Moving Home Keep Phone Number Across Different Exchanges

[itsjamielike]

Hello, 
Posting on behalf of a family friend as they are not so tech savvy and I wanted to double check what they are saying and if I can help.

We due to move house, both houses are across a small field from each other, both can be seen in sight but approx  150 meters away. The family is due to move from one property on the CARLISLE Exchange to the other property on the DALSTON Exchange. Both use the 01228 area code. 

They wish to keep their landline number but have been told due to the change of exchange (although same area code) they are unable to do this. Is this true or just a poor advisor from their current (very poor) supplier? 

(Annoyingly they can only get an estimated 1MB broadband from their 40mb FTTC they were getting in the past but thats another story). 

[itsjamielike]

I have considered moving the number to VOIP service but in the time range, I think a new provider will be on the phone line binng off the landline before the number went to VOIP. Loosing it.

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

Moving across an exchange boundary, even if the new exchange is the same STD code as the old exchange , means that the number cannot be retained , you have already mentioned a possible solution, porting the existing number to VOIP, accepting any old number on the new exchange and accessing the ‘old’ number via broadband , it may be that time is against you , if the house move is imminent

[Keith_Beddoe]

If its a BT Retail phone number, the each physical BT exchange has its own number range which cannot be changed.

So as @iniltous  has said, if you move to a different address which is connected to a different exchange, then you will not be able to keep your number.

In general, most providers stick to this arrangement, even those who have their own equipmend installed in the BT exchange.