Communications market for small firms comes under the spotlight

Communications market for small firms comes under the spotlight

Communications industry regulator Ofcom has announced a contract checklist for small businesses and sole traders to check they are getting the best broadband, landline and mobile phone deals.

The watchdog is concerned that small business owners may be missing out on both the protection given to residential customers and the better rates that larger companies are able to secure from broadband and telephony suppliers.

The new checklist is the start of an Ofcom initiative to find out whether smaller businesses and sole traders are receiving value for money, and if they are being treated fairly by their communications providers. The watchdog is already investigating whether SMEs are protected from poor service that can hamper their business and if they are able to switch freely to suppliers providing a better service or greater value for money.

Ofcom chief executive, Ed Richards, told Contractor UK: “Our work will help ensure that the market is delivering for businesses of all kinds and to make sure that the right protection is in place for them if it isn’t.

“While there have been developments in the range of services available over the past decade, we’re still not confident that SMEs are benefiting as consistently as they should be from high quality digital communications.”

The watchdog will also investigate the gaps in superfast broadband services around the UK and how this is affecting the competitiveness of smaller firms. The report will bring in both business and residential packages, because in practice, smaller traders tend to use a mixture of the two.

Ofcom will be offering small businesses advice on getting the best deal, handling disputes with their providers and understanding what rights they have as businesses, via an online site to launch later this year.

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