BT phone line/service 'upgrade'

[JohnW2]

Yeah, I discovered this new feature when I moved to VOIP (plugged into router).
They aren't always nuissance. One was a call I was expecting.
I think it also comes up with PRIVATE

Interesting. I've subsequently had one more "Nuisance?" one, but nothing else yet!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The relevant comparison would be between the current cost of a 'copper to premises' (whether 'copper all the way' or FTTC) telephone line and the cost of FTTP for telephone service only - and, perhaps even more relevant, the cost of FTTP for telephone service only vs. cost of FTTP for broadband+phone. Would the sites provide such comparisons?

So far as I know, no one is offering moves to their copper services, of any variety, so there are no comparisons to be made. You can only judge what you are paying now, for your FTTC, plus I assume satellite data - versus what you could be paying for FTTP, plus VoIP.

 

[JohnW2]

So far as I know, no one is offering moves to their copper services, of any variety, so there are no comparisons to be made. You can only judge what you are paying now, for your FTTC, plus I assume satellite data - versus what you could be paying for FTTP, plus VoIP.

That's my point. If FTTP is 'forced' onto people who only want a telephone service (not broadband) will they be charged the same, or less, than people who also want the broadband will be charged?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That's my point. If FTTP is 'forced' onto people who only want a telephone service (not broadband) will they be charged the same, or less, than people who also want the broadband will be charged?

You are wanting the impossible...

The FTTP, is broadband data only. VoIP is the only way to have a phone line, and VoIP needs the broadband data to work. There is no discount for not using it.

You could run VoIP, over your present copper line, using the broadband internet connection.

 

[AndyPRK]

I don't think the data is out there yet, as to what a FTTP with phone connection only, would cost.

If anyone was likely to get this, it was John, but he seams to have escaped it for now

 

[morqthana]

An update, from the online-chat-session during which I almost lost the will to live.

I don't think the guy ever really understood the issue, but as far as I can gather this is a "temporary" solution, and it is offered to customers who only have a landline. In a way it makes sense, as VoIP is a service offered by a broadband provider, so if a customer does not have BT broadband they can't assume that VoIP would be available, or what the pricing would be.

So they are doing this. Although I could get no info on how they are doing it.

But it does mean that BT broadband customers are receiving an inferior service to landline-only customers.

I guess "temporary" is "until the forced migration to FTTP for your particular cabinet".

 

[morqthana]

If anyone was likely to get this, it was John, but he seams to have escaped it for now

Searching the Internet for this file: btw-product-stop-sells.pdf finds info which might give a clue as to how long "for now" will be.

 

[AndyPRK]

But it does mean that BT broadband customers are receiving an inferior service to landline-only customers.

Why ?

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I don't think the data is out there yet, as to what a FTTP with phone connection only, would cost.

There was a specific product for this called "Fibre Voice Access" but Openreach dropped it as takeup was poor.

Openreach Sets UK Withdrawal Date for Fibre Voice Access Product UPDATE

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has revealed that they will finally withdraw their old Fibre Voice Access (FVA) product from 1st December 2024. The servi

www.ispreview.co.uk

 

[Why Not Indeed]

If FTTP is 'forced' onto people who only want a telephone service (not broadband) will they be charged the same, or less, than people who also want the broadband will be charged?

Openreach have been increasing prices for copper products to encourage the stragglers.

Openreach Raises Prices on Copper Lines to Boost UK Fibre Broadband Adoption

Openreach has today announced above inflation price hikes on some of their older copper-based line products for UK internet and phone providers, which are desig

www.ispreview.co.uk

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Openreach have been increasing prices for copper products to encourage the stragglers.

Openreach Raises Prices on Copper Lines to Boost UK Fibre Broadband Adoption

Openreach has today announced above inflation price hikes on some of their older copper-based line products for UK internet and phone providers, which are desig

www.ispreview.co.uk

So, cut-off of the copper stragglers, will maybe be as soon as Dec 2025, or possibly 31st January 2027, if you have a valid reason to delay the switch to FTTC. John, best make your mind up.

 

[BS3036]

BT phone only (no internet) using VOIP is £30.20 a month plus pretty expensive calls, or £48.20 including calls. If you are in certain categories there may be a discount on that.

 

[flameport]

So far as I know, no one is offering moves to their copper services, of any variety, so there are no comparisons to be made.

Correct.

There are no new copper PSTN services, they have been unavailable for over 2 years, the last orders for such things were in 2023.
Those people that already have one and also have ADSL / VDSL or some other broadband product delivered over copper are already being migrated to VoIP service, which for the majority just involves unplugging the phone from the Openreach socket and plugging it into the broadband router instead. Some might receive a new router as part of that, although most routers provided in the last several years already have the socket for a telephone.

For a tiny minority of devices which inexplicably still require ye olde copper phone line which is powered 24/7, there is a bizarre product called SOTAP Analogue, which is basically an ATA installed in the street cabinet so that at the consumer end it looks like an old phone line, powered from the cabinet, but converted to VoIP in the cabinet and then carried over fibre. That won't be available for long, it's only intended for the few ancient devices such as security systems and emergency 'I've fallen and can't get up' calling affairs - all of which should have been replaced with modern equivalents years ago anyway.

Any requests for new service will be provisioned as VoIP. The vast majority of those will be a broadband product with the 'landline' as a add on product if people want it.
For the tiny minority who want a 'landline' but do not want Internet access of any kind, they will get a cut down router which only has facilities for a phone, which can either be some old style piece plugged in, or more likely a modern item which connects direct to the router via DECT. Such services will be extremely limited (as in most providers won't offer them), and they will be expensive.

As for the competition - Virgin Media stopped provisioning voice services over copper years ago, all of those are the same plug the phone into the router deal.
Others such as City Fibre and Gigaclear only operate fibre networks, so there never was any copper option there and never will be.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

BT phone only (no internet) using VOIP is £30.20 a month plus pretty expensive calls, or £48.20 including calls. If you are in certain categories there may be a discount on that.

That's pretty much what I found, and why when my soon to be fibre supplier, offered VoIP, for just £3.00 per month, with free calls evening and weekends, I grabbed it.

 

[morqthana]

Why ?

If you have phone and broadband from BT, then in the "digital upgrade" you lose your analogue phone service.

If you have phone only you do not.

There are significant differences between the two

	Phone only	Phone & broadband
Use your phone in a power cut	Yes	No
Keep your phone(s) plugged into where it/they already were	Yes	No
Any phone extension sockets keep working without rewiring	Yes	No