Oftel will shortly be consulting on an accreditation scheme for websites designed to help consumers compare what they are currently paying for telecoms services with what they could be paying with another supplier.

This consultation exercise is part of Oftel's work on ensuring that consumers are well-informed. A well-informed consumer is more likely to take advantage of opportunities offered by the market. This in turn encourages effective competition between suppliers of telecoms services.

Oftel wants to raise consumers' awareness of the choices available to them, and also to increase the availability of useful information on price and quality. Good quality tariff information websites will help achieve both these aims.

Oftel is therefore proposing to set up an accreditation scheme where Oftel would give a mark of approval to websites that satisfy a voluntary code of practice. The consultation paper will seek views on what this code of practice should say - for example - that prices should be accurate and up-to-date, and on how the scheme should work in practice.

The scheme will give consumers the confidence to use accredited websites as an easy way to calculate the savings they could make by switching suppliers.

Oftel realises that not everyone has access to the Internet. The consultation will therefore also seek suggestions on other ways to provide this type of tariff information, for example leaflets. Although initially accreditation is likely to be available to websites only, it is possible that it will be extended to cover other services.

For further information please contact Ritu Manhas (tel: 020 7634 5309/e-mail: ritu.manhas@oftel.gov.uk).