Do I still need to call my old provider?

No. That was the whole point of OTS — the old provider gets notified by us, via a regulated clearing house. You shouldn't need to speak to them at all. (If you're mid-contract and want to query the Early Termination Fee they're going to charge you, that's a separate phone call — but the switch itself doesn't need it.)

What's the One Touch Switch (OTS) clearing house?

It's the back-office system Ofcom mandated all UK ISPs to plug into so a switch request from one provider can reach another instantly and in a standard format. Run jointly by industry body TOTSCo. We don't touch your old provider directly; we lodge the switch with TOTSCo and the message routes from there.

Will my old provider try to retention-call me?

They can — Ofcom didn't ban save-attempts entirely. But they can't use it to delay or block the switch through the OTS channel. You can ignore retention calls and the cutover still completes on the agreed day.

What if I'm mid-contract — can I still use OTS?

Yes. OTS is your right to switch; it doesn't override your contract. If you've got 6 months left on a fixed-term contract, your old provider can still bill you the Early Termination Fee for those 6 months. OTS only changes the *mechanics* of switching, not the financial terms of your existing contract. (For broadband contracts that are already up, OTS is fully free.)

I've got a contract that ends in a few months — what do I do?

Set a contract-end reminder. Drop your postcode and the month your contract ends; we'll email you ~30 days before that date so you can start the switch the day penalty-free switching opens. The reminder service is free and there's no commitment to actually switch — it's a calendar prompt.

Can the old provider refuse the switch?

No, not through OTS. The Ofcom rules require them to accept the request within a fixed window. If they don't (rare, usually a system fault), Ofcom's enforcement team picks it up — and we escalate on your behalf. We've never had a switch blocked outright.

What about my email address with my old provider?

Provider-issued email addresses (e.g. yourname@btinternet.com) usually stop working when you leave that provider. BT will keep your @btinternet.com active for a small monthly fee if you ask in advance; Sky offer something similar for @sky.com. We recommend moving to a free provider-independent address (Gmail, Outlook, ProtonMail) before the switch so you're not held hostage. Yes, you can keep using your old address right up to the cutover day.

What if the engineer install fails on the day?

If the new line can't be brought live on the agreed day, your old line stays up — we don't drop it until ours works. You'll be on Giant the moment the install succeeds, even if that takes a second visit. No service gap, no double bill in the meantime.

Does OTS cover business broadband too?

Yes — Ofcom extended OTS to small-business connections at the same time. For larger leased-line / Ethernet circuits the older bespoke migration process still applies (those have site-specific cutover plans), but standard FTTP / FTTC business broadband uses OTS exactly like residential.

What does OTS cost me?

Nothing. It's free. Both Ofcom rules and Giant pricing — no charge to switch in, no charge to switch out, no admin fee. (You may still owe an Early Termination Fee to your *old* provider if you're mid-contract; that's their bill, not ours.)

Help · One Touch Switch

One TouchSwitch.

What it is, why Ofcom made it law, and what we do for you.

Since 12 September 2024 every UK broadband provider has had to handle switching for the customer instead of leaving you to phone your old supplier and argue. This page explains what changed, what we do, and what (very little) you have to do. If you're ready now, drop your postcode on the broadband page; if your number's coming with you, the porting guide covers that side.

How it works Read the FAQ

GIANT

FULL FIBRE

GIANT

FULL VOLUME

GIANT

LIVERPOOL

GIANT

8 GIGABIT

GIANT

ONE TOUCH SWITCH

GIANT

8 GIGABIT

GIANT

LIVERPOOL

GIANT

FULL VOLUME

GIANT

FULL FIBRE

GIANT

ONE TOUCH SWITCH

GIANT

8 GIGABIT

GIANT

LIVERPOOL

GIANT

FULL VOLUME

GIANT

FULL FIBRE

GIANT

12 Sep 2024

The day switching broadband stopped being your problem.

Ofcom's One Touch Switch rule. Every UK provider — BT, Sky, Virgin, TalkTalk, EE, Giant, the lot — must accept switch requests through a single regulated channel. No more retention-call hostage situations.

See the process

01Why it exists

Switching used to be awful.

Before September 2024, the friction was the feature. Ofcom audited the data and found switching took an average of 19 days, customers got double-billed in 1 in 4 switches, and the most common reason people stayed with a bad provider was 'I couldn't face the phone call'. So the rules changed.

Pre-September 2024

The old way

Call your old provider — wait 25 minutes on hold.
Argue through a retention pitch you didn't ask for.
Get given a cancellation date a fortnight later than you wanted.
Service overlap of ~2 weeks — pay both providers.
Days or weeks with no internet between cutover and install.
Refunds of overpaid days only on request, often months late.

From 12 Sep 2024 onward

One Touch Switch

You order Giant. Postcode → plan → done.
We tell your old provider — letter goes out overnight.
Old provider has 10 days to do nothing about it.
New line goes live. Old line drops the same minute.
No overlap, no double bill, no service gap.
Old provider auto-refunds overpaid days within 30 days.

02How it works

Day-by-day, in plain English.

A typical residential switch from any UK provider to Giant. Business switches follow the same shape; bigger leased-line circuits have a bespoke migration process that doesn't use OTS.

Day 0

You hit Order

Postcode confirmed, plan picked, engineer slot booked. Old provider's account number captured at checkout (we ask for it; nothing else from them is needed).

Overnight

We notify your old supplier

The Ofcom-mandated 'gaining provider notification' goes out via the OTS clearing house. Your old provider must accept it — they can't block, slow-walk, or counter-offer through this channel.

Day 5

Switch confirmation lands

You get a one-page summary from us — exact cutover date, what (if anything) you owe your old provider, and a final chance to stop the switch if anything looks wrong.

Day 10

Switch day

Engineer arrives in your booked slot. New line lights up. Old line drops the moment Giant goes live — no overlap, no gap, no two-bills situation. Wi-Fi back up before you've finished the kettle.

Day 14

Old provider closes the account

Final bill from your old supplier arrives. They auto-refund any overpaid days (a Direct-Debit credit hits within ~30 days). You don't have to ring anyone.

03Who does what

Your job is three things long.

Everything else is on us — by law, not just by promise.

You

Three things, total.

1Pick a plan and a postcode.
2Tell us your existing provider's account number at checkout.
3Be in for the engineer slot you booked.

Giant

Everything else.

1Notify your old provider — overnight, via the OTS clearing house.
2Confirm the cutover date in writing.
3Coordinate the cutover so there's no overlap or gap.
4Chase any final-bill or refund issue with your old lot if it goes sideways.

04Edge cases

"But what about my situation?"

The four questions we get asked the most. If yours isn't here, the FAQ further down probably has it — or just ring us.

Mid-contract elsewhere?

OTS doesn't waive Early Termination Fees — those are between you and your old provider. But you can switch the second your contract ends. Set a reminder with your contract-end month and we'll ping you ~30 days before, when penalty-free switching opens.

Bundled with TV / mobile / phone?

OTS only covers the broadband leg of a bundle. If you've got Sky Q + broadband, switching the broadband to Giant doesn't touch the TV — Sky bill the TV separately from then on. We tell you exactly what's affected before the switch goes through.

On copper (FTTC / ADSL)?

Same OTS process. The bigger change is from copper to full fibre — that needs an engineer to run a new fibre to the property. The cutover still happens the same day; you just have a brief Wi-Fi pause while the new ONT is plugged in.

Already a Giant customer changing tariff?

OTS isn't needed — you're not switching providers. Tariff changes happen instantly via the portal (or by ringing us). No engineer, no cutover, no waiting.

0

Pounds it costs to use One Touch Switch.

By Ofcom rule, no UK provider can charge for switching in or out. Any Early Termination Fee from your old provider is a separate matter — that's their bill, owed to them, untouched by OTS.

Check coverage

05FAQ

The honest answers to the real questions.

An Ofcom rule that came into force on 12 September 2024. It moves the entire job of switching broadband from the customer (who used to have to ring their old provider, argue with retention, schedule a cancellation, then schedule a separate install) onto the new provider. The new provider tells the old provider, the old provider has to accept it, and the cutover happens on a single agreed day with no service gap.

We do the breaking up. You don't lift a finger.

Ready now? Drop your postcode. Mid-contract? Set a reminder for the month it ends and we'll ping you when it's safe to switch.

Check coverage Set a contract-end reminder All help topics