Martin Lewis urges BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk customers to ditch broadband

Thanks to new tariffs, UK households can get 150Mb fibre broadband for as little as £14 per month, the ITV and BBC star said.

Martin Lewis has urged BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk customers to consider ditching their broadband provider. Thanks to new tariffs, UK households can get 150Mb fibre broadband for as little as £14 per month, the ITV and BBC star said.

Some are currently paying DOUBLE that for half the speed, Mr Lewis said, adding how switching to "smaller 'alt-nets'" is now "much easier" thanks to Ofcom, which has moved and introduced one-touch switching for the UK this month (September).

Money Saving Expert explained on its website: “The playing field is levelling on broadband, making it far easier to switch to the new local 'alt-nets' that set up their own networks rather than relying on BT in the background.

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“And as many of them undercut big providers, we're trying to add more into our broadband comparison, which now covers 25 firms. If you've not switched broadband for years, you're almost certainly out of contract, and can SAVE LARGE by taking advantage of short-lived promo deals.”

It highlighted the likes of Hyperoptic, which is currently the cheapest tariff on the market. Since 2015, people have been able to switch between phone and broadband providers on Openreach’s network – such as BT and Sky – by following a process where their new provider manages the switch. "But customers switching to or from a different network, such as Virgin Media, have had to contact their existing provider as well to co-ordinate the switch," Ofcom said.

"With a range of competing fibre-optic networks being built, Ofcom wants to make it easier and quicker for people to move between them and take advantage of unprecedented levels of choice. Under the new One Touch Switch process, landline and broadband customers only need to contact their new provider to make the change."

It added: "Our rules mean that under One Touch Switch, customers do not have to pay notice-period charges beyond the switch date – so no more paying for the old service after the new one starts. Also, providers must compensate customers if things go wrong with the switch or they are left without a service for more than one working day."