This topic

I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Paule12345 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:15:20 GMT

I wan't to leave BT broadband when my contact ends in 6 days time and go to another supplier BUT I wan't to keep my landline number.

I have been told by 2 broadband firms (Vodafone & Shell) BT have blocked it, which means I can't transfer it. By the way the landline is domestic not business & I have been with BT for 40 years (there are no outstanding bills or other debts).

Is there anyway of unblocking my number?

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Keith_Beddoe — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:21:39 GMT

@Paule12345

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

Do you have BT Digital Voice at the moment, or does your phone still connect to the wall socket?

There are no new provisions of the old analogue phone lines, so that may be a factor preventing your number from being ported.

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Paule12345 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 18:40:12 GMT

I am on digital voice

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

iniltous — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 18:51:33 GMT

BT can’t block a request to port a number , being on DV is that respect is irrelevant ( with the possible exception that if the DV migration was within the last few days that order may not yet be closed , in which case give it a few more days ) but apart from that , it’s up to the new provider , if they can’t , won’t or don’t know how to request a number to be ported , that’s entirely their and your problem .

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

garybs29 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:14:22 GMT

@Paule12345 you haven't asked BT to cancel too have you? That's the only way I can think of it being stopped by BT action, you need to have no open orders on the number to transfer it

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Paule12345 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:18:28 GMT

The person I spoke to at Vodafone said that she has had this happen on quite a few occasions when BT will NOT allow a domestic number to be transferred & she didn't think there was a way to unblock it, so she couldn't process my change to them unless I was willing to accept a new phone number. Shell (who's customer service wasn't as good as Vodafone) said the same thing.

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

imjolly — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:19:18 GMT

As on digital voice do you know if Vodafone or Shell can accept VOIP phone post?

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Paule12345 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 20:08:06 GMT

Sorry Distinguished Sage I don't know if either of them accept VOIP

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

garybs29 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 21:12:05 GMT

It sounds more like a case of "pay peanuts & get monkeys". The fact another provider can't transfer a number following a set process is their fault & their fault only. The fact you've been told it's BT stopping it tells me all i need to know about this other provider

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

SRB — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 07:15:28 GMT

Given BT couldn't transfer my number to DV from Plusnet (had been a BT line for over 30 years, though the last four it was with Plusnet) this doesn't really surprise me in the slighest!

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 07:50:19 GMT

@Paule12345

Its quite possible that Shell or Vodaphone have no means of transferring their phone service over to a secure VOIP (Voice Over IP) system, as there are no more analogue phone connections allowed. Your number would be owned by BT Retail so I could see complications arising.

They would be affected by the PSTN shutdown, just like all other providers, so they may not have a solution in place yet. Some may ever stop providing a phone service, as its going to involve them with lots of extra expense changing all their customers` routers to include a suitable phone socket to terminate the VOIP connection.

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

ac5 — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 12:04:32 GMT

The fact that you cannot transfer your number to a VOIP provider after using BT digital is disgusting.

My I renewed with loyalty upgrade for my broadband I told them not to enrol us into digital voice because I wanted time to look into it.

Plus my mothers memory isn't very good so wanted to keep the number we have had for over 45 years as she can remember it.

They moved us anyway to digital, when I complained and asked the number to be moved back to the land line they refused saying it's impossible.

They gave me a free phone adapter for old phones so I wouldn’t take it further. But things like burglar alarm stopped working and I would have to pay for upgrades for those.

The last straw, later I found out there is no way to take your domestic line number with you to another ISP/VOIP provider and there doesn’t even seem to be a solution just to have BT VOIP but use a different broadband provider. Surely this is an anti-trust issue?

My road now has real fibre by a third party thanks to a government scheme. But BT only still provides hybrid so I am now stuck because of this. Even if BT did offer full fibre that’s not the point.

I am now thinking of writing to my MP and Ofcom over the issue of transferring numbers between VOIP providers.

BT and the government really haven't thought out this transfer to digital properly.

Re: I can't transfer my landline number to a new supplier

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 12:40:52 GMT

@ac5

Other providers like Sky, have their own implementation of VOIP using their own number ranges. The same issue is likely to occur with them.

Historically Ofcom allocated number ranges to each provider, this information is publicly available.

Number portability between providers has always presented issues, owing to restrictions on the way their exchange equipment was configured. This was more of an issue with BT Retail, owing to the way System X was configured.

In theory, the move to VOIP should make porting numbers easier, as its just a software routing change. However this is not likely to happen until all voice traffic is VOIP, and providers are willing to relinquish their number range allocations. This is much the same as with mobile phone providers, that process is well established.

At present, porting a BT Retail number out to VOIP, results in the cease of your contract, as the number is part of the contract.

As for burglar alarms, suppliers have know about the closure of the PSTN for a long time, and should have solutions in place.