Broadband rights guide

What happens to your broadband if your provider is sold or goes into administration?

Short answer

In most cases your broadband carries on. If another company takes over, Ofcom says your contract should transfer to it. If the new provider changes your terms, you should be able to leave without an early termination charge. If no buyer is found, your provider should tell you when service stops. You should not pay exit fees to move.

Updated 13 October 2026

1 month

Minimum notice before your provider can change your contract

1 month

To leave without an early termination charge after that notice

1 working day

Longest loss of service allowed in a One Touch Switch

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TalkTalk's parent group and G.Network both went into administration in 2026, and Ofcom expects consolidation among full fibre networks to continue. Here is what usually changes for customers, and when you can leave without a fee.

Sold, in administration or closing: what it means for you

What is happening	What usually happens	What you can do
Your provider is sold	Your service normally carries on and your contract stays as agreed. A change to your terms normally needs at least one month's notice.	Keep the notice. Unless the change only benefits you, is purely administrative or is required by law, you can leave within one month of it without an early termination charge.
Your provider goes into administration	An administrator, who must be a professional insolvency practitioner, takes control and runs the business. It can be rescued, sold as a going concern or closed.	Keep your bills and every notice. Ofcom says your provider should keep you informed about the future of the company.
Another company takes over the business	Ofcom says you should be able to keep using your services, in most cases without interruption, and your contract should normally transfer.	If the new provider changes your contract terms, you should be able to leave without an early termination charge.
The provider closes with no buyer	Your service stops on a date your provider should tell you about.	Sign up with a new provider before then. You should not have to pay early termination charges, but you might not be able to keep your phone number.
You want to leave anyway	You can switch at any time, but leaving before your minimum term ends could mean an early termination charge.	Check your end date and ask for the exact fee before you decide.

What changes if your broadband provider is sold?

Usually very little at first. A sale does not normally cancel your contract, and your provider cannot change your terms without notice.

Ofcom says that when another company takes over a provider that has gone out of business, you can usually keep using your services without interruption, and your contract should normally transfer to the new provider.
Under Ofcom's General Conditions, your provider must give you at least one month's notice of a change to your contract, on paper, by email or in another form you can keep.
Read every email and letter after a sale. A notice of new terms starts a one-month window to leave if you do not accept them.

Sources: Ofcom: what to do if your broadband or landline provider goes out of business (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: General Conditions of Entitlement, conditions C1.14 to C1.17 (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: put your company into administration (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: switching broadband provider (read 13 October 2026)

Can you leave without a fee if the new owner changes your contract?

Usually, yes. If you do not accept a change to your contract, Ofcom's rules let you leave within one month of the notice without an early termination charge.

The notice must reach you at least one month before the change and tell you about your right to leave.
You then have one month from the notice to end the contract, and any contract bundled with it, without an early termination charge.
The right does not apply to a change that only benefits you, a purely administrative change with no negative effect on you, or a change required by law.
A price rise set out in your contract when you signed does not give you this right. A rise beyond what you agreed does, with at least one month's notice.
You may still pay for your service up to the day the contract ends.

Sources: Ofcom: General Conditions of Entitlement, conditions C1.14 to C1.17 (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: contracts (read 13 October 2026)

What happens to your broadband if your provider goes into administration?

Administration does not end your service on its own. An administrator takes control of the company and decides whether it can be rescued, sold or closed.

The administrator must be a professional insolvency practitioner. GOV.UK says they run the business while it is in administration, and can sell it as a going concern, which lets it carry on with its customers, or close it if there is nothing to sell.
The administrator tells creditors and Companies House about the appointment and publishes a notice in The Gazette, so you can check whether a company is in administration.
If another company takes over, Ofcom says you should be able to keep using your services, in most cases without interruption.
If no buyer is found, Ofcom says your service will stop on a date your provider should tell you. You will need a new provider, and you should not have to pay early termination charges to move.
If you or someone in your home is vulnerable, tell your provider. Ofcom says it might be able to offer extra support.

Sources: GOV.UK: put your company into administration (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: what to do if your broadband or landline provider goes out of business (read 13 October 2026)

What were TalkTalk and G.Network customers told?

Both providers went through administration in 2026. In both cases, customers were told their service would carry on.

On 5 October 2026, BT Group said it had bought TalkTalk Telecommunications Limited and PlatformX Communications Limited out of the administration of TalkTalk Group.
BT's page for TalkTalk customers says they remain TalkTalk customers, do not need to do anything, and will see no change to their price, contract or billing.
BT expects a regulatory review of the deal, and says TalkTalk and BT will operate separately and keep competing until it ends.
In January 2026, administrators from Alvarez & Marsal were appointed to G.Network Communications Limited, a London full fibre network. They said it would keep trading, with service for existing and new customers continuing without interruption.
In March 2026, G.Network said it had been reorganised through administration and was debt-free. Companies House now lists the original company as GNC Realisations 2026 Limited, still in administration, while G.Network's website names G.Network Holdco Limited, incorporated on 19 January 2026.
If your provider is restructured, check which company your contract and bills now name.

Why does it matter whether your provider owns its network?

Because a sale or closure can affect the network to your home as well as the brand on your bill.

Openreach, part of BT Group, sells access to its network to over 700 communications providers, according to BT.
Ofcom defines an altnet as a network provider other than Openreach or Virgin Media O2 that builds its own network, to sell wholesale, retail or both. It says around a quarter of full fibre connections now run over altnets.
If your provider owns the network to your home and closes without a buyer, moving to another provider may mean moving to another network. Ofcom says your new provider should tell you if you need an engineer visit or new equipment.
Ofcom's broadband checker shows which networks reach your address. Where a network does not sell directly, the checker links to its website so you can find providers that resell it.
Ofcom says there are likely to be over 100 altnets building fibre in the UK, that several have had financial difficulties, and that it expects consolidation to continue.

Sources: BT Group: BT Group has acquired TalkTalk and PlatformX (5 October 2026) (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: Telecoms Access Review 2026 to 2031, statement volume 1 (17 March 2026) (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: switching broadband provider (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: about the broadband and mobile checker (read 13 October 2026)

Are YouFibre and Brsk being sold?

A sale has been agreed, but it was still under review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on 13 October 2026.

nexfibre, the joint venture of Liberty Global, Telefónica and InfraVia, has agreed to buy Substantial, which includes the Netomnia network and the YouFibre and Brsk brands. Liberty Global and Telefónica also jointly own Virgin Media O2.
The CMA referred the deal for an in-depth investigation on 1 July 2026. On 2 October 2026 it provisionally found competition concerns in wholesale fixed broadband. Its statutory deadline is 15 December 2026.
If the deal completes and your provider later changes your terms, the one-month notice and the right to leave described above apply.

Sources: CMA: nexfibre / Substantial merger inquiry (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: Telecoms Access Review 2026 to 2031, statement volume 1 (17 March 2026) (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: General Conditions of Entitlement, conditions C1.14 to C1.17 (read 13 October 2026)

What should you keep if your provider is sold or in administration?

Records make it easier to prove a fee-free exit or to challenge a wrong bill. Keep them somewhere other than your provider's own app or email service.

Your contract summary and terms, including your monthly price and any price rises set out in pounds and pence.
Your latest bills and your account number.
Every email or letter about a sale, an administration, a new company name or a change to your terms, with the date it arrived. The one-month window to leave runs from the notice.
Notes of your calls: the date, who you spoke to and what you were told.
If you use an email address from your broadband provider, save what you need elsewhere. Ofcom warns that a provider's email service might be affected when you switch.

Sources: Ofcom: contracts (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: General Conditions of Entitlement, conditions C1.14 to C1.17 (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: switching broadband provider (read 13 October 2026)

How do you switch if you decide to leave?

Use One Touch Switch. Your new provider manages the move, and your current provider must tell you about any charges first.

Your old provider must not charge you for a notice period after the switchover date.
Any loss of service should not last longer than one working day, and compensation can apply if it does.
You can cancel a new order within 14 calendar days.

Sources: Ofcom: switching broadband provider (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: about the broadband and mobile checker (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: what to do if your broadband or landline provider goes out of business (read 13 October 2026)

1
Check your contract end date
Find your end date in your account or your latest end-of-contract notice. Leaving during your minimum term can mean an early termination charge, unless a change to your terms or a closure gives you a free exit.
2
Check which networks reach your address
Use Ofcom's broadband checker. Moving to a different network can mean an engineer visit or new equipment, and your new provider should tell you which.
3
Ask your new provider to switch you
With One Touch Switch the new provider manages the move. Your current provider sends you details of any charges before you go ahead.
4
Keep proof of any fee-free exit
If you are leaving because your terms changed or your provider is closing, keep the notice and quote it if an exit fee appears on your final bill.

Can I switch broadband mid-contract?

Quick answers

Provider sales and administration questions

Does my broadband contract end if my provider is sold?

No. A sale does not normally end your contract. In most cases it carries on, or transfers to the new owner, on the same terms. If the new owner changes those terms, Ofcom's rules give you at least one month's notice and the right to leave within a month without an early termination charge.

Will my broadband stop if my provider goes into administration?

Not necessarily. An administrator runs the business and can sell it as a going concern, as happened when BT bought TalkTalk out of administration in October 2026. If no buyer is found, Ofcom says your provider should tell you the date your service will stop, and you should not have to pay early termination charges to move.

Can I leave without paying a fee if my provider is taken over?

Only in some cases. If the new provider changes your contract terms, Ofcom says you should be able to leave without an early termination charge, as long as you act within one month of the notice. If nothing changes and you are still in your minimum term, an exit fee may apply.

What happens to my phone number if my provider closes?

You may not be able to keep it. Ofcom says that when a broadband or landline provider closes without a buyer, it might not be possible to keep your current phone number. If the number matters, move to a new provider before the closure date and ask whether it can transfer the number.

Why does it matter if my provider is an altnet?

An altnet builds and owns its own network, so a sale or failure can affect the network as well as the brand. If an altnet closes without a buyer, moving to another provider may mean an engineer visit or new equipment. Ofcom's broadband checker shows which networks reach your address.

Should I switch broadband as soon as my provider is sold?

Not necessarily. Your price and contract usually stay the same after a sale, as BT told TalkTalk customers in October 2026. Compare your current deal with others first, and check your end date, because leaving during your minimum term can cost an early termination charge.

Keep checking

Related broadband guides

Check what leaving would cost, compare deals and read Ofcom's own advice before you decide.

Start here

Can I switch broadband mid-contract?

Recommended

Exit fees, price rise rights and how One Touch Switch works.

Official references

Ofcom: if your provider goes out of business
Official
The regulator's guidance when a broadband or landline provider closes or is taken over.

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