Change FTTP Provider - old service still active ??

I have just arranged to transfer my FTTP service from BT (Can't contact anyone sensible, price increased by 35% in two and a half years) to Zen.

Zen tell me that it is not actually a "transfer", it is a new service and my old BT service will remain operational until I cancel with BT.

Quote from Zen email confirming order :

"We will provide your service using the fibre optic connection that has already been installed at your premises by Openreach. There should be no need for an engineer to visit your premises.

Please be aware that if there is already a Broadband service provided over your fibre optic connection it will continue to work as normal and will NOT automatically cancel. If you no longer require the existing broadband service please contact your supplier. You are responsible for ensuring any contract terms and payments with your current supplier are settled."

So, will BT allow me to cancel with two weeks notice for a transfer to another provider or try to charge me for a month for a closure ?

What really interests me is how does this work ? Do I change modems and get a different service ? Surely there is some change of terminal equipment (or what we used to call jumpering) at the exchange ? Can anyone explain to me how this works ?

Can�t answer em all ... but no jumpering (its still called that)

Everything stays the same, but your �circuits� remote path is reconfigured to head Zen�s way.


Just a heads up, have seen some changes in service result in the new account being provisioned to port 2 of the ONTE ..... so if it doesn�t work on go Live day, try connecting the Fritz box to port 2 instead.

Configuration of the Fritz required too, they don�t arrive ready to go.

The Fibre ONT can support 4 services.

On the notice I'd expect them to stick to the one months notice.

As for is the right way, no real idea as first person mentioning moving between GEA-FTTP providers

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

The Fibre ONT can support 4 services.

So do you switch service by plugging the router into a different socket on the ONT?

Possibly - this is unknown ground

Nope, borne out by the single port variety being in use shortly.
The 2nd port thing I mentioned is some form of remote build cock up.

I'm very confused by your post. Starting with the word "transfer".

I'm not aware that the Ofcom rules on an FTTP migration are any different from any other migration. Is it possible that whoever you spoke to at Zen has also been confused by "transfer"?

Is there any reason you didn't just order online, or doesn't Zen have an online order facility for FTTP? I would expect the normal Ofcom migration rules to apply, see Ofcom GC22.

Then we come to the modem. On FTTP, in effect you haven't got one. It is part of the Openreach installation and you simply connect your router to it using ethernet.

The standard migration process as referenced above does not require you to contact your existing ISP at any time. Once you trigger it they have to notify you of any outstanding costs with them, or that will be incurred by your leaving. You can cancel your migration order if you wish at this stage by telling your new ISP (Zen in this case) that you do not wish to go through with it.

If BT T & Cs require you to give a month's notice, I'd be very surprised if that is invoked under the current Ofcom migration rules. I've never heard of it being.

Having said all that, this post in your previous thread seems to explain what actually does happen, and not what I expected. Which does tie in to some extent with what you say. I spy a hole in GC22.

Maybe a PM to him as to what you do about the existing BT connection would be worth a try? With the answer (if useful) posted to enlighten the rest of us for the next similar case .

Yep, it's fairly straight forward to do this now with FTTP.

There are essentially 2 different transfer of services:

Working Line Takeover: Someone moves address and the new person moving in wants the service with the same or different CP. It takes one working day for this to complete.

Notice of Transfer: A FTTP to FTTP migration, where the customer changes CP and does not need to change ports. There is a minimum requirement of 10 working days for this transfer to happen (OFCOM rules?).

Your first example has always been the root cause of the shift to port 2 problems chums and I have come across ....

I wonder if, for some time ports 1&2 are Live, and due to the BT Broadband authentication system, users don�t notice until the �old� account is deactivated on port 1 ?

I think it's a mistake by the CP's to be honest. They just place a new order for a FTTP circuit on an existing ONT, which I assume will get assigned to the next spare port.

This is how it looks Openreach's end:

https://i.imgur.com/ugS6AmK.png

Edited by deleted (Thu 16-Nov-17 10:06:03)