Considering FTTP upgrade, but want to check a few things first

[#1]

Hi All

It's taken me a few months to do this but I've now taken stock of the effect of March's inflation-busting price rise. I'm on Unlimited Fibre Extra (FTTC) which is now costing me £47.54 pm.

This has caused me to look at what other options are out there. I've been a Plusnet customer for 19 years but am now looking at options both within and outside Plusnet. Within Plusnet my upgrade options appear to all be FTTP and I was looking at the 76Mb option at £25.99 pm. I understand that an upgrade to FTTP with Plusnet will result in my phone line being disconnected, but despite having had my landline number for 30 years I'm actually not particularly bothered about that as we never use it.

I do have some other questions though that I haven't yet been able to find the answers to:

• Static IP – important as I run a web server, VNC, etc - I believe I can add this for a one-off(?) cost of £5.00? Understanding your IP address | Help | Plusnet . But is there any chance I could keep the static IP that I currently have?
• I have a £1.25 referral discount, will I be able to keep that after the upgrade?
• I currently use Plusnet webspace including CGI, which is used to host a small personal website with guestbook (so I'm not really wanting to pay extra for web hosting elsewhere). Would I still have this webspace after the upgrade? As far as I can see I should still have it since I’m upgrading from an older home broadband product that has it (and have had a few other plusnet products before that over the course of 19 years, all with webspace?: About your Plusnet webspace | Help | Plusnet

Thanks for any help

Regards

Gavin.

[#2]

@madgav 

I believe the answer is yes to all questions but no doubt a staff member will come along in due course and give a definite answer.

You could also try phoning the Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632

Brian

[#3]

@madgav  - i have the same static ip, kept my referrals and webspace.

so, yes 

[#4]

@bmc 

Thanks Brian, if the answers are all yes that may help make the case for staying with PN. 

Regards

Gavin.

[#5]

@dvorak 

Thanks, sounds good  😎

[#6]

Hi All,

I've been researching this further and discussing with work colleagues, and (apologies) have a couple more questions:

- I'm also reading that I may lose email if I move to PN FTTP. Is this true, even if I am able to keep webspace, fixed IP, etc? I use several email addresses with the format <mailbox>@<username>.plus.com.

- Is there any way of finding out what needs to be done to install FTTP? I'm hearing mixed reports with some installations done by just pulling the fibre through a duct and others having their driveway dug up. My house was built in 1992 so I'm hoping there is a duct - but not sure.

I'm also thinking more about the landline/number and haven't quite convinced myself that I'm 100% ok with losing it. I think this whole 'upgrade' may need more thought before pulling the trigger....

Thanks

Gavin.

[#7]

I'm also reading that I may lose email if I move to PN FTTP. Is this true, even if I am able to keep webspace, fixed IP, etc? I use several email addresses with the format <mailbox>@<username>.plus.com.

@madgav not sure where you've read that ? You will keep email when upgrading to FTTP

Is there any way of finding out what needs to be done to install FTTP? I'm hearing mixed reports with some installations done by just pulling the fibre through a duct and others having their driveway dug up. My house was built in 1992 so I'm hoping there is a duct - but not sure.

It's usual for any ducting to be checked when Openreach are doing the FTTP infrastructure is being installed. Perhaps you would care to post your output from the BT availability checker ( redact any phone/address details ) as the 'FTTP install process' and any narrative at the bottom may give a better idea of likely install situation

[#8]

@madgav 

The current situation is that e-mail accounts are no longer offered to new customers and e-mail only accounts are not available to departing customers. There have been rumours that PN plan to cease e-mail services but as yet they are only rumours.

As @MisterW  has stated looking at the Checker might give you a clue if there any expected problems with an install. Mine stated "u/g duct proven clear" - I knew this to mean that they had checked the duct during the network install and had left a draw rope in place for the house install as I was chatting to them as they did it.

Brian

[#9]

@MisterW @bmc thank you again for the replies.

Re the loss of email, I may have misread that. But am glad that it's not the case.

Yes I've had a look at the BT checker and got the results below. It just says "1 Stage", not sure if that can necessarily be taken to mean an easy install through a duct though? I don't see anything in the text that adds any more info?

To clarify on the landline, we don't use it to make calls; a lot of contacts have the number but we'd have to deal with that. Aside from that we really only get scam calls and stuff like that on it. So perhaps an acceptable solution might be to just lose the landline number and sign up to a voip service (and get a new number) afterwards?

[#10]

Hi Madgav, yes to confirm you don't need to worry about losing access to email and yes your plan for setting up VOIP sounds like a good idea. 

[#11]

@madgav  You need to look further down in the text , you have something I've not seen before, must be a  special NI thing 😀

... Single Dwelling Unit residential Northern Ireland only turnkey civils install.

It's a one stage  install on a Fibre Priority exchange so I expect it will all go smoothly, let's hope it does.😊

edit: A quick google suggests "turnkey" just means it's done by subcontractors rather than Openreach, I'm sure the same applies to a lot of areas all over UK.

[#12]

@madgav 

Add me to the list of not having seen this message before.Perhaps the wizard @Gandalf has knowledge.

It's not specifically stating any problems but until they turn up on the day you just don't know. If they get a blocked duct when they try to run cable then, if it can't be cleared on the day, the install gets delayed until the blockage can be dealt with.

Brian

[#13]

@adamwalker @RealAleMadrid @bmc thanks again.

Yes I spotted the additional info in the text below the table but wasn't sure what it meant. Sounds like it should be a straightforward install but I guess I won't know for sure until I pull the trigger.

Work colleague got "Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Feed with no anticipated issues", which sounds better again 🤔

[#14]

Thanks for the help everyone.

However I think I may sit on this for a bit.

If I upgrade to FTTP with PN now, I will lose my landline number. At first I thought this didn't matter to me, however the more I think about it the more I'd quite like to keep the landline - albeit not at £23 pm line rental, but perhaps at e.g. £0 pm with sipgate. Yes, I could move to PN FTTP and set up a VOIP account with sipgate, but it would then be a different number. So although staying with PN is the less bad option for an immediate move to FTTP, it's therefore definitely not ideal.

The other option is to move to another ISP and keep the landline. However I would then lose my PN email and webspace. So I'd have to find alternative supplier for these, which although not necessarily super-expensive would eat into the saving from moving to FTTP. It would also be considerably more hassle. Also PN are probably just about the best price for FTTP among the ISPs that I might consider. I still work from home a lot and my PN broadband has been rock solid throughout - I wouldn't want to jeopardise that as I know some people in work have had significant issues with other ISPs. So this option I think overall is not a great one.

I agree with what others have stated elsewhere on this forum, that the issue is not with PN not providing a VOIP service. It's with PN not providing any means of porting the landline number to a VOIP supplier when moving to FTTP.  That's what's disappointing and I really hope it's something that PN will look at and perhaps rectify before too long.

By the way my parents are also with PN. They are in their 80s, as are most of their friends, and losing the landline number just wouldn't be an option for them.

Thanks

Gavin.

[#15]

What I still don't fully understand is why BT/Openreach couldn't implement a hybrid solution.

In my case, on FTTC, the fibre cable runs to a cabinet which is then connected to copper, or aluminium in my case, which wrecks the ongoing speed.

My street has just been wired for FTTP so there is now a fibre cable to right outside my front door.

Once activated, why can't they connect fibre to copper outside my door.

1) Keep my phone number ?

2) Save having to fix about 3 or 4 metres of ugly plastic conduit and drill through 4 walls, one brick and 3 internal, because my master socket is right in the middle of my house around 2 sharp bends in drywall.

3) Enjoy 80Mbps speed.