Easy Switch: changing telecom operator in Belgium
Easy Switch is the Belgian procedure under which your new telecom operator cancels your existing contract on your behalf and coordinates the changeover. You keep your telephone numbers and the interruption of service is kept to a minimum. You do not contact the operator you are leaving at any point, and you sign nothing with them.
Steps
Find your Easy Switch code
This code identifies your current contract. It appears on your invoice, in your customer portal or on letters from your operator. Some operators call it a migration identifier. Note your customer number and the exact telephone numbers you want to keep at the same time.
Order the new subscription and hand over the code
When you place the order, state that you want to use Easy Switch and give the code. List explicitly every number you want transferred. Transfer is not automatic: a number you forget to mention will be replaced by a new one you did not ask for.
Let the incoming operator run the changeover
The incoming operator terminates the old contract and books the switching date. Do not phone your old operator and above all do not cancel anything yourself. A parallel cancellation breaks the procedure and can lose your numbers permanently.
Return the old equipment against a receipt
Modems, decoders and remote controls belong to the outgoing operator. Send them back through the channel the operator indicates and keep proof of the drop-off. Unreturned equipment is billed, and disputing that charge later without a receipt is difficult.
Check the transfer and the closing invoice
Once the new service is live, confirm that every number reaches you. The old operator then issues a closing invoice. Verify that it stops at the switching date, that no period after that date is billed and that returned equipment appears as received.
What the procedure covers
Easy Switch applies to fixed services at a Belgian address: internet, television and fixed telephony. Mobile numbers move with it when they belong to the same bundled contract; a standalone mobile line follows the separate portability procedure instead.
The design goal is narrow but valuable. It removes the two situations subscribers complain about most: being left without service between two contracts, and paying two operators for the same weeks because the cancellation and the activation were never synchronised.
The mechanism that achieves this is single point of contact. The incoming operator triggers the termination, books the activation and owns the calendar. That centralisation is the whole difference between Easy Switch and simply signing up somewhere new.
What it does not do
It does not cancel a commitment period. If you leave before the end of a fixed-term contract, any contractual compensation your operator is entitled to remains payable. Read your terms before you order elsewhere, not after.
It does not preserve the email address your operator gave you. Addresses attached to a subscription stop working once the contract ends. Move your correspondence to an independent address several weeks before the switch, especially anything used to recover account passwords.
It does not move television recordings, stored channel packages or a rented decoder card. Anything held on operator hardware is lost at the changeover. Check whether recordings matter to you before the date is fixed.
If the switch goes wrong
Complain in writing to the operator responsible, describing the problem and the dates, and keep a copy. A written trace is what the later stages of escalation are built on, and a phone call leaves none.
If the reply does not resolve the matter, Belgium has an independent ombudsman service for telecommunications that consumers can use free of charge. It intervenes after you have tried to settle the dispute directly with the operator.
The BIPT, the Belgian telecom regulator, publishes consumer rights information and maintains the list of registered operators. It handles regulation rather than individual disputes, so use the ombudsman for your own case.
Frequently asked questions
Does Easy Switch cost anything?
The procedure itself is free. What can still be charged is separate: early termination compensation if you leave a fixed-term contract before its end, activation fees applied by the incoming operator, and unreturned equipment from the operator you are leaving.
How long does the changeover take?
On an existing line, a few working days. For a new connection or a move to fibre, expect several weeks because physical work has to be scheduled. The incoming operator gives you a planned date, which you can usually adjust once.
Will I lose internet access during the transition?
Usually the gap is a few hours, because both operators coordinate the cut. A change of technology or a brand new connection can mean a longer interruption. If you work from home, arrange a mobile data fallback for the switching day.
Can I use Easy Switch if I am moving house at the same time?
Yes, but tell both the incoming operator and the removal date, because the switch then depends on what is technically available at the new address. Availability in Belgium varies street by street, so have the address checked before you commit.