One text message can get you a better mobile deal in the UK
Key Points
- Texting "PAC" to 65075 switches UK mobile provider without contacting the current network
- Ofcom's new Consumer Hub at ofcom.org.uk/onyourside collects money-saving tools and advice
- Out-of-contract triple play customers could save over £100 a year by switching
- Nearly 3.5 million people have used one touch broadband switching in two years
- 4% of telecoms customers missed a payment last quarter
Mobile customers in the UK can switch provider by texting “PAC” to 65075, with no need to speak to their current network, Ofcom said in a new consumer guide published alongside research showing many out-of-contract customers could save over £100 a year.
The regulator’s new Consumer Hub at ofcom.org.uk/onyourside brings together money-saving tips, help with common service problems and routes to complain for every mobile, broadband, landline and pay-TV customer.
The text-to-switch process returns a PAC code that customers hand to their new network, which then handles the move and closes the old account. Ofcom’s free Map Your Mobile tool shows which networks deliver the best coverage and performance in any postcode before a customer decides where to go.
Broadband and landline customers get a similar route through the “one touch” switching process, which requires them to contact only their new provider. More than 300 providers have signed up to the process, and nearly 3.5 million people have used it since it launched two years ago.
The Consumer Hub also carries a free broadband checker showing which types of broadband and speeds are available at a given address.
Ofcom’s research found that out-of-contract customers taking broadband, landline and pay-TV from the same provider could save over £100 a year by switching. One in three of these “triple play” customers were out of contract last year.
The regulator said communications services remain affordable for most people, but 4% of telecoms customers missed a payment last quarter. A further 12% changed a service, 10% cut spending elsewhere to cover their bills and 7% cancelled a service altogether.
“We know that many people feel worried about their bills creeping up over the next few months, but with a few simple steps some customers could achieve big savings,” said Natalie Black, Group Director for Infrastructure and Connectivity at Ofcom.
“Our advice to everyone with a broadband, mobile, pay-TV or landline contract is to check whether you’re in or out of contract, compare the offers out there, and if right for you then switch and save,” she added.
