Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, outlined proposals which would see the responsibility for customers switching operators, including the transfer of a mobile number, falling to the consumer’s new provider.

The proposed system would mean only having to deal with one company.

The regulator is also consulting on an alternative option, which is to simplify the current process. Consumers would no longer need to speak with their existing provider to request a PAC (porting authorisation code). Instead they could ask to receive the code via text or sent to their online account.

“Ofcom believes that either option would deliver a faster, simpler switch for mobile consumers,” said the announcement.

The regulator believes the current system needs improving, and has the statistics to prove it. Around 2.5 million people who switched provider over the last 18 months said they experienced at least one major problem during the changeover.

The problems included contacting their current provider, cancelling their existing service and keeping their number, with one in five temporarily losing service during the transition.

About 5.9 million mobile users of the UK’s 47 million total have never switched because of concerns about the process, which varies depending on whether they want to keep their number or not.