Will plusnet provide a voip landline service?

[#1]

Hello,
I have my broadband and landline phone service with plusnet and I'm aware that by 2025 PSTN services will be withdrawn. For the 2025 switch off will plusnet provide VOIP telephony services? I'm a little anxious as I rely on my landline for calls as I can't hear well on a mobile. If plusnet don't provide a telephone service what will happen to customers who want a home phone? I have three corded telephones in my house and I like the reliability, sound quality and ease of use of my landline service and I would hate to loose it.

[#2]

@Sdb98 

I've no greater insight in to BT's plans for Plusnet than you, however there is no sign of Plusnet introducing a phone service and the current answer seems to be allowing customers to port to a BT broadband service "mid contract" without termination fees.

While for the Plusnet customer this is by no means a satisfactory position, this is what people have had to do once "full fibre" (fibre all the way to their home) has arrived in their area and they have taken "full fibre" service while retaining a landline.

Note that the arrival of "full fibre" and a move to VoIP are often at the same time but the "traditional phone network" switch off will happen even if an area hasn't moved to "full fibre".

There is much confusion over the end of the "traditional" telephone service and there will be many upset users of landline services put to varying degrees of inconvenience and expense over this.

I suggest a letter to Ofcom.

This was their policy positioning in 2019 but I don't know where (if anywhere) regulation has gone with this.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/137966/future-fixed-telephone-services.pdf

Frankly, I see a degree of BT created commercial suicide for Plusnet and I think Ofcoms position (in terms of protecting the consumer) is negligent but perhaps matters will improve.

[#3]

A couple of other relevant links:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls

https://www.futureofvoice.co.uk/

What Ofcom has not decided to do, is to make all existing PSTN providers offer a similar VoIP service. Perhaps they should.

[#4]

As far as us staff have been made aware, there are no plans in the near future at least, As soon as anything gets rolled out we will let you know.

[#5]

Thanks, if that was the case and no voip service is introduced would I be able to leave with out any held to term charge? I would not want to be broadband only.

[#6]

I wish there was more clarification on voip service. I've looked at some independent voip service but, they don't appear to be as good as PSTN for example on PSTN I can ring 999 and operator will have my address of my fixed line service but not on the voip services I've looked at. In fact they have advised not to use there service for emergency calls....

[#7]

@willcutforth 

Clearly this isn't something you could comment on, but given the progress of the Openreach fibre roll out, if Plusnet don't have access to a phone service to sell by now one could argue the moment has passed.

It is curious the at a group level, BT don't make the BT VoIP platform available to Plusnet customers as something like the BT 700 minutes a month for £7.50 may be of interest to some fibre customers and I can't believe it isn't good business for BT as I could get many mobile contracts with unlimited minutes and some data for less than that. 

[#8]

@Sdb98 

My understanding is that there will be a "stop sell" on "copper" landlines at some point in the near future and after that you won't be able to (re)contract for a landline.

As contracts end after that date it will be down to the user (you) to find a provider prepared to take the landline number and you will need to port it.

[#9]

I've looked at some independent voip service but, they don't appear to be as good as PSTN for example on PSTN I can ring 999 and operator will have my address of my fixed line service but not on the voip services I've looked at.

I have experience of 2 voip services , Sipgate and A & A (Andrews & Arnold) , both have the ability to register an address which will be automatically sent to the emergency services, just like the PSTN, when 999 is called.

[#10]

I will have a look at those providers. I'm not bothered about keeping my number as long as its got a local area code. Thank you for your reply.

[#11]

Sipgate certainly let you configure your location for emergency calls.  That said you have to be careful if you configure a mobile phone app to link yo your viop account and you call 999.

[#12]

The lack of a VOIP option seem odd. I suppose it's a cost savings to Plus.net as they don't have the admin overhead of administering such a system. But, I've looked at the VOIP providers and I'm sure they do a fine job, but for us to use them I would need to buy a new router/adaptor and faff about with setting it all up. So instead, I'll just switch to Sky at the end of May, which will include support for my existing cordless phone. We never make phone calls from the landline, but we've got a family member with dementia, and he recognizes our landline number, so it's important that we keep it for the moment. It's a shame, as I feel like Plus.net has improved recently after going through a bit of a rough patch a few years. But, Sky are also good, I can get the same service for 80p a month cheaper, and they have an included VOIP option...

[#13]

Sadly I am off too after almost 20 years with Plusnet when my contract finishes. Going to Vodafone for same speed and £7 less a month and a VOiP service. Cityfibre is due to go live in my street in the next 6 month too so will then upgrade to their full fibre 1Gig service. I too never use my landline for outgoing calls but want to hold onto my number for a few more years for the occasional incoming call.

[#14]

I'll be going.
since I cannot upgrade to ANY voip service and move to FTTH the only option will be to wait until i'm in the last month on my present contract.
Install an FTTH service from someone else
Port my phone away from PlusNet and let them cancel my contract for doing so.

If PlusNet were wise - they'd let you port the phone away and keep the copper connection to support the Internet - but they prefer to lose customers.

[#15]

@peterhr - re your final statement - yes ,would make life easier but apparently Openreach require a phone number to be associated with a FTTC/ADSL asset , so not a Plusnet restriction. 

Also re the first part of your post - I'm still keen to find out whether there is now a successful route to port a home phone number to a VOIP provider when installing FTTP and cancelling FTTC service - Early reports seem to indicate that the process is not working well ,if at all.