This topic

Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

KevG000 — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:09:44 GMT

Looking to migrate from Plusnet (traditional landline) to FTTP Broadband and Digital Voice.

Plusnet have a deal with BT that enables me to move mid contract without termination charges.

Plusnet have confirmed by email that I would retain my existing land line number. When speaking with BT they said they are unable to guarantee retaining my existing number.

Anybody had the same?

This will be a deal breaker as I have had this number for more than 25 years and I need to retain it

I am unable to upgrade with Plusnet FTTP as they have no voice offering

If I'm unable to get assurance/guarantee of retaining the number from BT within the next couple of days I'll be cancelling the order

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:12:05 GMT

@KevG000

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

It may be worth reading this thread https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Re-Successful-number-port/m-p/2321698#M91751

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

licquorice — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:15:05 GMT

BT won't guarantee you will retain the same number but there is a high probability that you will.

Unfortunately, you are between a rock and a hard place. If you remain with Plusnet, you will lose your number anyway when the PSTN is switched off in 2024 if they don't intend providing a VoIP service.

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

KevG000 — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:20:42 GMT

Plusnet and BT are owned by the same enterprise so unless Plusnet shut up shop it may just be a matter of time before DV voice is available from them. Worse case scenario I may have to cancel the order with BT and wait for Plusnet to offer DV to retain the number. They did guarantee retention of the number even with the move to BT

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

KevG000 — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:32:25 GMT

Thanks Keith. I've just read through the post that was on the link you sent.

My reading of it is that BT is not willing to guarantee that I will be able to retain my existing number which I've told them is unacceptable to me.

Having to wait for the service to be installed and live before I can even contact support to look to enable a 'renumber' to my existing number doesn't fill me with confidence.

What I don't understand is that Plusnet have given me assurance that the migration to BT will retain my existing number but BT are unwilling to do the same?

Without assurance/guarantee forthcoming I'll cancel the order before install and any kit is sent out otherwise BT will be asking me for money

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:44:02 GMT

@KevG000

There is more to it that first appears.

Plusnet have their own equipment installed in some exchanges, which combine their own broadband with the PSTN network, I also think they have their own number ranges.

Once the PSTN goes, then there will be no point in Plusnet paying to have that equipment in the exchanges. Even now it does not make sense, which is why they are keen to offload their number ranges, which should be possible to migrate to BT DV, as its all done with software.

Their is no incentive for them to provide a phone service, as that will be provided by BT Retail. It would involve them in extra expense and new customer equipment.

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

KevG000 — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:53:42 GMT

Thanks again Keith. I stand corrected as I always thought BT and Plusnet were owned by the same enterprise and so used the same kit in the exchanges. I'll have to make a judgement call on cancelling the order with BT as although I may lose the number with the switch over to DV coming I need to retain the same number as long as I can

Re: Migration to Digital Voice - no guarantee from BT retaining existing phone number

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 14:18:02 GMT

From what I remember a long time ago. The BT ADSL equipment at the time could only provide ASDL MAX, which was up to 8Mbs.

Plusnet, along with some other providers, rented space in some BT exchanges and installed their own equipment that could supply ADSL2+, up to 20Mbs. That gave them quite an advantage at the time, until BT installed newer DSLAM equipment, and then eventually migrated onto 21cn MSAN`s.

Later they simply used BT Wholesale connections, so you see there is a lot of redundant equipment now.

Re: Successful number port

KevG000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:05:43 GMT

Hi Robbie, I now have access to FTTP. My existing provider Plusnet can't offer digital voice but said I could migrate to BT without any termination fee charge and that I could also retain my existing phone number (both confirmed by email)

On receiving the order details from BT I was advised to contact them immediately if I wanted to retain my existing phone number. I did so and was advised that BT could not guarantee that I would retain my number?

I have had the same number for 25 years and only both BT and Plusnet have been my broadband and phone provider in that time.

The lady I spoke with on support could not provide me any reassurance that my number would be retained and BT doesn't appear to have a dedicated team/person I can speak with to get this situation sorted.

It is important, having had the same number for so long that I can keep the number.

Can you point me in the right direction to get this sorted please? Any help much appreciated.

Kev

Re: Successful number port

DavidM — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:11:21 GMT

Hi @KevG000 and welcome to our community.

Thanks for posting about porting your number. I've moved your post so we can offer some help here. Can you just confirm when the order is due to close?

Cheers

David

Re: Successful number port

KevG000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:34:13 GMT

Thanks David. I received confirmation of the order 24th Oct 2023 – the following was included in the content

You'll be assigned a new phone number that hasn't been used at this address before. Once your new number is active, you won't be able to get any old numbers back. If this is incorrect, please call us as soon as possible.

– hence why I immediately contacted BT and spoke to a lady named Alaba the same day

The service is due to be installed 8th November. Having checked this morning, the equipment has still not been shipped yet.

I would have thought that stating the above and requesting contact from the customer would flag up on the order that the existing number needs to be retained?

Re: Successful number port

DavidM — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:45:54 GMT

Hi @KevG000 and thanks for the reply.

We can't guarantee that the number will port over. Your confirmation states a new number will be on the account but once that's all connected we can try to do a renumber back to the original one if it's avalable.

Cheers

David

Re: Successful number port

KevG000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:06:49 GMT

Thanks again David.

Plusnet gave me a guarantee, confirmed by email, that the number would be retained

You have confirmed my fears that no one at BT can give me any reassurance of the number being retained.

Why can't the renumber to the existing line be actioned on the order?

BT states that 'once the new number service is live you wont be able to get any old numbers back'......and to contact them if this is a problem.....which I have done

can't get the renumber until the service is live but when the service is live you wont be able to get the old number back.....

......going round in circles ,

Re: Successful number port

iniltous — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:25:40 GMT

As it’s Plusnet that are offering this option to move potentially penalty free ( normally the migration process wouldn’t require you to involve the provider you are leaving you simply sign up with someone else ) , are Plusnet managing this change end to end ( basically they made the offer , if you accept , they effectively say ‘leave it to us’ ) or did they give you a specific number to contact with BT , or is it you go down the normal migration route , and all they are saying is that they won’t apply the usual early termination charges should they have normally applied.

If this change is being handled by PN , with no mention of you contacting BT independently you run the risk of messing up the transfer by getting involved, if all PN are offering is not to raise ETC , then the normal migration process stops short of an absolute guarantee because of factors beyond the CP control, but should have an option to ‘retain my number’ .

The fact that your communication from BT suggests a new number has already been allocated , suggests that the ‘retain my number ‘ wasn’t selected on the BT sign up ( that’s if the normal BT sign up was used and not some bespoke PN migration process ) were you offered the option to retain the number ?,

Re: Successful number port

KevG000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:56:22 GMT

There was no direct ‘sign up’ through BT. Plusnet offered the migration to BT because they couldn’t offer digital voice with FTTP.

PN then confirmed to me by email that I would retain my existing number and also there would be no termination charges (otherwise I would not have made the move). After agreeing the deal with PN I then received the official order from BT

PN did not give me any specific number to contact with BT. From the point of receiving the order from BT I have then used them as the point of contact for the order.

It is, as you suggest, a bespoke PN to BT migration deal not the normal migration of sign up to a new provider and then they pick up the detail.

As for messing things up – all I’m endeavouring to do is get some assurance from BT that I can retain the number. As stated previously I’ve had the same number with both BT and Plusnet respectively for more than 25 years. I fail to see what the problem is to what should be a very simple process

Frustrated beyond belief now - It’s starting to prove easier for me to simply cancel the contract with BT and stay with Plusnet as I don’t get service from BT until the 8th Nov and there’s no equipment been sent out yet

Re: Successful number port

imjolly — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:12:04 GMT

Plusnet cannot guarantee you will receive the same number when porting to another ISP as that is up to the receiving ISP - BT Retail in this case

Like others before you when you transfer then you receive a new number and once your order completes with BT you can request a renumber back to your previous number. the mods will help should you get problems after order completes but there is no guarantee that you will retain the number

Re: Successful number port

iniltous — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:21:40 GMT

The potentially messing it up is because in more traditional migrations , people sign who up with a new provider, then instead of leaving it to the new company to serve their notice the consumer independently and at odds with the process , calls their own provider, this call is interpreted as a standalone request to leave , and messes up the migration.
My comment about messing up was dependent on how the migration was approached, if you only approached BT after receiving notification from BT ( that presumably being after BT received something from PN ) stating your number would be changed , is worrying, and it’s understandable you would want clarification, initially it wasn’t clear who instigated contact with BT .

Re: Successful number port

KevG000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:07:19 GMT

Contact was received from BT (details of the BT official order) after I had spoken with Plusnet regarding the migration.

The migration was their suggestion not mine as they advised they couldn't offer digital voice with FTTP.

My only contact since receiving the BT order has been with BT.

According to the community it appears that Plusnet cannot guarantee (neither will BT) that I will retain my existing phone number when moving to BT from PN. Which is at odds with the email I have received from PN

The termination charges being waived also look suspect now as well based on the above so I have contacted Plusnet for further clarification. The service install is scheduled for the 8th Nov and then there's the cooling off period so cancelling the contract looks a likely option at this point

Re: Successful number port

KevG000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:15:27 GMT

Thank you for your reply.

It looks like you are correct and, to put it bluntly, have been lied to by PN when it comes to retaining the existing number

However, the message from BT is also at odds as it clearly states I will lose my old number when the new number comes live into service........hence my frustration

Any help is appreciated.......I'm awaiting a response from PN otherwise it looks like waiting until the service is live, trying to get the 'renumber' and if that's not fruitful contact the mods to see if we can have any joy........if it's not sorted I always have the cooling off period to consider cancellation .....all hassle I can well do without

Re: Successful number port

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:47:22 GMT

@KevG000

Not sure what cancelling would achieve, as Plusnet can no longer supply a phone service, which is why they are moving customers to BT Retail. You would be left with no phone service at all.

There are going to be very few ISPs that are going to be prepared to spend the extra cost needed to provide a phone service, which many people probably never need.

There are plenty of third party VOIP providers who would be more than willing to take on new customers.

If your number was originally issued by BT Retail, then it would be owned by them, so it should be possible to port it over, provided its still within the same geographical area.