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Onestream encourages customers to reuse existing routers

October 10, 2024

Onestream, the UK broadband provider, is offering every new customer the option to reuse their existing router in a drive to stop tonnes of electronics from becoming e-waste.

The company has “decoupled” its service from its routers, and is now calling on major brands to follow its lead and stop locking their devices down.

Household names such as BT, Plusnet, Sky Broadband, Talk Talk, and Virgin Media restrict access to advanced settings in their devices, preventing customers from reconfiguring them for use with a competitor.

In initial trials, one in five (21 per cent) customers chose Onestream’s money-saving, eco-friendly option to use their existing equipment when they switched, by following a simple process to reconfigure their routers.

Research indicates that an estimated 9 million people switch providers each year – so if a fifth of those decided not to change router, it would prevent around 1.8million devices being stored or dumped each year.

Speaking ahead of National Recycle Week (October 14th-20th), Aaron Brown, Co-founder of Onestream, said: “Locked-down routers are a major source of e-waste, and providers who refuse to allow them to be decoupled from the service are restricting customer choice and contributing to environmental harm in a way that is completely unnecessary. We are proud to lead the way in offering a more sustainable, game-changing option that not only saves our customers money, but also helps protect the environment from the effects of large volumes of electronic waste being destroyed or sent to landfill. For our customers, reconfiguring an existing router is usually simpler than setting up a new one. If the major providers followed our lead, many more consumers would be able to make this choice. We believe reusing routers should be the default choice, and we challenge other providers to join us in making a simple change that could have a huge positive impact.”

Broadband routers are classified as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) which cannot be disposed of in household waste.

A recent study found that two-fifths or households had an unused router in their home, while one in seven had two or more collecting dust – representing over 22 million devices with the potential to become e-waste. The same survey found that 60 per cent of consumers believed internet service providers should do more to help the environment.

Onestream said customers who are unable to reuse a router, or choose not to, can still be supplied with a device tailored to their broadband needs and the size of their homes.

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