
- Check whether broadband, landline, television, mobile or equipment agreements are bundled but legally separate.
- Compare the full contract cost, including setup fees, scheduled increases and the price after any introductory period.
- Check coverage, expected broadband speed and any loss of existing email, security, cloud-storage or television services.
- Keep the switching confirmation, contract summary, activation date and final bill.
- If you receive qualifying benefits, compare social tariffs before accepting a standard recontract offer.
The growth of One Touch Switch is good evidence that administrative friction has fallen. It is not proof that every customer will save, or that every contract can be left without charge. The practical lesson is to check status, price and linked services first, then use the switching route designed for the service you actually want to move.
ConsumerWise has detailed guidance on One Touch Switch, telecom price changes, mobile number switching and social tariffs.
Official sources
- Ofcom: Around 3.5 million Brits hit switch amidst cost-of-living concernsThe 12 September 2026 switching milestone, savings analysis and affordability findings.
- Ofcom: Pricing and consumer engagement 2025Research on prices, out-of-contract customers, switching and consumer engagement.
- Ofcom: Communications Affordability TrackerOfcom's latest research into affordability, missed payments and household responses.
- Ofcom: Telecoms price rises, what are your rights?The rules on specified price rises and penalty-free exit rights.
- Ofcom: Switching mobile phone providerPAC, STAC, INFO and mobile switching requirements.
- Ofcom: Social tariffsEligibility, prices and the protections applying to social broadband and phone tariffs.
