Full Fibre Provider Hyperoptic Trials Seamless Switching

A new migration service being trialled by alternative full-fibre provider Hyperoptic will make it cheaper and easier for people locked into contracts with other ISPs to switch.

With the new service, customers still in-contract with another broadband provider can order gigabit-capable Hyperoptic and then defer the service and cost for up to three months. Hyperoptic hopes this means consumers can avoid the lengthy downtimes or overlapping bills that often come with switching from an Openreach provider to an independent ISP like Hyperoptic.

Telecoms regulator Ofcom is working on a new migration system which will make switching between physically separate networks easier. It's expected to unveil plans, expected to be "gaining provider led," before the end of the year. Hyperoptic is pushing ahead to making switching easier before then.

Charles Davies, managing director of Hyperoptic, said: “We have launched this switching service to address a big customer pain point. By getting our service up and running concurrently, consumers have a new level of flexibility as well as the comfort and reassurance of knowing that there will be no downtime when their current contract finishes. This means they can live their online lives without any interruption.”

Hyperoptic said that 8.8 million broadband customers in the UK are out of contract with their current supplier, which means they only have to give 30-days notice to leave. Millions more are thought to be within a few months of the end of their contract.

Hyperoptic’s new switching service will give those customers “an opportunity to easily switch across and enjoy the gold standard of connectivity, without being a penny out of pocket,” Davies said.

Hyperoptic’s full-fibre network targets large apartment and office buildings in urban areas. It currently connects 400,000 premises across 39 UK cities and towns and has ambitions to connect millions more. It sells broadband packages with speeds of 50Mbps, 150Mbps, 500Mbps and 900Mbps, on 12-month contracts or rolling monthly plans.

The ISP recently reached a deal with Scotland’s second-largest social housing landlord, Link Housing, to deploy gigabit-capable broadband to the homes of young people who have been made homeless in Edinburgh.

Lauren Smith

Lauren Smith has worked as a journalist and copywriter for most of the last decade, covering technology, energy, and consumer rights, in the US and UK.

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