Quality of service results at your fingertips

The new Comparable Performance Indicators (CPI) website at www.cpi.org.uk will go live on 1 October.

The new site will house the latest quality of service information for the main fixed line telecommunications operators in the UK. It will also offer easily accessible archived information so that both business and residential consumers can track any participating company's results over time.

The information will enable UK consumers to make better informed decisions when buying telecoms services.

The easy-to-use website will include features such as a postcode search - so userscan see which companies operate in their area - and a subscriber option allowing users to record their own specific service comparisons.

The information is free and will be updated twice a year.

CPIs provide UK consumers with information on quality of service issues such as:

• whether orders were completed by the date promised;
• the number of faults reported on each network;
• whether faults were repaired within the promised time;
• complaint handling;
• billing accuracy; and
• customer satisfaction.

To complement the online information, there is a leaflet, How well did your telephone company do?, that compares the main residential results and is available at every library in the UK.
Telecommunications companies participating in this initiative include: BT, Cable and Wireless, Colt, Energis, Eurobell Telewest, Kingston Communications, Kingston inbusiness, ntl, Telewest Broadband, Thus, Worldcom, and Your Communications.

For more information, contact Chris Smithers (tel: 020 7634 8876 / e-mail: chris.smithers@oftel.gov.uk).