Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, is opening an investigation into ISPs, communications providers, and pay TV services that "make it difficult for customers to exit their contract." There will be a "six-month monitoring and enforcement programme" to assess just how egregious providers and carriers are when it comes to losing customers, which will then be followed by some kind of resolution (new guidance, financial penalties, etc.)

According to Ofcom, customers should be able to exit their contract “quickly, conveniently and without error." Suffice it to say that, as it currently stands, trying to cancel a contract and/or change communications provider can be rather difficult in the UK. During the six-month programme, "Ofcom may initiate separate investigations of named providers," but isn't yet naming names.

Ofcom cites a number of issues that will be investigated: very long wait times when trying to contact the call centre; billing irregularities after your contract has ended; difficulties with transferring mobile phones between carriers; and unlocking mobile phones post-contract.

"Ofcom receives a large number of complaints about the difficulties experienced by consumers trying to exit their communications service contract," reads Ofcom's description of the new investigation. "Taken together, these suggest that CPs [communications providers] are systematically making it difficult for customers to exit their contract. We consider that this allegation is extremely serious, and, if sustained, may result in significant consumer harm within the market for UK communications goods and services."

Fortunately, there is a pretty good solution to many of these problems: providers need to adopt GPL NoT (Gaining Provider Led, Notification of Transfer) rather than LPL MAC (Losing Provider Led, Migration Authorisation Code). With LPL MAC, the losing provider starts the process of transferring the customer to another company; with GPL NoT, the new provider controls the entire process. Obviously, gaining providers are more keen than losing providers to provide shorter waiting times, smoother processes, and so on.

Ofcom says it will mandate the use of GPL NoT from June 20, though presumably it may take some time for communications providers to fully fall in line with the new processes. It's also worth pointing out that the GPL NoT processes only really pertain to customers on BT Openreach landlines; it won't allow you to easily move from BT Infinity to Virgin cable, for example.