Case One

The Complaint:

An ADSL internet user contacted the TIO for assistance in transferring his service to another company. He had submitted an application for the transfer with his preferred provider. However, the gaining provider said it was unable to transfer his service because there were “codes” on the line preventing it from completing his request.

TIO Response:

When an ADSL service is connected, codes specific to the customer’s ISP are allocated to the telephone line. When transferring a service, the losing provider’s codes are replaced with the gaining provider’s codes.
It is the TIO’s view that any steps required to effect a transfer under the Rapid Transfer Process* are the responsibility of the gaining provider. This includes, if necessary, arranging for existing codes to be removed from the line.

The Outcome:

In this instance, the TIO established that both providers were participants in the Rapid Transfer Process and referred the complainant to his preferred provider to request that it arrange for the removal of the old codes and the replacement with its own codes.

Under the Rapid Transfer Process, by submitting an application with a new provider, customers are giving it the authority to cancel their existing connection and request removal of any codes specific to the old ISP.

If one or both ISPs are not participants of the Rapid Transfer Process, the customer must arrange for their service to be disconnected from the old ISP and reconnected with the new ISP. It is the TIO’s view that this situation is not ideal because there is a risk of the infrastructure being reallocated in the interim.

* For a more comprehensive explanation of the Rapid Transfer Process, see the Broadband Services article.

Case Two

The Complaint:

An ADSL applicant contacted the TIO when his preferred provider told him that it could not provide a service. As a result, he resubmitted his application with another supplier and was advised that a connection was possible. He asked the TIO to investigate why his preferred provider could not provide the service as it had not offered any explanation.

Most factors affecting whether ADSL can be connected relate to the telephone technology used. It should not generally matter which provider is approached. Providers will normally test your line before guaranteeing a service. One of the key factors that this testing will take into account is your distance from the exchange. This is because data transmission loss increases in proportion to the customer’s distance from the exchange.

TIO Response:

In this customer’s case, the TIO established that the applicant’s local telephone exchange was ADSL enabled. When the first provider undertook remote testing of the line the result was inconclusive and it decided that manual tests were required. The first provider made a commercial decision not to undertake manual testing.

The Outcome:

By the time of the provider’s response to the TIO, this policy had changed and the applicant was advised to resubmit his application so that the required manual testing could be conducted.