Re: Digital Voice migration - Page 2

Perceptive · ‎28-07-2023

Also:

From OFCOM:

When signing up with a new provider you can also request to keep your old phone number for free by contacting your new provider even if you have already cancelled your previous service (as long as you request this within one month of cancelling).

Switching - landline - Ofcom

-Richie- · ‎28-07-2023

@BarkingMadBarkingwrote:
This is what I'm thinking.
Call BT and say I want a BB only plan. Hopefully it will be at favourable rates - comparable to my current deal. Hopefully no Early Termination Charges. Cancelling the move to DV will release my current BT landline number.
Under Ofcom rules, I can then approach a VOIP provider and ask them to port by old BT number to them.
Switching - landline - Ofcom

The cost saving of going broadband only is you will not require a chargeable calling plan, the saving you make will be the cost of the current calling plan removed, there's no additional discount having just broadband as the telephony charge makes up a small fraction of the wholesale and supplier costs.

For example if you pay £5 per month for the pay as you go calling plan, you'll save £5 per month by going broadband only.
Other discounts will depend on a number of factors, typically being out of contract gives you the most haggle room, your last 6 months is your renewal window.

As for porting your number, that would be down to your VOIP provider to arrange, once you go broadband only your current number is released and made available after a short qurantine period, this is usually 6 months but numbers are allocated to the exchange, some exchanges have limited numbers available because new housing has been built for example, which creates more demand.

I hope that answers your questions, feel free to reply if you have anything else to ask 🙂

licquorice · ‎28-07-2023

I suspect cost is not the issue, rather the ability to use third party equipment with a third party VoIP provider instead of the Smart Hub and DV.

iniltous · ‎28-07-2023

Also:

From OFCOM:

When signing up with a new provider you can also request to keep your old phone number for free by contacting your new provider even if you have already cancelled your previous service (as long as you request this within one month of cancelling).

You make the point so well , you ask the new provider ( not the losing provider ) , so the question can I port my number after I have taken the offer of converting to a broadband only BT service instead of migrating to DV , should be addressed to the new provider .

Perceptive · ‎28-07-2023

I suspect that the reason why clarification is needed on this board is not the way in which the process should be followed it is how BT will actually follow the process.

My view is that most of the BT complaints stem from Ooereach and that BT is now a far better company than it was previously, (ignoring the ridiculous game pass system), but in previous times when a person tried to port the phone number away from BT it meant that the broadband was prematurely cancelled by BT who then tried to charge the customer, (who was by then without any internet), an early termination fee.

Due to the major contract change by BT forcing the customer to go onto Digital Voice, (mid-contract), he now has the opportunity to go broadband only, as per BTs own guidance information, but the customer is obviously concerned that BT will be unaware of how the system is designed to operate and could create chaos by reverting to the old cancel the broadband as well system even though after the customer goes broadband only there should not be any link between the removed phone service and the broadband.

It is only sensible that the customer want clarification from the BT Employees on here.

Regarding his desire not to have Digital Voice; it is fairly obvious that it has nothing to do with cost and has everything to do with being forced to use a less effective BT Supplied Router if you take up Digital Voice.

Digital Voice itself may be good and if so it would be better to sell it separately with a rolling one month contract the same as other VOIP providers have and allow BT customers to use their own equipment to access it.

licquorice · ‎28-07-2023

@Perceptive wrote:

Digital Voice itself may be good and if so it would be better to sell it separately with a rolling one month contract the same as other VOIP providers have and allow BT customers to use their own equipment to access it.

Digital Voice is proprietary, ergo a BT Smart Hub is required to access it.

Perceptive · ‎28-07-2023

We all know how Digital Voice works and that why there are so many alternative VOIP Providers that BT Broadband customers have chosen use instead of it.

Let us not get bogged down as to how Digital Voice works/operates a it is just a standard VOIP system that BT have locked down to it's own routers and to which BT choose not to make the SIP details easily accessible but this could be changed at the flick of a switch.

BarkingMadBarking · ‎31-07-2023

Would any of the moderators like to give the BT company view in relation to my queries? Please

The first option, would be to move to BB only with BT (which would involve [I'm assuming] a new 24 month contract). my old PSTN number would be free. I've approached a VOIP provider and asked would they be able to claim my number within 30 days under the Ofcom https://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice-for-businesses/switching/switching-landline rules. Their reply has been is they are not sure whether I'd be able to use the OFCOM process in that scenario.

The second option, would be to move to BB only and for BT to use the SOGEA Integral Port capability Upgrade your FTTC to SOGEA and transfer your number at the same time - Packnet (pack-net.co.uk) and sogea-provide-order-with-dn-and-number-port-or-transfer.pptx (live.com) With this approach, I'd get the CUPID from my new VOIP provider, pass to BT and then BT would raise an order to port my PSTN to VOIP. There are PlusNet FTTC + PSTN customers that are moving to FTTP. When this occurs some are being given to move their PSTN to VOIP and it is arranged by PlusNet. PlusNet do not offer voice with FTTP.

Mods, please?

garybs29 · ‎31-07-2023

@Perceptivewrote:
We all know how Digital Voice works and that why there are so many alternative VOIP Providers that BT Broadband customers have chosen use instead of it.
Let us not get bogged down as to how Digital Voice works/operates a it is just a standard VOIP system that BT have locked down to it's own routers and to which BT choose not to make the SIP details easily accessible but this could be changed at the flick of a switch.

So who's going to pay for all the BT employees to have training to support all the routers out there? It's much easier to have 1 system which can be fully supported

-Richie- · ‎31-07-2023

@BarkingMadBarkingwrote:
Would any of the moderators like to give the BT company view in relation to my queries? Please

I'm not a moderator but I have answered your question, which would be option 1 you last referenced, option 2 I've not heard of before.

Moving to DV does involve changing to SOGEA as you won't have a telephony service from Openreach.