Moving from BT to Sky on FTTP

vini_1983

Looking for some feedback on moving from bt fttp broadband to sky on what I should be care full about:
1. Sky provides both broadband and landline on fibre, so do I need to speak to BT to cancel landline separately?
2. As its FTTP, I have a BT router for fibre and then the hub - will that work or Sky to provide a new one
In past sky wasn't available but now looks like their fttp broadband is available `in my area. Checked Vodafone also but they can't do at my place. Thanks

Swoosh84

1. If your set on Sky, sign up with them, they will handle the rest and let BT know you are switching. Update, just seen you are cancelling your landline with BT, no harm in giving them a call and telling them to cancell any ways.
2. No, you will be unable to use your BT router, this is locked to their network. With advanced tech knowledge you can re-flash the BT router to make it work. But probably not worth it, Sky will provide you with a new one anyways.

J

matelodave

The thing on the wall where the fibre comes in ,is the Optical Terminating Unit and is not a router.- it has an ethernet port which connects to a router. I doubt that it will need to be replaced. SKY will probably give you a new router (BT call their router a HUB but it's still a router).

If you get your phone over copper wires (ie it not connected to either the HUB or the OTU) then I guess you might have to cancel that separately although one would have hoped that SKY and BT could talk to each other adn sort it out between themselves.

I was thinking of swapping my FTTP provider early last year but non of them seemed to have a process in place so I decided to stay with BT untill the wrinkles had been ironed out - I'm guessing that a year on with more FTTP providers coming on stream (SKY, TT and others) then there's probably a better process in place to effect the swap.. 

BT made a right mess of me getting onto FTTP three years ago, I lost BB for around three weeks and the phone line for five but they did pay for a 4g mifi unit to tide me over

Please keep us informed as to how you get on as it will be useful info for otheres who are thinking of moving FTTP providers in the future and good luck.

vini_1983

Thanks for all your help, just to keep updated I finally decided to continue with BT itself due to

1. Sky dollying on the offer, initially they said they can match bt then no boost etc and as broadband is so important I didn't wanted to take risk for few bucks a month. I was quite looking forward to sky but hopefully now in next 18 or 24 months I will have more options than just bt or sky
2. Bt reduced their monthly price to keep it near where it was pre increase

The_Highwayman

Thanks for keeping us informed.

I have heard analogue telephone landline services are to be withdrawn over the entire UK due to provisioning of GBit FTTP broadband. Starting with Salisbury, customers will not be able to order NEW copper wire twisted pair services and can only order FTTP once their telephone exchange reaches certain GBit FTTP coverage/availability thresholds.

A further 220 exchanges are planned starting as early as June 2021.

No news yet on how ISPs will provide Telephone Services if at all (Openreach imply ISPs will provide analogue telephone adapters, but I have my doubts they will sign up to the additional costs).

I take this opportunity to point out there is no news on Vulnerable People's Emergency 'cord / Microphone around the neck' services which rely on analogue Telephone dialing and plain BT style telephone sockets.

Am I misunderstanding this, or is the UK on the threshold of the greatest telephone revolution affecting many customers with overall telephone instrument replacement costs with very little publicity on how it will really affect them ?

Did you come up any resistance to your Telephone Service provision when talking to BT and / or Sky ?

https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/retiring-the-copper-network

https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/images/fibre-broadband/retiring-copper/Switching off copper locations list 25-1-21.pdf

littleboo

This has been on the cards for a long time. Simple auto-diallers will still work via an adaptor, which can be incorporated into the router. 

matelodave

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2021/01/openreach-name-51-uk-areas-for-copper-phone-to-fibre-switch.html some info here.

Dunno what the situation is with ISPs who are now offering FTTP services but many are not offering phone lines in the bundles - it's an optional extra. I'm guessing that if you are "forced" to move a PSTN phone to an IP line because the whole area has been switched over then your ISP or OR might offer an appropriate adapter but possibly not if you voluntarily choose to move to an FFTP service.

Even though the PSTN service will be shut down eventually it doesnt automatically follow that copper lines from the cabinet to your house will be pulled out, just changed over to an IP connection which will require either an IP phone or VoIP adapter. They'll have to do something for those who dont have or want broadband but just want a phone.

It's another wrinkle that will have to be ironed out as part of the changeover process -  a bit like changing from analogue TV to digital. Some people embraced it and others had to be coersed until there was no option.

Chino

matelodave said:

a bit like changing from analogue TV to digital. Some people embraced it and others had to be coersed until there was no option.

Who had to be coerced to take digital TV? Either people bought a new television or separate decoder, subscribed to satellite television or stopped watching broadcast television once digital switchover occurred in their area. No coercion required whichever way.