BT, can you request a specific home number?

maxwelfl

Hello,

I'm hoping someone may be able to help. My parents have just bought a house which has been empty for the last 12 months. My mum has been told by the neighbours that the elderly gentleman who used to live there had a very memorable phone number (**1234). The phone line has been disconnected so they will need to get it all set up again, but obviously my parents are hoping to get this number reallocated to them.

My mum has dialled the number and it is not in service, so I'm hoping that this bodes well.

She spoke to BT who said that there was no way to request a specific number, that they would just be allocated the next on the list when they create their account.

Does anyone know if there is a way of getting this number. (there are no cable providers in the village so it wasn't previously with one of them).

Many thanks for reading!

money_saving_matt

Any provider using the Openreach network should be able to request a specific number (i.e. it's technically possible to do so, if the number is marked as spare in Openreach's systems). Whether BT Retail's system allows you to do this, I don't know I'm afraid. Openreach do charge the communication provider £1.20 to reserve a specific number, so some CPs deliberately do not offer number selection as part of the signup process to keep costs down.

Bear in mind that if you re-use a number that was recently in service then you may receive unsolicited calls destined for the previous user.

Buzby

BT are quite lazy, and if reconnection is made, there is every chance te old line number will be allocated (although not guaranteed). The chances a virtual operator could get it might be even less, so I'd stick with BT and keep your fingers crossed.

money_saving_matt

If the previous live line was on WLR3 then the stopped line will have been renumbered as part of the cease request. Not every BT Retail line has yet been upgraded to WLR3 so without knowing the full address it's impossible to say whether the stopped line still has the old number on it.

Also, there's no such thing as a "virtual operator". Openreach are mandated to provide an equal service to all communication providers; consequently every CP (whether it's Plusnet, BT Retail, TalkTalk or a guy running a business from his back bedroom) have to connect to Openreach's WLR3 system to place orders, and they all pay the same price and have access to the same tools.

BT Retail still have some lines that have not migrated to WLR3, but all new customer orders should be placed on WLR3 and they have until 2014 to migrate all lines.

gwernybwch

matt_b wrote: »

Any provider using the Openreach network should be able to request a specific number (i.e. it's technically possible to do so, if the number is marked as spare in Openreach's systems).

Do you know if there is any way of a consumer is able to find out if a number exists? If the number doesn't exist on Openreachs systems, is it easy to create it?

Thanks.

money_saving_matt

gwernybwch wrote: »

Do you know if there is any way of a consumer is able to find out if a number exists? If the number doesn't exist on Openreachs systems, is it easy to create it?

Thanks.

You can see the original rangeholder of a number by checking the spreadsheets on the Ofcom website here. If the owner says BT then the number range was originally allocated to BT and should be available for any Openreach-based provider to use (e.g. BT Retail, Plusnet, TalkTalk etc.)

gwernybwch

matt_b wrote: »

You can see the original rangeholder of a number by checking the spreadsheets on the Ofcom website here. If the owner says BT then the number range was originally allocated to BT and should be available for any Openreach-based provider to use (e.g. BT Retail, Plusnet, TalkTalk etc.)

Thanks.
If the status says "protected" on the spreadsheet, does this mean that the providers won't be able to supply that number?

money_saving_matt

Hi,
I'm not an expert on those Ofcom spreadsheets but I think Protected means the number range has not been allocated (although I don't know why). Consequently it is very unlikely that any service provider (fixed-line, VoIP or inbound) will be able to provide you a service on the number in question.