Most BB deals no longer include phone

UncleZen

So if we wanted to keep a home phone e.g. landline number how would we do it if the broadband deals are for bb only. VOIP I assume? So, how is that done? What do I need to research to understand this.
Personally I'm OK with using just a mobile, but Mrs zen is not.

iniltous

Although not every ISP offers telephony , plenty still do , those that do utilise a socket (port) on the router they supply , you just plug your phone in there ,

If you are not using a provider like  that ( and they don’t offer telephony ) but you still want it , you sign up with a traditional VoIP supplier like Sipgate ( there are others ) , if you currently have a live phone number you can  port it to VoIP , if you don’t have a active number , or you don’t sign up correctly, you get a random number allocated, if you want one with the same STD code as your geographic area , that usually can be done .
You need an ATA or a new phone with a built in ATA ( analogue telephone adapter ) , regular VoIP uses your broadband but it isn’t integrated into the router …just search VoIP  ( voice over internet protocol ) if you need to know more 

armith

I think a "landline" phone is becoming something of a niche product. We have one, funnily enough with Zen (UncleZen!). It's good enough value for money for us - £6 a month for 1000 minutes. We could go fully mobile-only - but the mobile signal round here is not great and (somehow) an ordinary cordless phone is somehow "nicer" to have a long conversation with.

The Zen product is particularly neat - the router acts as a "DECT base-station". The cordless phone isn't plugged into the router (or the old BT master socket), instead it is "paired" to the router - it just needs a 3 pin power socket for the base station.

jbrassy

armith said:

We could go fully mobile-only - but the mobile signal round here is not great and (somehow) an ordinary cordless phone is somehow "nicer" to have a long conversation with.

A lot of mobile phones / networks have got around this problem through WiFi calling. I don't have fantastic signal in my house, but it's not an issue because all calls go through WiFi.

J_B

armith said:

I think a "landline" phone is becoming something of a niche product.

I think you generalise a little too much! Last time I looked 48% of houses still had and used a landline - hardly the silent minority.

Olinda99

just looked it up and you are right although I am truly surprised - if somebody had asked me the question I would have said five to ten percent!

400ixl

Most of the larger broadband suppliers can do both broadband and a phone line (Plusnet being one exception but the other BT / EE ISPs in the group do). The difference is that most are no longer providing a PSTN based line, they are digital voice now.

Basically the phone connection moves from the old master socket to the router. 

So yes, you can easily get a broadband supply with a phone line to plug into.

400ixl

J_B said:

armith said:

I think a "landline" phone is becoming something of a niche product.

I think you generalise a little too much! Last time I looked 48% of houses still had and used a landline - hardly the silent minority.

Now that SEGOA lines are available alongside FTTP where you are no longer forced to have a landline (and as the aged population pass on (sorry)) that will quickly shrink over the next few years.

J_B

400ixl said:

J_B said:

armith said:

I think a "landline" phone is becoming something of a niche product.

I think you generalise a little too much! Last time I looked 48% of houses still had and used a landline - hardly the silent minority.

Now that SEGOA lines are available alongside FTTP where you are no longer forced to have a landline (and as the aged population pass on (sorry)) that will quickly shrink over the next few years.

But us 'country bumpkins' with little or no mobile signal are still grateful for our landlines no matter how "aged" we are (apology accepted!)

400ixl

Thats what wifi calling is for. Mobile over broadband.

JSmithy45AD

Besides the likes of BT, Sky, Virgin, Vodafone & Talktalk you mean? And that's just from a cursory look.