This topic

Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Cathprotech — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:19:25 GMT

I have been notified that my service has moved to digital voice and is ready for use.

Firstly, it had not switched over on the date of the email, however 2 days later the analoge line has stopped.

The phone has now been plugged into the rear of the router as per instructions, but all I hear is an engaged tone (intermittent tone).

It has been like this all day now. No other phones are connected, this is a single phone connected to the green socket on the back of the hub.

When calling from an outside line, there is a ringing tone but the phone on the digital line does not ring.

I cannot make outgoing calls because of the engaged tone.
Using the BT help / contact us, etc just leads me round in circles back to 'contact us' page, so this is my only option.

I obviously cannot call BT as the phone isn't working.

Any ideas please?

Latest home hub (broadband is ok and working)

Binatone standard phone.

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

jac_95 — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:22:06 GMT

Hi Cathprotech,

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community.

This is an automated response as I can see you have a question about BT’s Digital Voice service. Rather than waiting for a response from the Community, you may find an answer to your question by using the search bar on the Community homepage. We also have a thread that contains a wealth of info related to BT’s Digital Voice, click this link to take a look, Digital Voice FAQs.

To learn more about the nationwide change to this Internet based voice service visit landlinesgo.digital

If you have already looked for the answer to your question and have not found anything that can help, then please ignore this message. One of our Community members will be along shortly to help you further.

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

imjolly — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:38:38 GMT

Have you tried rebooting the hub to see if that helps?

Can you check hub manager and see if your number is shown and active?

Can you not use your mobile to phone CS 03301234150. Call is free

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Cathprotech — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:17:29 GMT

Thank you for your reply.

I went through the trouble shooting and tests from the BT site and it reports no faults and confirmed everthing is set up correctly.

I have rebooted the router and now I can make and receive calls, BUT it still has an engaged tone!

Does Digital Voice have a different dial tone perhaps?

I am still unable to speak to BT, just going round in circles with the contact-us. It even says that there will be a chat button pop up during working hours, (up to 10:30pm), but it doesn't.

Anyway, so now the phone is working, just the engaged tone rather than a dial tone.

Thanks again for your reply

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

TimCurtis — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:21:56 GMT

@Cathprotech

Are you sure it's not telling you there's a voicemail , so call 1571 and check.

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Cathprotech — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 21:11:50 GMT

Now then, I think you hit on something.

I never thought of voice mail.

I just read that voice mail is activated by default on Digital Voice line, so that could explain the intermittent tone.

Brilliant, thanks

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Cathprotech — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:33:03 GMT

Firstly, thank you for the replies, problems sorted.

1st problem of not being able to make or received calls was fixed by re-booting my BT router.

2nd problem of the intermittent dial tone turned out to be messages waiting as pointed out to me.

Having never used voice mail, I was unaware that it was activated or that an intermittent tone indicated waiting messages. To me it sounded like an engaged tone.

Ironicly, the message that was waiting was to tell me I had a message waiting and to dial 1571 to listen to it and also explained the intermittent dial tone... haha

I wish BT had included those little facts in their multiple messages about changing over to digital voice.

Anyway, all sorted now.

Thanks to all here. A great help.

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Jane2018 — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 09:55:08 GMT

It is helpful for other people to read it (I am not looking forward to digital voice as I don't like things changing but this helps as I had assumed the message waiting tone would be the same as for the service I pay BT currently for voicemail)

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Cathprotech — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 17:47:08 GMT

It may be the same tone, but I have never used BT (or any other suppliers) message services, so I didn't know. All I knew was that it wasn't a dial tone and it sounded like an engaged tone.

Confusing for us old folk.. haha

From what I have read, the message service cannot be disabled and it recomends that if you have your own message recorder, that you set it to answer on less rings so it picks up first.

Sometimes it takes me a while to get to the phone, so I'm not keen on the idea of not having a choice. Maybe there are some settings I can adjust.

Anyway, that's going off topic.

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

licquorice — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 17:57:12 GMT

See message 4 of this thread for how to disable 1571 service

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Cathprotech — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:47:49 GMT

That's excellent, thank you.

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Jane2018 — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 10:59:49 GMT

That is useful to know although as I pay for "call minder" if and when I get digital voice it sounds like that continues but without paying for it. I wonder what the chances are my bill will go down as call minder has in effect been incorporated into the service everyone has?

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

imjolly — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 11:23:50 GMT

@Jane2018

I would go to MYBT and manage your package and then phone and cancel call minder as I doubt BT will

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Mooly — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 13:30:27 GMT

Just to say thanks to all those involved in this thread. Today was my switchover day and I wasn't aware of 1571 being enabled by default. Wondered why my BT DECT phone would show the number that had called but no message. I was testing this myself by ringing it from a mobile.

Also wondered about the 'pulsed' dial tone and what that meant. Now I know.

Setting 1571 options to max ring time means the BT phone now gets in there first so all good.

There will be many who struggle with all this by not realising that 1571 will probably take priority over any answering machine or phone with that facility that they already have.

So thanks all 🙂

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Emma14 — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 21:35:11 GMT

This is happening to me. How do I listen to my voicemail please? So frustrating

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

imjolly — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 21:41:32 GMT

Have you tried 1571?

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Emma14 — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 21:47:00 GMT

Yes, as my tone is continually engaged nothing happens. It’s driving me crazy

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Emma14 — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 21:52:50 GMT

Would it also mean I can’t dial out please?

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

Devonboy55 — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:47:13 GMT

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Tim!
You solved the problem in seconds, after I had gone round in circles (both online and on phone) with BT, for a couple of hours...
Had new modem, UPS and VOIP installed yesterday (by a totally incompetent, know-nothing, couldn't care-less, sub-contract "engineer" - but that's a different story...)
We had no idea that Voicemail is provided by default with VOIP, hence the interrupted dial tone!
So all now fine - but wondering if I will be charged for VM, which I do not require (have own ansafone).
Thanks again, Tim!

Re: Digital voice line, constant engaged tone

chrisjp — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:53:28 GMT

"There will be many who struggle with all this by not realising that 1571 will probably take priority over any answering machine or phone with that facility that they already have."

Just go into the 1571 menus where you can select the number of rings before the BT voicemail answers and set this to maximum (I think its ten). Then set you own answering machine to a lesser number of rings. Your own answering machine will then always answer telephone calls first.