Why Renew?

[gspearson]

My contract ends in November.  Normally I phone up and end up with a deal.  Now I'm being offered online a deal to stay as I am for £1 less.  There is no prospect of OR full fibre here in the next 2 years, CityFibre/Vodafone is almost ready outside now but I don't know what their "offer" will be.

Should I just not renew - just continue as I am - or will I be jumped to a higher rate?  If I sign up for 2years, I can't then get full fibre from CityFibre without a major penalty.  I don't need any of the things being offered - I have a mesh system and the line is reliable so don't need Hybrid Connect.

At least, if I stay with BT (after 50 years) I won't need to take Digital Voice.

[Keith_Beddoe]

If you renew, you will almost certainly be moved onto BT Digital voice, and you may actually lose your phone connection unless you specify both broadband and phone, as others have discovered to their surprise.

You will eventually have no choice but to move to DV, if you are on an FTTC connection. Its only ADSL users that are going to keep their existing phone connection for longest, but they will eventually have to accept a smart hub 2 and DV.

[-Richie-]

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@gspearsonwrote:

Now I'm being offered online a deal to stay as I am for £1 less. 

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A new minimum term offers you the same for £1 less but also factor in the out of contract discount removed when the current minimum term ends, your bill or last order confirmation will state what that discount is, if it's a new contract the out of contract increase will be capped at no more than £8 more than you pay now.

[gspearson]

@Keith_Beddoe I had not realised that DV would come to FTTC too - has this happened anywhere yet?

@-Richie- Yes, I suppose I had not factored in the loss of my £7 a month current discount - which will cease with my current contract in February.

As my overhead feed of full fibre stalled 2 years ago after the forestry men cleared a path through the trees, I assume it will be a year before I get an offer of BT FF, so there is little point in jumping a reliable ship now.  

I'll renew.

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@gspearson wrote:

@Keith_Beddoe I had not realised that DV would come to FTTC too - has this happened anywhere yet?

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Yes, DV is already well in use on FTTC, and is the default in most cases if a phone service is requested.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/BT-Digital-Voice-a-better-way-to-keep-in-to...

[pottyperson]

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@gspearson wrote:

I had not realised that DV would come to FTTC too - has this happened anywhere yet?

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Been up and running here for several weeks with no issues except the need to unplug base station from socket and stick it in the hub.😊

[Ribblelancs]

I’m waiting with suspense re: the switch to fttp and digital voice in January. This was arranged with BT in Mid December.

All this has come about without official prior notification of availability from Openreach until (believe it or not,  on Christmas Day). Four emails received from Openreach on Christmas Day.

The Bt help team were very precise in their details in what to expect, though. Questions were asked re: personal alarms, burglar alarms etc.  Just hope that the DV works ok.

[gspearson]

In November, I made 11 phone calls, totalling less than 2 hours and more than 12 hours of on-line video calls/meetings on Skype, Teams, Zoom and Facetime.  I made no calls on my mobile which I use for emails and the  bus app only.  My iPhone is set to silent and the number is known to only 3 people, none of whom would call me.

I received 5 land line calls, each lasting 30 minutes.

Perhaps a phone is not important to me anymore - but solid, fast broadband is.