Switching providers is mostly planning. The cutover is the short part. Most delays come from things nobody checked first: a contract that has not ended, IP addresses the old provider owns, or a building that needs a permit before a new cable can come in.
This guide covers what to gather and ask before you sign with a new provider, and how to move without taking your offices offline.
Know What You Have Now
Write down the details of your current service. Your new provider will ask for them, and you will want them on hand if something goes wrong on cutover day.
Collect from your current provider
- Circuit ID and account number
- The bandwidth you pay for and the connection type: dedicated, shared, fiber, copper or wireless
- Contract end date, notice period and early termination fees
- Your IP addresses, and who owns them
- The equipment on site, such as the modem, router and firewall, and who owns each one
- Who you call for support, and how to reach them
List What Depends on the Connection
Anything tied to your public IP address can break when you change providers. Check these before you set a date.
- Firewall rules and VPN tunnels to branch offices or partners
- Mail servers, websites and DNS records that point to your current IPs
- Allow lists at banks, payment processors and cloud services that only accept your old address
- VoIP phones, CCTV, point-of-sale systems and door access
- Staff who connect to the office from home
If your current provider assigned your IP block, it usually stays with them. Ask the new provider how many addresses you will get and plan to update records and allow lists. If you own your own address space, ask whether the new provider can route it.
Read the Contract First
Read the termination clause before you talk to a new provider. Find the end date, the notice you must give and any fee for leaving early. Some contracts renew on their own if you miss the notice window. Also ask what happens to the equipment your old provider installed and when they will collect it.
You will want both lines live for a short time while you test, so expect a brief overlap and budget for it.
Ask the New Provider
Get these answers in writing
- The connection type and bandwidth, and whether upload and download run at the same speed
- The uptime SLA, and what you are owed if it is missed
- How many IP addresses you get, and how to add more
- What the building needs: permits, riser access, a place for the equipment
- A date for installation and a date for testing
- How to reach an engineer, and during which hours
- Monthly price, setup fee and contract length
Sort Out Building Access Early
Some buildings require outside providers to get approval from building administration before running cable. Ask your administrator what they need, such as a permit, an accredited installer list or fixed work hours. In a multi-tenant building, find out where the fiber enters and where your equipment will sit. This step needs no technical skill, only an early request.
Plan the Cutover
Keep the old connection live until the new one is tested, then switch outside business hours.
- Install and test the new line while the old one is still running.
- Check speed and latency, and confirm that upload matches download if your plan says it does.
- Move the equipment, then update firewall rules, routing and DNS.
- Bring over critical systems first: phones, VPN and payments.
- Walk through your dependency list and confirm each item works.
- Keep the old line for a few days, then cancel it in writing on the date your contract allows.
Reduce the TTL on your DNS records a day or two before the switch. Changes then reach users faster, and a rollback is quicker if you need one.
After the Switch
Run speed tests at different hours during the first week. Keep the new circuit ID, support contacts and IP details where your team can find them, and tell staff who to call. Ask the old provider to confirm the cancellation in writing.
Switching to Cygnal
Cygnal installs and tests dedicated internet access before hand-over. Plans run from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps+, with the same speed for upload and download and a 99% uptime SLA written into the contract. We serve businesses of any size in Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon.
Send us your address and your current setup. We reply with a quote.