Switching from a fixed line to 4G, 5G or satellite

One Touch Switch (OTS) is Ofcom's process for moving fixed-line broadband and phone between providers, including between different networks. It went live on 12 September 2024. You contact only the new provider. Your current provider must then send you the switching information, including any early termination charges, and on the agreed switch date the new service starts and the old one ends (ISPreview's report of Ofcom's rules, checked October 2026).

Whether a move to a wireless service counts is less clear-cut than most switching advice suggests:

• Ofcom's switching rules cover "fixed" services: internet access or a phone service provided at a fixed location. Ofcom said in 2021 (as summarised by the law firm decoded.legal) that this includes some mobile broadband used at a fixed location.
• TOTSCo, the industry company that runs the One Touch Switch hub, tells anyone unsure whether they're covered to contact Ofcom.
• TOTSCo's directory of brands live on the hub included EE, Three UK and Vodafone in the most recent copy we could read, an archived snapshot from March 2026 (the live directory blocked our check in October 2026, so it may have changed since). Being listed doesn't prove a brand's 4G or 5G service is switched that way. Starlink wasn't in that March 2026 snapshot.

Providers' own pages point both ways. Vodafone's 5G Broadband terms (October 2026) say in-store purchases via One Touch Switch activate the next day. Three has a One Touch Switch help page, yet its main broadband page tells switchers to call their current provider about cancelling first, then order.

So the honest answer is: ask the new provider before you order, and get the answer in writing. If it will switch you through OTS, the switching rules apply. If it won't, treat the move as a cancellation you manage yourself.

First find out when your fixed contract ends, what leaving early costs and how much notice it needs.

Inside your minimum term you'll usually pay an early termination charge, or exit fee (Citizens Advice). BT, for example, charges the monthly price multiplied by the months left on each service, plus VAT (BT help pages, checked October 2026). Citizens Advice says you may be able to leave without a fee after a price rise your contract didn't allow, over a speed problem, or once your fixed term has ended.

If you're switched through OTS, Ofcom's rules mean residential customers don't pay notice-period charges beyond the switch date, and the old provider must keep your service running on the same terms until the new one is live.

If you cancel yourself, the full notice period applies. These are the periods the larger fixed-line providers gave for a cancellation without a switch (checked October 2026):

Our guide to cancelling broadband covers final bills, email and router returns in more detail.

Coverage checkers tell you what should work. Ofcom's checker shows predicted services by postcode and says actual availability or speeds may differ. The providers say much the same about their own products (checked October 2026):

• Vodafone runs a postcode check before you buy, says 5G Broadband may fall back to 4G, and doesn't guarantee any specific speed. Where signal is stronger outside, it offers a self-installed Outdoor Hub.
• Three says speed at any premises isn't guaranteed and depends on where the hub sits, line of sight to the mast, the local landscape, how many people are using it and the thickness of your walls and windows. ISPreview has described Three Home Broadband availability as a postcode lottery, often irrespective of whether the address has a strong 5G signal.
• EE says its hubs are indoor-only, that speeds depend on router location, users and plan, and suggests a spot on or near a window sill.

A green tick on a checker is a reason to try the service, not to give notice.

Some overlap is usually the price of testing safely: a 30-day notice period can't fit inside a 14-day cancellation window. These are the main ways to keep it short.

Vodafone says its 5G Broadband doesn't need a phone line, Three describes its Home Broadband as landline-free and EE markets its hubs as working without a fixed phone line. None of the product pages we checked mentioned moving a landline number onto the hub, so ask the provider; if it can't take your number, it has to move elsewhere, usually to a VoIP (internet phone) service, before the fixed line ends.

You have a right to port (move) your number for one month after your contract ends, but don't leave it that late.

Order matters, because a port can end your broadband:

1. Get the wireless broadband working and decide to keep it.
2. Ask a VoIP phone provider to port your number; it starts the port. Voipfone, for example, says most single-number ports take 7 to 14 days and you shouldn't order a cease yourself, because the port does that.
3. Keep both accounts active until the port completes. Any services on the line, including broadband, end when the number leaves, and ISPreview warns that porting away from a copper line can take the broadband with it.

Our guide to keeping your landline number when you switch covers porting rules and delays in detail.

Before you drop the line: Vodafone's terms say its 5G hub plugs into the mains, so plan how you'd make an emergency call in a power cut (a charged mobile, for example); our guide to digital landlines in a power cut covers back-up options. And if anyone in your home uses a telecare alarm or another device that dials out, speak to the alarm provider before anything changes: see telecare and alarms after the landline switch-off.

With Starlink, plan on cancelling your fixed line yourself. It wasn't in the March 2026 snapshot of the One Touch Switch directory (the most recent we could read), and we found no source saying it switches customers through OTS or offers a home phone service.

Starlink's 30-day trial is a hardware trial, not a free month (see the table above), and won't cover testing plus a 30-day notice period on your old line. Because the clock starts once billing begins, set the dish up as soon as it arrives. Our guide to satellite broadband in the UK explains how it works and where to put the dish.

1. Check your fixed contract: end date, notice period, exit fee.
2. Check coverage with Ofcom's checker and the provider's postcode check.
3. Ask the new provider about One Touch Switch, its cancellation window, returns and your phone number.
4. Order, ideally on a short or rolling term, and keep the confirmation.
5. Test with the fixed line still running, and keep the packaging.
6. Decide before the window closes; if it isn't good enough, cancel and return everything in time.
7. Move your phone number if you need it, keeping both accounts active until the port completes.
8. End the fixed line through the OTS switch, or by giving notice yourself, and get the end date in writing.
9. Return the old router and check the final bill.

If Vodafone or Three is the provider you're leaving rather than joining, our guide to cancelling Vodafone or Three broadband sets out their leaving rules. Putting a SIM-only plan in your own router instead has different rules: see our guide to using a SIM-only plan in a home router.

• During a switch, loss of service should not exceed one working day where technically possible (ISPreview's report of Ofcom's rules).
• Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme covers residential fixed broadband and landline products. In April 2026 its members included BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Vodafone; Three wasn't on the list. Ask whether it covers your wireless product.
• If the wireless service turns out poor later, Vodafone's terms say that if the service is materially degraded for an unreasonable period you may be able to leave early without a termination charge. Keep records.

We compare deals through a partner comparison tool; we don't switch you ourselves. To see what's available, compare broadband deals at your postcode or browse the UK broadband providers we cover.