Will I loose My phone number?

[Rivodus]

My mother and father have BT internet and a landline number for a long time. We want to get rid on the internet and downgrade the landline to a "pay as you go" line.

I have been reading horror stories of BT changing or getting rid of customers original landline number if you go ahead with a downgrade like this.  Is this true?  

My father will not go ahead with the downgrade unless someone from BT can put it in "writing" to confirm they will not change the number or get rid of it, but customer service will not do this as they dont want to be held responsible if something did happen to the number.

This number is important.. very very important, and we cannot afford to loose it. I find it hard to believe that BT would change the number, but we need conformation. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Rivodus 

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

There are no more analogue phone lines being provided, they all use BT Digital Voice which needs a broadband connection.

If you cease the broadband, then the phone number will be lost.

Why do they want to cease the broadband, and what broadband package do they have?

[iniltous]

You may find that you cannot simply turn your  broadband / telephone service into a  ‘regular’ landline just for telephony and guarantee that the number will be maintained, you certainly wouldn’t get a written guarantee .

A standalone BT phone line with PAYG calls is around £26 , ( it’s actually cheaper to go for the Home Phone  Saver Plan  that is £21.99 ) that’s  if it’s even possible with the WLR stop sell /PSTN withdrawal.

There  is a discount available of around £13 on this  £26 ish , but that’s if there is no broadband whatsoever at the address , from any provider , not just BT  ,  so if your idea was to get broadband from another provider on another network ( Virgin or City Fibre for example) but keep the ‘BT’ line just for telephony then the discount isn’t applicable because you have broadband, so the chances are reducing to telephony only won’t really reduce the monthly cost , if it’s £26 for a landline only or about the same for landline phone and broadband obviously you may as well stick with what you have , and that would not jeopardise the phone number , even when migrating to DV ( presumably that hasn’t happened yet ) 

Should it be possible to get a telephone only line, then although you may not realise it , it would be effectively a broadband based service, BT ‘Digital Voice’ is an IP ( internet protocol ) service, and the phone instrument would plug into mains powered box ( effectively a broadband modem ) the charges being the same as a legacy PSTN phone line .

[Rivodus]

My father runs a business hence why we need the number to not change.

The situation is this.

I am building a house that is attached to my parent's house (same adress).  I am going to get my own internet so they can use mine.

They only use the house phone for incoming calls they never use it for outgoing, but my father must keep the landline number for business purposes.

I am going to sign up as a new customer and get the internet for all of us (I will pay the internet bill... At the moment my parents are paying £72 a month whitch is absolutely ridiculous.

From the answers I see on here it looks like they will have to stick with there own internet if they want to keep the old landline number, I just wanted to reduce the strain of them paying such a hight bill rate.

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[imjolly]

As your father needs the line for business then you need a business connection as you cannot run your business on a residential phone line against the residential T&C

[iniltous]

If your folks are paying £72 a month ( assuming it’s a residential connection ) then that’s probably twice the normal price for line and broadband , for example BT fibre essential with phone is £32,

I Would imagine that the price your folks pay is an out of contract price and could easily be reduced by around 50% simply by calling and agreeing to a new minimum term ,

[Rivodus]

My father is self employed and the landline number is known by hundreds if not thosands of people by now, loosing the number would be tragic for him.

I think the best cousrse of action is for them to keep there package for now.. there contract is up at the end of November. I think I will try to negotiate a beeter deal for them then..

As for me I want my own internet in my place, so i will get another line put into the property when my place is finished. I cannot rely on wireless from such a distance i need a solid connection. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Rivodus 

As @imjolly  has said, he is breaking the BT Residential T&C by running a business, and could lose his service. There have been many instances where numbers have been lost by businesses that have their number on their vans, paperwork, etc.