talktalk won't release our phone number

joca

We took a phone + broadband package from talktalk a few years ago and kept our old BT phone number. Now we want to change to Sky, and talktalk won't release the number even though it wasn't theirs to start with - we've had that number for 40 years and don't want to change it! Can talktalk get away with this?

macman

I think you are getting confused. It's a line issue, not a number issue. Assuming that your TT line is LLU'd (check on samknows), it's not possible to go direct from one LLU provider to another. You'll need to take your line rental back to BT on a 'return to donor' first (free, but it requires a contract for 12m line rental). Once your line is back on the BT network, you can apply for broadband with the ISP of your choice.
There are intermittent reports of Sky or Orange offering to do direct LLU transfers, but these rarely seem to work out in practice.

TalkTalk

Hi joca,

are you certain that is TT not releasing the number? It is perfectly possible for most customers to retain their number. It may be that Sky don't want to pay the fee to BT to port the number. As I can't obtain the relevant details from you on this forum, I am unable to look at the specifics for you.

Ady