Telecoms Help

Need some help with your Unicom telephone service?

Find the most frequently asked questions and answers below. If you are unable to find your answer please contact our Customer Service team on 0161 946 4444.

Telecoms & Broadband Troubleshooting

Experiencing issues with your Broadband or Landline? Try our simple checks to get you up and running as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Business Telecoms

If you are unfortunate enough to experience a telecoms fault, you can report the fault online by logging in to Customer Zone or by calling our customer service team. We will carry out live line tests and advise you on any simple equipment checks you can carry out yourself. Alternatively, to see if there are any major issues in your area that might be affecting services, use the below online checker by simply typing your postcode in to the box.  If a major problem has been identified in your area you’ll see what’s caused it, when it was reported and an indication of when it should be fixed.

If the fault is still present following these checks then we will confirm any time related charge andl liaise with BT Openreach engineers on your authority to rectify the fault as soon as possible, keeping you fully updated every step of the way.

Yes, you can take advantage of the online tools we offer by signing up to the Customer Zone. This will give you access to your invoices online, you can test your telephone line for faults and you can benefit from the ongoing introduction of new tools we are developing to manage your account.

A care level is a level determining the speed in which your fault will be responded to by BT Openreach. Unicom offers four types of cover which are explained in more details here. Please feel free to contact us on 0161 946 4444 to change your care level.

BT Openreach support communication suppliers like Unicom by providing and maintaining the access network, allowing us to provide a service to you. BT Openreach provide this service to Unicom, BT Retail, and other suppliers in a like for like manner.

By contacting Unicom, we will liaise with BT Openreach on your behalf to resolve the issue as a matter of priority based on your selected care level in exactly the same way as any other supplier. The advantage of reporting your fault with Unicom however, is that you are able to come straight through to us, allowing us to log your fault with BT Openreach engineers immediately without delay.

This depends completely on the nature of the fault. All faults will be responded to as priority according to your care level and ault resolution times will vary depending on the work required.

Beware of recorded messages offering prizes or other incentives, claimable only by calling 090 numbers. These calls can be very expensive and there is no guarantee of a prize.If you are unsure about a premium rate charge on your telephone bill you can check with Phone-paid Services Authority, a telephone watchdog. For more information please visit: www.psauthority.org.uk.If you have a telephone system there are a few simple steps you can take to protect your system from unauthorised use, potentially saving you thousands of pounds:

  • Check your monthly bill for any unusual charges.
  • Ensure you change the default/factory password settings on the telephone system.
  • Regularly change the Direct Inward System Access passwords and restrict access to these passwords.
  • Do not publish remote access telephone numbers (numbers that connect callers to your voice mail system).
  • Remove/de-activate any functions you don’t need, especially un-required remove access ports.
  • Deactivate access codes and voice mail passwords immediately when someone leaves your business.
  • Clean up the number of mailboxes by removing redundant mailboxes.
  • If possible, have your system programmed to reject access if three invalid attempts are made.
  • Carry out a regular audit on the privileges and restrictions in place on the telephone system.

If you’re charged an Early Termination Charge (ETC) we’ll pay up to a maximum of £300 into your bank account. Send us your final invoice from your previous supplier and we’ll make payment to your bank account within 28 days1

Tariff information is available in the Charges Schedule. Click here to view the schedule [PDF].

Here you will find information about:

• Any allowances, such as GB of data, voice minutes and messages
• Usage charges for any additional use of services or facilities
• Numbers or services subject to particular pricing conditions
• Access and maintenance charges
• Any special and targeted tariff schemes
• Any additional charges
• Any costs with respect to Terminal Equipment
• Any after-sales, maintenance and customer assistance services offered
• The standard contract conditions offered, including contract duration, any Early Termination Charges, rights in relation to the termination of Bundles or any elements thereof

When we install/transfer your telecoms service, your supply address will be shared with the ‘Emergency Database’. This is used by the police, fire, and ambulance services to locate you in an emergency.

If you’ve taken a Cloud Voice service, the supply address should be the premises from which you mainly operate your business. If you change address, your business name or your business signage, it’s important you tell us, so we can update the emergency database.

You can do this by contacting our team on 0161 946 4444 Mon-Fri, 8am – 6pm.

Business Broadband

Broadband speeds can vary from customer to customer as they are dependent on both line length and quality from the exchange. We can provide a download speed of up to 17 Mbps* with our broadband and fibre, or up to 76 Mbps* download speed with our Unlimited fibre package which, is based on the fact that a minimum of 10% of users on the network achieve this speed and above. We also use Dynamic Line Management which constantly seeks to optimise the speed and stability of your broadband service.

The chance of you noticing any downtime is unlikely during a transfer of services. However, like all service providers, we can’t guarantee there will be no downtime but please be aware there may be temporary downtime with our Fibre packages.

Business Fibre Broadband

Unlike ordinary ADSL Broadband, Fibre Broadband uses high speed fibre optic cables from the exchange to your Principal Connection Point – the green cabinet in the street. This means that you should get much faster download and upload speeds.

We will aim to provide you with download speeds of up to 76Mbps and upload speeds of up to 19Mbps with our Absolute Fibre package and download speeds of up to 38Mbps and upload speeds of up to 10Mbps for our Essential Fibre package. The actual speed you will receive is subject to line distance from the Principal Connection Point – the green cabinet in the street – to your premises and line quality. It is unlikely you will receive a download speed of 76Mbps, but we will provide you with the fastest speed available on your line. Speeds vary significantly by location. The further you are from your PCP the lower your speed will be. Also, external factors e.g. internet congestion and premises wiring can also significantly affect speed.

The guide time is 19 days subject to engineer availability, however we will always seek to provide the service at the earliest opportunity and we will liaise with you to arrange a suitable appointment time.

No, not everyone can get fibre. Your premises needs to be served by a fibre enabled exchange in order for us to supply you with fibre broadband. However, we can perform a simple line test to let you know if fibre is currently available to you: click here.

Business Mobile

Activating your SIM card is easy. Simply call one of our helpful team on 0161 946 4756. If you want to keep your existing mobile number, we just need your Porting Authorisation Code (PAC) from your current supplier. It’s easy to get your PAC, simply text PAC to 65075 and your supplier will send you the PAC.

Like many independent providers, we utilise the major networks to ensure that you receive the best service. Your contract is with Unicom, so we’ll bill you and if you need any customer service support, we’re here to help.

Once you’ve activated your SIM card, we’ll send out your brand-new handset. If you activate your SIM card before 3pm, we’ll send your handset out for delivery the next working day. If it’s after 3pm, we’ll send your handset out for delivery within the next two working days. As soon as your new handset arrives, simply pop in your new SIM card and you’ll be mobile ready.

Your bundle starts from the day you activate your service and renews on the 1st of each month. If you activate your service on any day other than the 1st of the month, your bundle allowance will be pro-rated for that month.

If it’s been more than 48 working hours since you activated your SIM card, please give one of our team a call on 0161 946 4444 and we’ll look into this for you.

Whoops. You’ll need to give us a call on 0161 946 4812. We’re here 24/7/365. We’ll put a block on your SIM card to make sure that no unauthorised calls are made or data used.

If you’re the victim of theft, you’ll need to give us a call on 0161 946 4812. We’re here 24/7/365. We’ll put a block on your SIM card to make sure that no unauthorised calls are made or data used. If you need to make an insurance claim, you’ll also need to report the theft to the police and obtain a crime reference number.

Sorry, no. There are a number of insurance companies online offering mobile insurance. We’d recommend you shop around to find the right cover for you.

Absolutely. We’ll let you know when your mobile contract is coming to an end and will let you know what will happen next.

When we agree your contract, we’ll ask you if you want to set a mobile bill limit. The mobile bill limit doesn’t include your line rental or bundle charges. If you’ve chosen to have a mobile bill limit, we’ll let you know when you’re getting close to using your ‘allowance’ and once you’ve reached the limit you set, your service will be suspended until the start of the following month. If you want to change your limit, that’s no problem, simply give one of our friendly team a call and we’ll be happy to change that for you.

Yes sure. If your old supplier tells you they’ll charge you to cancel your contract, we’ll help. You just need to give is a call on 0161 946 4444 and send us a copy of the invoice showing the termination charge and we’ll credit your Unicom account.2 You can do this by emailing info@switchingon.com or posting a copy to Unicom, No 1 Dovecote, Old Hall Lane, Sale, M33 2GS.

Any handset can be used with a Unicom SIM card but if your handset has been ‘network locked’ just give your previous provider a call and ask them to unlock your phone.

It’s now much easier for customers to change mobile providers. You can ask your current supplier for your PAC, STAC or switching information by phone, text or online portal. Switching information includes:

• Any applicable early termination charge
• Any outstanding credit balances for your prepaid mobile services
• A web-link directing you to your account login page.

• For a porting request text “PAC” to 65075
• For a switching termination request text “STAC” to 75075
• For a switching information only request text “INFO” to 85075

The PAC/STAC will remain valid for 30 days.

The Legal Stuff:

1 Applies to Landline and Broadband customers only. There is a maximum of one payment to the bank account, details of which we hold for you, of up to £300 in total per customer. To qualify for this offer, you must send Unicom a copy of the invoice from your previous supplier that shows the value of the ETC and the date of the invoice, which must be after the date on which Unicom placed an order to transfer your services to Unicom. Unicom may require a copy of your existing contract to validate you are being correctly charged an ETC. If the contract between you and Unicom is terminated during the Minimum Period (as defined in your terms and conditions), you must repay all ETC amounts paid by Unicom in full. The amount we will pay is the lower of (1) your ETC and (2) £300.

2 There is a maximum of one credit to your Unicom account, of up to £300 in total per customer. To qualify for this offer, you must send Unicom a copy of the invoice from your previous mobile supplier that shows the value of the termination fee and the date of the invoice, which must be after the date on which Unicom first attempted to transfer your services to Unicom. Unicom may require a copy of your previous contract to validate that you are being correctly charged a termination fee. If the contract between you and Unicom is terminated as described in clause 13 of your terms and conditions, you must replay all termination fee amounts in full. The amount Unicom will pay is the lower of (1) your termination fee and (2) £300.