Ofcom and ISPs kiss and MAC up

All broadband service providers will soon be required to provide migration authorisation codes (MACs) to customers wanting to switch supplier - free of charge.

The MAC is required by customers wanting to switch ISP, which they take over to their new provider. The new rule comes into effect on 14 Februry next year.

At present the supplying of these codes is purely voluntary, meaning that industry regulator Ofcom is not able to take action when they were withheld.

Although Ofcom research shows that 83 per cent of internet users who switch providers find the process easy, a significant minority encounter problems.

The new rules mean that MAC codes must be provided to customers regardless of any dispute between wholesaler and service provider.

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Claudio Pollack, Ofcom director of consumer policy, said in statement: "These new rules are intended to ensure that switching is a quick and easy process for all."

A BT spokesman told silicon.com that the company was fully behind the proposals.

But switching service uSwitch has concerns that a number of issues remain unresolved.

The most of these is how MAC codes can be successfully transferred from one Local Loop Unbundled provider to another, uSwitch said.

And it warned that it is unclear whether the code will be free no matter how many times it is requested, or only for the first request.

Similar grey areas, such as the acquiring of MAC codes when ISPs go out of business or the resolving of "tag on line" issues are still under discussion.