Do I really have to change to FTTP + Digital Voice next week?

Victor_Delta

My 24m BT broadband contract is about to expire. We have an alarm system that will not work with digital voice, so I'm keen to retain copper pair access for as long as possible. However, it appears the only BT options I now have are to go to 'Fibre 2' FTTP next week when the existing contract expires. I phoned BT to discuss this with someone but all the man in Newcastle would tell me was that it was FTTP or nothing, and was extremely unhelpful.

Is there really no way of hanging on to FTTC a bit longer? (I know I will need to grasp the nettle in due course, but don't want to do it just now for several good reasons).

MattMattMattUK

Victor_Delta said:

My 24m BT broadband contract is about to expire. We have an alarm system that will not work with digital voice, so I'm keen to retain copper pair access for as long as possible. However, it appears the only BT options I now have are to go to 'Fibre 2' FTTP next week when the existing contract expires. I phoned BT to discuss this with someone but all the man in Newcastle would tell me was that it was FTTP or nothing, and was extremely unhelpful.

You either take the new FFTP contract, or you go onto a rolling contract on your existing connection, which will be more expensive. 

Victor_Delta said:

Is there really no way of hanging on to FTTC a bit longer? (I know I will need to grasp the nettle in due course, but don't want to do it just now for several good reasons).

You go onto a rolling contract and pay the higher rate. 

The switch off date for copper could be any time between now and the end of next year depending on where you are, apart from a few very edge cases that will almost certainly not apply. So you might at most be kicking the can down the road 14 months and potentially only a month or two.

Ayr_Rage

Suggest you do a search and see what the plans are for your telephone exchange, there are a few now where the copper service really is being pulled for good.

iniltous

As already stated , you do have an option, but it’s not the most economic option , if you are nearing the end of a minimum term , don’t renew ( so you don’t get the financial benefits of being inside a minimum term ) your minimum term ends but your ‘contract’ doesn’t , it rolls over to a 30 day notice to quit ‘contract’ and any discounts or inducements you had are removed, so you pay full price , but you also continue exactly as you are now , what you can’t have is a discounted rate etc and remain on FTTC once FTTP is available, so the solution is clear , don’t contact BT or anyone else , ignore any contact from BT about renewing, simply pay more than you do now  , which is the outside minimum term price you agreed to 23 months ago ,  ‘safe’ in the knowledge that your FTTC will remain operational for a significant period, there is no forced migration to FTTP yet .

400ixl

What exchange are you on?

If there is a WLR stop sell order on it that would mean if you switch supplier then that would be a new order and would mean only FTTP.

A contract renewal does not trigger the stop sell status, so BT could offer you a new contract on FTTC and does not mean you have to go onto a rolling contract. It could be a business decision by BT they they are not going to offer renewals on that exchange, especially if it actually has a date for FTTC termination and everyone will have to move anyway (which is more messy contract wise).

Sounds like you need to work out how to upgrade your alarm system and resolve any other concerns. 

iniltous

BT like every other ISP on Openreach are incentivised by Openreach to get customers off FTTC and onto FTTP once it’s available, so although a contract renewal could be offered without a FTTP connection, Openreach not involved in that arrangement ,  Plusnet were doing this for a period as they don’t offer VoIP but do have PSTN telephone customers , it’s against the spirit of the arrangement with Openreach and has  a financial penalty for the ISP , missing out on the incentives OR offer as well losing out on the extra revenue compared to the outside minimum term price  so realistically you pay the out of contract price , or accept FTTP .

Brie

Hijack - when are people going to get some official notification of this?  I've yet to receive anything so don't know when and what is happening specifically with our property and phone line.  We're not with BT so presumably we need to know in advance or pay an exit fee?

iniltous

The PSTN phone network operated by BT , and used by customers of BT and a relatively small number using other companies that in effect , simply resell BT service under their own brand are those currently being migrated to BT DV .

 If you are not a BT customer ( or a BT reseller, then clearly you are not going to be contacted by BT , you and they have no customer/supplier relationship .

Depending on who your provider is , will obviously determine if the BT PSTN switch off affects you or it doesn’t , if you are using a major provider ( Sky , Talk Talk or Vodafone to name 3 ) then you are not affected by what BT is doing , and  if your own company hasn’t contacted you then it’s a fair assumption that nothing for now ( for you ) is changing .

Ive no idea what you mean about exit fee in relation to what BT are doing , obviously if you quit a contract early with whoever your provider is , then an early termination fee may apply , but nothing about BT moving its customers off PSTN affects you in a contractual way , if your current provider is going to move you onto a VoIP service ( assuming you are not already connected to the router for telephony as many Sky customers already are ) then they will tell you when it’s happening to you , but January 2027 ( the last date for BT PSTN )  isn’t necessarily a date that affects your provider, in fact your provider may not change the way you get telephone service at all .

Victor_Delta

400ixl said:

What exchange are you on?

Canford Cliffs (Dorset). I've done a bit of googling but can't find a specific analogue end date for this exchange.

Thanks for all the info about my option to stay on a rolling contract. Shame the guy from BT did not feel able to mention this, especially when I queried him on the subject. Ignorance or unhelpfulness?

Brie

Victor_Delta said:

400ixl said:

What exchange are you on?

Canford Cliffs (Dorset). I've done a bit of googling but can't find a specific analogue end date for this exchange.

Thanks for all the info about my option to stay on a rolling contract. Shame the guy from BT did not feel able to mention this, especially when I queried him on the subject. Ignorance or unhelpfulness?

Ah!  Interesting!!  Well that means I better call my provider if BT are just a short hop away!!!  (waves from Northbourne!!)

bgy3jlh

I knew nothing of copper switch off until I rang Now TV today because our broadband had been down for 30 minutes.

I got passed from pillar to post and ended up with someone from Sky who did a very hard sell on FTTP, saying that if I didn't accept then I'd constantly be on the phone to Now TV about the broadband connection dropping. 

I said that I preferred to make decisions based on written information, and asked for an email detailing my options. 

We were reluctant to swap to FTTP because we didn't want our land-line number to change and because we're not sure how to set it a repeater up on a new system (my brother lives next door and uses the Internet via a repeater, set up by my dad who has since passed away).

After an hour on the phone I got very frustrated, told him I wasn't happy to sign up to anything right now, and ended the phone call. He immediately called me back! I don't think that that is proper conduct. He then proceeded to rope me in to the FTTP contract with Sky, promising again and again that there is a cool-off period.

All I wanted was the current connection to be fixed. After all that, he still had to pass me back to Now TV, who didn't know what to do. I went out for a walk, 2 hours of my morning wasted.

Everyone person I spoke to had a thick accent that made it very difficult for me to understand what they were saying. It drove me up the blooming wall.

I'm planning on emailing Sky to complain.