How often do Brits change ISP?
Changing ISP has never been easier, yet it’s still something Brits tend to do less frequently than they should
In the age of dial-up internet, changing ISP could be a complicated process.
You might pick a free installation CD up in your local branch of Comet, only to discover the software was either incompatible with your computer or conflicted with other software.
In the age of ADSL and early Fibre to the Cabinet broadband, there were numerous stories of connections and transfers between ISPs not happening smoothly – if at all.
People would often end up paying twice while policies overlapped, or get cut off because of a line management issue – quite apart from the challenges of setting up a new router.
As a result, industry regulator Ofcom has legislated to make the process considerably easier. Concepts like one-touch switching place the burden on the incoming ISP to manage the switchover.
As we reported in 2025, this gaining provider-led process means consumers have no involvement in the switch other than signing up to a new provider and installing a router.
Changing ISP has consequently never been easier.
So why aren’t we doing it more often?
You the people
YouGov data from last month suggests 74 per cent of British households haven’t changed their broadband supplier in the last twelve months.
Worryingly, this is almost exactly the same figure YouGov recorded when they asked the same question in September 2019.
The number of people who’ve switched in the last year increased fractionally since 2019 (from 15 to 17 per cent), with the rest made up of Don’t Know and No Supplier responses.
So even though it’s easier to migrate services across, people are still sticking with their existing provider.
One possible reason is that the one-touch switching service (launched two years ago) hasn’t been sufficiently well advertised, leaving consumers unaware how straightforward it can be.
At least 55 per cent of households have been with their existing provider since OTS was introduced in late 2024.
The majority of consumers haven’t experienced OTS yet, and it’s possible that figure is even higher since some households could have switched provider twice since 2024.
Reasons to retain an existing ISP
There are many reasons why changing ISP might seem undesirable, especially if your existing provider is doing a competent job.
This is particularly true given the efforts some companies go to nowadays to avoid direct customer contact.
Call centre staff are hidden behind forests of automated phone systems, chatbots have replaced humans in many live chat threads, and good luck finding a relevant postal address.
An existing ISP which gives you no reason to get in touch could be considered too valuable to walk away from, especially if they’ve frozen their prices year on year.
An existing wireless router might achieve whole-home coverage or support multiple simultaneous connections, but there’s nothing to say a different device would be as capable.
A new ISP also needs new wireless connections need to be established to every internet-enabled device, re-entering those torturous strings of alphanumeric passcode characters.
Reasons to switch to a new ISP
At the same time, we shouldn’t lose sight of the benefits changing ISP can provide, foremost among which is cost.
Some altnets have kept prices for loyal customers the same, but many ISPs have introduced annual price hikes mid-contract or once introductory discount periods expire.
Conversely, introductory deals are a great way to lower household bills (in the short-term), often bundling in phone SIMs or other goodies to entice new customers.
There’s nothing to stop you migrating to another new provider once that discount period ends if the standard network prices are higher than you’d want or be able to afford.
A full fibre broadband provider would far outstrip the line speeds achievable on a Fibre to the Cabinet Openreach connection, and particularly an ADSL line.
And while your existing router might seamlessly host a dozen devices around the home, it may equally be falling short where a newer rival product would operate more reliably.
Changing ISP isn’t for everyone, but it’s an option more of us should consider each year.
