This topic

End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:02:10 GMT

Hi,

After 40+ years with BT, I'm afraid it's time for me to go but not by choice.

My current Broadband and phone deal expires in March but BT have already been sending me emails advising of better deals available. So I called them this morning only to find a different picture has been painted.

I'm currently on Fibre 1 with unlimited calling plan for my phone but I'm now being told that they no longer extend this contract and I need to go on to something called Fibre Optic/Digital Voice [Apparently the same thing]. This is the new broadband, requiring new hardware inside and outside my house. It is cheaper than my current price but if I decide to take it, I'll lose my home number that I have had for my 40+ years as the "new" phone system is currently used over the broadband system.

Sadly, I thought they were extremely unhelpful and as there's nothing nowadays for loyalty, they've lost me and my family as customers.

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

licquorice — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:06:13 GMT

First of all, you won't lose your number by moving to Digital Voice. Secondly, all providers will be moving to a VoIP solution for voice calls from 2025 as the analogue phone system will be discontinued then.

If you do nothing, your current contract will just continue as it is on a monthly rolling basis. You will, however, lose any discounts you may currently have

Re: End of The Line With BT

imjolly — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:07:06 GMT

if you move to digital voice you must use the SH2 as the dect base station for your VOIP phone supplied free but you should still be able to retain your existing BT phone number after changeover. there are numerous posts on the forum about this if you use search facility

also suggest you read the digital voice FAQ

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:14:17 GMT

"if you move to digital voice you must use the SH2 as the dect base station for your VOIP phone supplied free but you should still be able to retain your existing BT phone number after changeover".

In laymans terms, please?

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

licquorice — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:41:17 GMT

@Trev012 wrote:

In laymans terms, please?

You get a free Digital Voice phone which connects to your BT Smart Hub that operates in exactly the same way as a normal cordless phones.

If you read the FAQ https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-FAQs/td-p/2207485

all is explained

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:58:50 GMT

Hi licquorice,

Many thanks for your reply/post.

You say I won't lose my number [Which would be great] so why did the agent I spoke to tell me I would?

If this were the case, I would sign up today but I just cannot lose a number I've had for 40 years.

Can you please advise who I would contact to get 100 per cent confirmation of this and to probably sign up?

Regards,

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

imjolly — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:06:42 GMT

sorry there is no 100% guarantee you will not lose your number but it is very unlikely that would happen. should it happen then forum mods can usually investigate and often get number back
moving to digital voice will happen by 2025

Re: End of The Line With BT

licquorice — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:12:13 GMT

There is no reason to lose your number, but obviously nobody can give a 100% guarantee that you won't as there may be extremely rare circumstances that make it unavoidable. However, if you move provider you are much more likely to lose your number.

If you have had the same number for 40 years, it is extremely unlikely there would be any problems.

As all lines will be transferred by 2025, it is obvious that existing numbers will simply be transferred to DV

Re: End of The Line With BT

JohnC2 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:13:02 GMT

Hi @Trev012, thanks for posting. The advice given by @licquorice and @imjolly is correct. The change over to Digital Voice at your current address is very unlikely to result in the loss of your number.

Cheers

John

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:43:52 GMT

Hi @JohnC2,@licquorice and @imjolly,

Many thanks for your replies. I wish I could say I am reassured by them but something in the back of my mind tells me it won't go according to plan.

It's not that I want to leave BT [After 40 continuous years] so I will call them again tomorrow. Hopefully I will get a different agent who has more knowledge and will be able to give me fuller information as to exactly what will happen, as I don't know if :-

1) My floorboards will need to be lifted to allow different cables into my house to where my existing master socket is

2) Am I still able to use other phones [not handsets] in bedrooms upstairs

3) Can I still use my existing walkabout phone or does that stop working

Is there a certain department I should be calling as the agent this morning was not very forthcoming with the information I needed to make my decision on.

Regards,

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

imjolly — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:50:00 GMT

@Trev012

did you read the FAQ using link @licquorice posted as that privides a lot of information

there are also numerous posts on the forum from others with similar concerns which will help you

FTTP does not use the existing master socket and there is no ripping up floorboards. existing phones can still be used but need to be connected to socket on back of hub or with DV adapter

Re: End of The Line With BT

licquorice — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:52:40 GMT

Have you actually read the FAQ I linked to? All the answers are there.

You are far more likely to lose your number by changing provider than you are by moving to DV

If you move to another provider, even if the offer an analogue service currently that will also move to a VoIP solution in the immediate future.

The position of your current master socket is entirely irrelevant in the context of moving to full fibre.

Re: End of The Line With BT

gg30340 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:04:34 GMT

@Trev012 wrote:

Hi @JohnC2,@licquorice and @imjolly,

Many thanks for your replies. I wish I could say I am reassured by them but something in the back of my mind tells me it won't go according to plan.

It's not that I want to leave BT [After 40 continuous years] so I will call them again tomorrow. Hopefully I will get a different agent who has more knowledge and will be able to give me fuller information as to exactly what will happen, as I don't know if :- The moderator who posted above is a BT member of staff who has more knowledge than the Customer Service reps that work at the call centres.

1) My floorboards will need to be lifted to allow different cables into my house to where my existing master socket is No

2) Am I still able to use other phones [not handsets] in bedrooms upstairs Yes. It is the same as using any wireless phone or if you prefer you can get an adaptor that will plug into the phone socket that will allow you to use your present phone.

3) Can I still use my existing walkabout phone or does that stop working. By walkabout phone I presume you mean a wireless phone and if so the answer is yes.

Is there a certain department I should be calling as the agent this morning was not very forthcoming with the information I needed to make my decision on. There really is nothing more that can be said that has not already been covered in this thread and in other posts in the forum. The bottom line is that by 2025 you will have no choice in the matter. If you don't move to a digital phone you will not have a phone unless you go for a mobile phone.

Regards,

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:09:10 GMT

Hi @imjolly ,

Thank you for your reply. I have read what @licquorice posted and found it extremely helpful [Thanks], considering I knew nothing about DV earlier this morning.

How do they install the new cable from outside that goes to the new "green" box beside my existing master socket?

Also, how would I use my existing phones upstairs? I can't have a 20 metre cable running from the back of my SH2 all the way up my stairs. [The existing cable that was installed over 35 years ago is tacked to the skirting on the stairs and has been painted so many times now it is barely seen].

Apologies for all the questions but this is beginning to stress me a tad.

Regards,

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:13:58 GMT

Hi @gg30340 ,

Many thanks for your info.

I think I was typing when you had posted your info so the messages would probably have crossed paths.

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

licquorice — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:17:33 GMT

First of all, as I said previously, the location of your master socket is irrelevant.

The fibre cable can enter the building anywhere that is feasible for the engineer to run it and can be discussed on the day.

That cable terminates on an optical modem (ONT) which then connects to your BT hub by either a short patch cable if co-located with the ONT, or by up to 100 metres of cat5e Ethernet cable. If the latter, you will need to provide that yourself.

Any corded phones you wish to use can either be wired back to the hub or by the magic of the DV adapters that BT will supply.

The DV adapter just plugs into any mains socket and provides a phone socket that a corded phone can be plugged into. The DV adapter connects to the hub via DECT (the technology cordless phones use). So effectively you have a portable phone socket.

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 16:51:42 GMT

Thanks @licquorice .

At present, my BT cable enters at the side of the house and goes under my lounge floor to my existing master socket in my hall, where my current router sits. I have a cordless phone close to that on my sideboard and another couple of sockets upstairs with one phone attached to one of them. I also have another phone in my living room at the back of the house but the wires for these are all run under my floor and hidden. I don't fancy up to 100m cable [If required] going all around my skirting and doors as I believe the likes of BT & Virgin Media seem to do, as that is the easiest option for them.

Trev012

Re: End of The Line With BT

licquorice — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 17:30:21 GMT

I'm not sure there is anything further to add. As already mentioned several times, your router doesn't have to be where it is currently sited unless you really want it to be there.

I'll leave you to decide your options.

Re: End of The Line With BT

imjolly — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 17:48:20 GMT

I would suggest you read through the numerous post about digital voice as I am sure all your questions have been covered and answered already

Re: End of The Line With BT

Trev012 — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 17:32:38 GMT

@imjolly @licquorice @gg30340 @JohnC2

Hi guys,

Just a quick update and a big thanks for all your help & advice.

After reading and digesting your comments and following as many leads on this site that I could find, I contacted BT Retentions team yesterday and expressed my disappointment that I was possibly having to leave after 40 years due to the fact that I was told I would lose my number by the agent on Thursday.

It turns out that this is false information [As some of you advised later] and I now have it in writing that I will retain my number [See below from BT webpage]

Digital Voice migration

If we've written to say your home phone is moving to Digital Voice, it's because you'll be upgraded from the old copper network to a new broadband-based connection. There won't be any change to your plan or bill, and your number will remain the same.

With all that in mind and more reassurance, I went ahead and accepted a new 24 month contract for Fibre2 and unlimited call plan, which hopefully will be installed in the next few weeks.

It's supposed to be progress but if I lose power at all, the phone is then useless as I can't make any calls. Not much use if I need to contact the emergency services, especially as we get older !!

Furthermore, when I was on Fibre1 I was guaranteed a speed of 52mbps whereas now I'm on Fibre2, my guarantee is only 34mbps. Sadly, this is one step forward but three back the way !!

Anyway, I just thought I'd post this to advise you all and to thank you once again for your patience with someone who knew nothing of this upgrade beforehand.

Regards,

Trev012