VoIP

username

One thing I'm interested in hearing is how will Plusnet deal with the aspect of demerging the landline telephone number from the broadband service, without ceasing the service.  

If it is something that Plusnet  wish to impose upon their subscribers by killing the PSTN service and not providing a suitable voice replacement, then there needs to be a mechanism (such as perhaps having a different phone number be assigned to the broadband line) to enable subscribers to take the landline number away to a VOIP provider such as A&A.

I don't have FTTP but do still use the landline occasionally. I'm still contracted to Plusnet until 2025 and what happens - does the landlne suddenly stop working?!

iniltous

If you want to keep your PSTN number with Plusnet broadband after the PSTN switch off , you would  have to port the number to a traditional VoIP provider, this currently will cause all your service with PN to be ceased and have to be re provided as a standalone broadband…by 2025 it may be possible for this to be done without that procedure, if you want to keep your number , PN will migrate you free of charge to BT/EE , where ‘digital voice’ will be the method for using your phone number .

Its too early to say what will happen , for recontracting customers telephone service was not available , so they had to make a choice, BT/EE or PN without telephony, or leave for someone else completely , but now appear to be kicking the can down the road and allowing recontracting to keep the PSTN phone service for the time being.

FWIW , number port should now be available for 30 days after cessation, so if PN say no telephone from a particular date and the customer wants to keep PN broadband, they should be able to get the number back via a VoIP provider that will retrieve the number during that 30 day window .

Lisa2594

If you want to keep your landline you can. It is not mandatory to move over to VoIP.
The PSTN line will still work. 

People use WhatsApp and FaceTime etc to make calls over the internet already. 

The choice is still there. 

dgp1000

If you’re with Plusnet and move to FTTP with them, you lose your landline as the copper cable is disconnected. No one ever rang our landline, so we don’t miss it.

username

Thanks to everyone for the insights! One can hope that there is the functionality to separate the landline phone number and service from the broadband eventually - surely it can't be beyond the realms of possibility, since there seems to be another circuit identifier for the line (BBEU).
Plusnet unfortunately have a tactic of charging you double (or more) if you do not call retentions to haggle and recontract. There's also some aspects of the Plusnet service I require such as a static IP.
I don't particularly care for the medium of delivery - just that the service fits my requirements.
I can also bet any money that the removal of the voice service on Plusnet won't result in any cuts to the "line rental" price or the ditching of the CPI+X% increase every year. 

sanmills

matelodave said:

Does your provider not offer a phone service, not all providers are. Perhaps it would be best to wait and see what options are available when (or if) you get transferred to FTTP.

I've been with BT, Vodafone and Zen and they all offer a phone serice via the router. I'm not sure but I think TalkTalk and Sky do as well. The only one I know that specifically doesn't is PlusNet. 

Yes I had been trying to check for 2 months and was getting no reply from Plusnet(Didn't realise just how bad they had got for customer service, I am puzzled how they win awards?), but they have finally confirmed they don't offer the service ..I find this odd as they were bought out by BT quite a while back now, so if BT offer a phone service, why wouldn't Plusnet?
I am glad I'm not the only checking though, or the day will come when Plusnet customers will just get disconnected without any real warning, good to get the message out there as no real advice has been given

But I am beginning to look at ZEN, waiting on a reply from them now, they seem to be quite expensive, but very reliable.
Next is finding a VOIP home phone .. anyone with recommendations? 

littleboo

Plusnet is BT Groups budget consumer brand, EE is BT Groups mainstream consumer brand. Given that PSTN calling has been in decline for years , its not surprising that he budget brand doesn't have a VOIP option. 

matelodave

sanmills said:

matelodave said:

Does your provider not offer a phone service, not all providers are. Perhaps it would be best to wait and see what options are available when (or if) you get transferred to FTTP.

I've been with BT, Vodafone and Zen and they all offer a phone serice via the router. I'm not sure but I think TalkTalk and Sky do as well. The only one I know that specifically doesn't is PlusNet. 

Yes I had been trying to check for 2 months and was getting no reply from Plusnet(Didn't realise just how bad they had got for customer service, I am puzzled how they win awards?), but they have finally confirmed they don't offer the service ..I find this odd as they were bought out by BT quite a while back now, so if BT offer a phone service, why wouldn't Plusnet?
I am glad I'm not the only checking though, or the day will come when Plusnet customers will just get disconnected without any real warning, good to get the message out there as no real advice has been given

But I am beginning to look at ZEN, waiting on a reply from them now, they seem to be quite expensive, but very reliable.
Next is finding a VOIP home phone .. anyone with recommendations? 

I don't have a special VoIP home phone and never have when I was with BT, Vodafone or Zen using fibre. We've had the same phone number since we moved here 14 year ago and its seamlessly transferred from copper to fibre and between all of the providers that we've used (BT, SKY, TalkTalk on copper before fibre came on the scene some five years ago)

A bog standard phone plugs into the back of a router (BT, VF or Zen so far and no doubt SKY or Talk Talk if I wanted them) and works just like a bog standard phone.

If you've got a DECT phone (we have an ancient Panasonic set, three handsets and an answering machine), just plug it into the router and it still works in exactly the same way as it did before. In fact we've also got an even older BT pushbutton phone (about 30 - 35 years old which still works just fine (its more for decoration, but it still works perfectly together with the Panasonic DECT phones)

There's a lot of misinformation going around and we've not had a problem with any of the suppliers

400ixl

username said:

Thanks to everyone for the insights! One can hope that there is the functionality to separate the landline phone number and service from the broadband eventually - surely it can't be beyond the realms of possibility, since there seems to be another circuit identifier for the line (BBEU).
Plusnet unfortunately have a tactic of charging you double (or more) if you do not call retentions to haggle and recontract. There's also some aspects of the Plusnet service I require such as a static IP.
I don't particularly care for the medium of delivery - just that the service fits my requirements.
I can also bet any money that the removal of the voice service on Plusnet won't result in any cuts to the "line rental" price or the ditching of the CPI+X% increase every year. 

Pretty much all ISP's contract at a high standard rate and contract people into a discounted minimum contract period. Once that period is up it returns to the higher rate unless you commit to a further minimum period. Not sure why you are calling it out as something odd to Plusnet.

You likely also no not need a fixed IP, whay you likely need it a registration with a DNS service which creates a unique DNS entry which tracks a changing IP supplied by the ISP. There are also other ISP's who offer fixed IP addresses.

The phone lines is also not connected to the CPI+X% increases that again, most ISP's do.

Sounds like you need to go to an ISP like Zen Internet who can provide you with a fixed IP, digital voice service with no CPI increase or price that changes outside of minimum contract periods. It will cost you more per month than a contracted Plusnet service though.

Chickereeeee

matelodave said:

sanmills said:

matelodave said:

Does your provider not offer a phone service, not all providers are. Perhaps it would be best to wait and see what options are available when (or if) you get transferred to FTTP.

I've been with BT, Vodafone and Zen and they all offer a phone serice via the router. I'm not sure but I think TalkTalk and Sky do as well. The only one I know that specifically doesn't is PlusNet. 

Yes I had been trying to check for 2 months and was getting no reply from Plusnet(Didn't realise just how bad they had got for customer service, I am puzzled how they win awards?), but they have finally confirmed they don't offer the service ..I find this odd as they were bought out by BT quite a while back now, so if BT offer a phone service, why wouldn't Plusnet?
I am glad I'm not the only checking though, or the day will come when Plusnet customers will just get disconnected without any real warning, good to get the message out there as no real advice has been given

But I am beginning to look at ZEN, waiting on a reply from them now, they seem to be quite expensive, but very reliable.
Next is finding a VOIP home phone .. anyone with recommendations? 

I don't have a special VoIP home phone and never have when I was with BT, Vodafone or Zen using fibre. We've had the same phone number since we moved here 14 year ago and its seamlessly transferred from copper to fibre and between all of the providers that we've used (BT, SKY, TalkTalk on copper before fibre came on the scene some five years ago)

A bog standard phone plugs into the back of a router (BT, VF or Zen so far and no doubt SKY or Talk Talk if I wanted them) and works just like a bog standard phone.

If you've got a DECT phone (we have an ancient Panasonic set, three handsets and an answering machine), just plug it into the router and it still works in exactly the same way as it did before. In fact we've also got an even older BT pushbutton phone (about 30 - 35 years old which still works just fine (its more for decoration, but it still works perfectly together with the Panasonic DECT phones)

There's a lot of misinformation going around and we've not had a problem with any of the suppliers

You are, however, stuck with the subset of ISPs who support your phone, and who tend to be more expensive. To avoid lock-in, I chose to use a specialist VOIP provider, and intended to buy  a converter box for my old dect phone. However, so far, having the few calls to our landline number sent to our mobile phones has been sufficient.