Thinking of changing phone company -BEWARE!?

Mancunian

I have recently realised that I am now officially old :0( and today has reinforced that to me.

I worked in telecoms for many years -even for the first competitor to BT- Mercury.

I was under the impression that their were two types of phone line -a telegraph pole connected BT (or BT wholesale) line or you'd had your garden dug up and got cable. With the BT line i thought that you can swap between providers moving your number between them.

Today I looked at swapping my Sky phone and broadband (BT wholesale line) to other similar providers.

I was amazed that on a few providers that I would not be able to swap my telephone number over and would have to have a 'new line'- BT wholesale would have to be involved and charges likely.

After digging all day I am now enlightened by LLU, SMPF and MPF ?!? !!!!!! have OFCOM allowed to happen.

So, if you are thinking of changing phone line please be aware of potential problems retaining your 'prized' telephone number now and in the future.

Post any queries and I (or I'm sure others) will try to help.

Mancunian

My findings today (likely local exchange dependant) when changing from Sky Phone / broadband:-

Primus
TalkTalk
BT = no possible migration, new phone number required.

PlusNet = migration and number port available

Phones4Chris

If your number was originally a BT issued number, my understanding is you can demand to have it ported back, you've got to make a fuss - kick Sky in the gonads and threaten them with OFCOM.. It could be that the company you wanted to migrate to weren't interested in the extra paperwork, which to me says a lot about their customer service. What company(ies) were you thinking of going to?

Mancunian

Thanks Chris.

No, having researched this it looks like in the industry its pretty well know of the limitations of telecom companies using LLU MPF (!?) and you not being able to port your number.

Shame they haven't made the general public know that if a telecoms company is using certain kit then its going to be tricky to move your phone number.

I think we need a complaint to ofcom to clarify but looks like a f@kkin mess

Quentin

Mancunian wrote: »

....I was amazed that on a few providers that I would not be able to swap my telephone number over and would have to have a 'new line'- BT wholesale would have to be involved and charges likely.....

You can currently avoid any charges by using post office to install a new line for you. They have no minimum contract, and you can leave by just paying £15 (no charge if you stay 6 months). So you could take advantage of their offer, then move on to your chosen company as soon as they had got you back to a bt line.

Mancunian

Quentin wrote: »

You can currently avoid any charges by using post office to install a new line for you. They have no minimum contract, and you can leave by just paying £15 (no charge if you stay 6 months). So you could take advantage of their offer, then move on to your chosen company as soon as they had got you back to a bt line.

Thanks but in this case (and many more I'm sure) Sky have put my number onto a special system/ kit (MPF) in my exchange.

This means you cannot port the beloved phone number over to Post Office or BT - a new telephone number would be required

zolablue25

Amazing! So the authorities ensured that you could change mobile provider and keep your number but not your home phone number! Inspired!

Quentin

Mancunian wrote: »

.......This means you cannot port the beloved phone number over to Post Office or BT - a new telephone number would be required....

They do make it clear in the ts + cs that they cannot guarantee for you to keep your number:

You accept that you do not own any telephone number we make available to you.

deklan99

Consultation by Ofcom recently concluded re migration issues - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/switching-fixed-voice-broadband/making_switching_easier/ , no idea when these proposals come into effect.
Current thinking re migration from MPF lines "There are facilities in place which allow direct switching between providers, and it remains open to consumers to go to any provider and request service. However, apart from BT, there is no obligation on any provider to have to take customers on, and it remains their own (commercial) decision whether or not they choose to do so. Where certain providers choose not to offer a particular service in a particular way the customer would then need to make arrangements with a different provider (BT or otherwise)."
Bottom line is some providers make an effort, most don't.

Mancunian

Anyone had any problems recently doing this?

ktothema

Sky well and truly screwed us when we tried to leave, out of contract btw. Firstly they refused to allow our line to be taken. Then they switched our service too soon, so our number reverted back to virgin. We're still trying to wrestle our number off virgin but may just have to give it up.

At sign up plusnet did warn we may have to change numbers given sky's slightly notorious nature of doing things like this. Oddly we were warned that by several providers!