Full Fibre

[#1]

I have been informed full fibre is now available where I live. However i am in a rural area with very poor mobile ‘phone reception and hence need a landline which Plusnet does not offer with the full fibre upgrade. Furthermore I am required to upgrade within 2 months because of my voucher pledge. My Plusnet contract expires in March 2024.

i have just contacted Plusnet and have been informed they won’t let me out of my contract. Between a rock and a hard place.

Any advice please?

[#2]

and hence need a landline

@wairds do you need to retain your existing number ?

If so , then Plusnet will allow you to transfer to BT with Digital voice. Note that you would lose your Plusnet email address and other add ons such as static IP

If retaining the number isnt a priority, then you could take a voip account with a third party supplier such as A & A and then upgrade to Full fibre with Plusnet. You will need some voip hardware

[#3]

@wairds  It is not a very big rock, nor that hard a place though is it?

I -resume it is not Openreach who have installed the fibre - but in case it is PN would happily arrange for you to move to BT or EE penalty free with their digital voice.

Otherwise start a new contract with the fibre provider, maybe delaying the install due to weather or holidays and you would be very close to the end of your PN contract - besides, it is not a bad thing to plan a period of dual running whilst things bed in.

[#4]

@wairds If it's just that mobile reception isn't very good, you may be able to use "WiFi calling" on your mobile over your internet connection instead of your 4G/5G signal  if your mobile provider supports it.

[#5]

I assume you are in an area that has gained FFTP through the Government's Gigabit Voucher scheme?

If so is it Openreach or (more likely) an altnet that has built the FTTP?

If it is an altnet then Plusnet won't be able to offer FTTP, as they are tied to only using the Openreach network. If it is an altnet, then you could go ahead with a connection within your 2 month timelimit, and keep the Plusnet connection until nearer the end of your contract (cancel it a month before it ends and you will have no early cancellation charges as you pay in advance).

That will mean paying for two connections for a few months, but will provide a safety-net in case of any delays activating the FTTP. In my experience, FTTP (mine with Gigaclear) is well worth the cost.

[#6]

@wairds 

Although you need to go VOIP for a landline (manditory by end of 2025 anyway) you should be aware VOIP doesn't work during a power cut. You would need some sort of power back up to keep in contact.

If it is OpenReach who did the install then PN will upgrade you (but with no landline). You'd just need to take out a new contract. As already mentioned they'll happily transfer you to BT.

If you wish to stay with PN and your phone number is important to you you have 30 days to "port" it out to a VOIP provider. A&A appear to offer good deals and have been complemented in these forums. If nothing else they have a good FAQ section on VOIP.

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/voip-information/

Brian

[#7]

Thank you all for taking the effort to respond. I am extremely grateful for all the suggestions.

The infrastructure was installed by Openreach.

I was not aware of the option of transferring to BT and I am inclined to go with them. I am aware of the issue with power cuts and will request a battery backup for such occasions.

Also the idea of using the mobile ‘phone using WiFi. I will look into it.

Thanks once again.

[#8]

I was not aware of the option of transferring to BT and I am inclined to go with them

@wairds if you do want to do this, you need to arrange it by calling the Plusnet Customer Options team 0800 013 2632, who will arrange the transfer and ensure that no Early termination charges are applied. Do not arrange it with BT directly as you will then suffer ETC's on the Plusnet account.

[#9]

@wairds 

BT probably isn't the cheapest option but has the advantage of simplicity in keeping phone and broadband together with your phone number. Digital Voice is BT's VOIP offering.

If you choose to go down this route you need to contact PN first - the PlusNet Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632 are your best bet. They'll tell you what PN can do for you but if you choose BT they'll transfer you to a BT handler and put a marker on your account not to charge early termination.

Leaving PN will cost you your e-mail address if you use it and any referrrels you may have.

During power cuts FTTP is better than FTTC as the fibre goes back to a main Exchange which probably wouldn't be suffering the same power cut as you and, even if they were, probably have very good back up options. Local cabinets only have 20 to 30 minutes backup usually.

Brian

[#10]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to Everything Else