UK ISP TalkTalk has denied that the launch of a new billing system has been delayed, despite informing customers that the update has been pushed back.
The firm originally told customers that they would be switched to a “next generation network and billing system” from December 1, however a letter sent out in the past fortnight states that the changeover has been put back to January 24 “due to a delay in the launch of the new billing system.”
A spokeswoman told Telecoms Europe.net the letter refers only to the availability of new services, and that the firm is updating customer accounts in phases.
Customers who received the most recent letter have been “moved to the next pot” of migration, the spokeswoman said, adding that the communication was intended to notify subscribers “that some of the benefits they had previously been told about would be delayed.”
Despite stating that the firm has “already successfully migrated a large portion of the base onto our new billing system,” the spokeswoman was unable to confirm how many customers have already been switched and how many remain on the old system.
TalkTalk is in the process of transferring former Tiscali subscribers to its systems, after acquiring the rival firm in July 2009 for €276 million.
The switchover promises to open access to benefits including free calls to customer services and other TalkTalk subscribers, and access to 24Mb connections where available.