Digital Voice Essential Cordless Phone

[licquorice]

There's nothing there because unless they are about 50 years old, they will be MF only. Another bridge there is no need for you to cross.

I dread to think how many 'tasks' you had when you moved from picking up the phone and an operator said 'number please' to having to dial calls yourself. I guess you would prefer to go back to those days.

[Jane2018]

I do appreciate all the help on here from everyone. Thank  you.

I am just a bit of a planner so making the mental list of tasks to be done. I have just learnt that once I switch over I think everyone calling me many of whom will have had my number of 25 years no longer dial the end of the number when calling me from within London but have to add  020 at the start even if they are 2 streets away (I had thought it was only that I had to dial the full codes when dialing out).

If I am correct then I would need to tell hundreds of people in effect the first bit of my number now requires the code when dialing. Am I right that when you call someone who has digital voice you then have to use the whole full number with local code otherwise you just get a number unavailable message?

I think most of the tasks on my mental list do have to be done and I am only concentrating on main landline number with broadband on it (the simplest of the tasks with one phone only in my office right by the hub which should be the dead easy task). I am leaving to worry about later second account number with separate broadband line and landline without broadband on the number but with the landline number on that same second account. Goodness knows how BT will treat customers like that - with  a telephone number with no broadband on it but with a second number on the same account which has broadband and no phone on it - presumably I might not get the second hub 2 for that second broadband line as no tel number on that line, but that second landline number we have had since 1997 will result in some kind of basic new hub for people without broadband?) 

What I would adore would be to pay a BT man to come out here, pay him £500 and be guaranteed he could keep the 2 landline numbers, get the hubs set up, set up all the defaults to be as now in terms of voicemail, no call waiting and all the rest so all I have to do is make him a cup of tea. I as searching tonight to see if BT offer that service but it does not seem to be available.

I also think it is very important that technical people who know all about digital voice and perhaps love it realise the sorts of issues causing much stress for so many people particularly those of us in London being rushed into it.

[RIC9380]

Dialling the full telephone number (including the area number) is nothing new.  It's how calling from mobile phones has always worked.

You seem to foresee a whole host of catastrophic potential problems with DV whereas the likely reality is that the switch will be straightforward.   

If you don't want Call Waiting you can easily disable it.

Did you fret, worry so much and have sleepless nights when analogue television services switched to digital?

RIC9380

[caravanj]

To be perfectly blunt, & for which I offer no apology whatsoever, I find it tedious, patronising & offensive when the media, in this case the Daily Mail, says garbage such as  'But the controversial shift has struck fear in the hearts of the elderly '.

At 79 I'm as tech-savvy now as I was at 29.

[RIC9380]

Totally agree.  It's the gutter press (especially the Daily Wail) which is striking fear in the hearts of the elderly.

[caravanj]

@RIC9380 

As I said I'm 79 & really switched on & not stupid by any means.

This is an example, I went on a health site & it advised elderly people to make sure that they had more fibre so I phoned BT & upgraded to 500 Mb full fibre. Lol 😁

[ljm]

Jane, you say you are "a planner". Me too, and I'm being switched over to Digital Voice within the next few wks. Whilst your concerns are different to mine, my advice is to wait and see how you manage once you receive the DV HUB etc and setup is required, then if you have difficulties get back on this Community who are very helpful, then if you still have issues as a last resort you could ring BT and book an Engineer visit. Tbh, if I was losing sleep over this I'd rather pay for an Engineer to sort it!! 

[caravanj]

@licquorice 

'There's nothing there because unless they are about 50 years old, they will be MF only. Another bridge there is no need for you to cross.'

I dread to think how many 'tasks' you had when you moved from picking up the phone and an operator said 'number please' to having to dial calls yourself. I guess you would prefer to go back to those days.

They were  the days, when I first started work if a number was engaged you had to dial it again with a rotary dial.

No last number redial or call-back, & you had to go through the office switchboard to even do that.

It wasn't uncommon to get home with blisters on your dialing finger.

[Jane2018]

I just about never use redial actually nor call back but I am finding this forum useful, even if my posts annoy people.
I have made progress today and removed every landline from the house, upstairs and downstairs except the two in my home office for my two numbers.
I am now consulting all residents of the house on if they want one of those numbers retained which I rarely use (and have warned them it will not now wake me for emergencies by my bed - which is rare but if children are in trouble abroad or a baby is in difficulties - I have had both those kinds of night calls for children all around the globe at times) they need to know it will just ring downstairs now.). One child uses it to call me within the house to ask me to come up 2 flights of stairs and that kind of thing.

However looking at my BT account for that semi redundant landline number it has one of the 2 broadband accounts linked to it - two numbers on that account. So I would be trying to cancel one of the two lines on that account. The other number on that account has no telephone on it for which I pay and just the all important broadband. I cannot see on the BT account an easy safe way to remove one number from an account that has two numbers so far (not keen to call a call centre in India about it would rather just click to remove number" but doubt BT make anything that lose them £20 a month landline charge easy). It says I can upgrade my calling plan to include voicemail (which I already have) and has nothing about cancelling one of the telephone lines on that account. So I might have to leave well alone until Digital Voice comes before cancelling that landline number.

[Jane2018]

Thanks. I think that has answered a question I was considering earlier today as I rationalise what was originally SIX landline numbers to this house  - alarm, fax, internet, home, work phone co.  and another one for my son upstairs. I am down to three numbers (BT lines) across 2 accounts now and 2 broadband accounts and 2 landline numbers but looking at how to rationalise it still further before Digital voice.

The simplest thing would be to cancel the homeline landline number but retain the broadband which is on a different number on that account. If that is not allowed then moving the landline service to the broadband line which has no landline on it would get us down to two telephone lines. I did that with the completely separate other landline and broadband - merged them into one telephone line with BB on it.

I wish all these things were just you log on and click to make the change. So last month that account with the 2 lines cost £106 Line rental was £26 and BB £79  No outgoing calls were made on it. If I lived alone I would simply cancel the whole of that one as I use a different telephone number and BB downstairs although it is sometimes useful to have 2 separate BB accounts as we do not eat and I do not earn unless we have working BB in the house (so much working from home these days).

So I suppose my question is if you have a BT account with 2 numbers on it - one for BB and one for a landline and want to cancel the landline telephone number but keep your BB is that possible and would it reduce the £106 a month down to less? If it won't reduce any costs then it will be pointless even to try to change it.

Second question - when we in London get Digital Voie later in 2023 for those with that kind of set up - a telephone line with no BB On it and a BB telephone number with no telephone on it - wil that one individual be treated as a BB line with no telephone on it so for that line you keep your old BT modem and you are a non landline person and for your second only a telephone on it other number/line will you be treated like someone without BB and get some kind of basic new modem to be able to use the landline number?  Or will BT's IT system realise that person since dial up stopped had not been wise enough to move their 2 lines into one and that that person is a BB customer, but I suppose BT cannot do that  as the BB is not on the telephone number the landline is - so it will be new basic modem sent and cheap/free BB put on that line so the landline can still be used I expect.