Existing landline number during transfer to Plusnet.

[#1]

I am coming to the end of a Vodafone FTTP contract and have arranged to port my landline number to an existing account with a 3rd party VOIP provider.  The port date I have specified is a couple of days before the natural end of the contract, which will terminate my Vodafone contract at that point.

I intend a Plusnet BB only contract to start on the following day but need to know that the Plusnet transfer will not interfere with this process, e.g. by putting a cease order on the existing number.  Is this in fact the case? 

[#2]

Just to clarify (I can't edit my original post), this is all over FTTP; no copper involved.

(I've seen 'landline' used in both contexts.  As landline vs mobile and as landline = copper.)

[#3]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to My Order 

[#4]

@AndyGadget  Migrating to Plusnet FTTP, which has no phone service and is identified by other methods will have no knowledge of your Vodafone phone number which is presumably a VOIP service. So moving to Plusnet will have no effect on your existing number.

[#5]

@AndyGadget 

I've a feeling this might be mildly risky.

I assume Plusnet will be taking over the same Openreach connection that Vodafone are using.

There will be a pending order for that change from Vodafone to Plusnet and a pending order for the number port.

However painful it might be, personally I would put up with a period of no Internet (make sure you have a mobile network based alternative) and let the Vodafone number port happen before placing the Plusnet order.

I also assume the landline number was originally a BT number.

Another possible approach would be to time the number port for a couple of weeks before the end of your Vodafone contract, let the port complete then order Plusnet and phone Vodafone and ask them to provide the Internet for the remainder of the contract.

I don't actually know what Vodafone would do under those circumstances but if they will want paying for a service it might be reasonable to ask them to provide it.

A VoIP app on a phone would let you keep the landline service active.  

[#6]

@AndyGadget  I have some further thoughts about your earlier post it would be be better to wait until the Plusnet FTTP is up and running before porting the number, if the porting request ceases the Vodafone FTTP that would stop the migration happening .  The number should be available to port for a 30 day period after the Vodafone account is ceased.

[#7]

Thank you both for the replies and I think you have confirmed my thinking, although I will now hold off ordering Plusnet until the port from Vodafone (scheduled for 5th December) has taken place and take the hit of a few days without Internet connection.  The Plusnet order page states "should be up and running in 3 working days" so I can live with that.

The fact that the Plusnet order form does not require an existing phone number and RealAle's comment "is identified by other methods" gives me confidence that starting a Plusnet contract will not affect the ported number.

Emergency plan B if this does fail and the number becomes quarantined would be to change VOIP provider (my current provider, Sipgate, requires an 'active' number which although I haven't confirmed I assume means 'in service') and pick it up from there.

I'll report back once the process is complete as this may help others.

Once again, many thanks.

[#8]

Well, all went well albeit a week and a half earlier than planned.

The Sipgate number port forms ask you to specify a date for the port but it looks like thay did this ASAP (last Thursday) rather than waiting so I did the Plusnet switch as soon as I realised.  My Vodafone connection was terminated that midnight.

Router received on Saturday (although I'm using my trusty Draytek 2860n) and line activation by Openreact first thing this morning, Monday.  All good and ported number working fine.

Just one thing, are people seeing the advertised line speeds?  I've got the Full Fibre 145 and seeing 118/24 Mbps whereas with previous providers (BT, Vodafone) I was always getting slightly over their advertised rates.  (Using Ookla speed test, Cat5E PC straight to router.)

[#9]

@AndyGadget Hmm’ I’m due to change from FTTC to FTTP both with Plusnet next Wednesday (6^th).

Hopefully mine will go as smoothly ? I don’t expect to be without internet for more than an hour or two but I will of course lose my landline.

I already have a VOIP account set up with a temporary number and as soon as the FTTP is actually connected I’ll request my existing number be ported but no one will guarantee it will go smoothly! Just hoping Plusnet do the right thing and quarantine it or maybe as others have said that there is a small window when the FTTC is disconnected that it remains available to port. Yours sounds as if it went well because it ported from an ‘active’ line.

I take line speeds with a pinch of salt although I normally get 75Mb on my FTTC which is advertised as 74Mb so fingers crossed! Then again advertised prices are mis-leading as well given the annual increases of 3.9%+ RPI which you have to take into account for the period of the contract.

[#10]

Just hoping Plusnet do the right thing and quarantine it or maybe as others have said that there is a small window when the FTTC is disconnected that it remains available to port. 

All porting for Plusnet  is handled by the BT porting team, they do quarantine numbers when ceased so they are available for porting for up to 30 days. However, some providers using highly automated porting systems may see the number as 'not active' and initially fail to port. They will need to contact the BT porting team directly to complete the port.

[#11]

@Batfrog I had a misunderstanding when I moved to Vodafone in that I didn't realise the number couldn't be ported without terminating the contract so was playing it extra-safe this time arranging the port first (my contract was about to end) before moving ISP, especially as I'd had differing information from Voda on the CUPID code. In the end it went OK but it did take me by suprise when it happened earlier than I'd specified.

My VOIP provider (Sipgate) say they can only port from an 'active' line and yes, I wanted to make sure that happened rather than from quarantine.

I'm raising the speed isssue with Plusnet support as the estimated downstream speed on my contract is 145-160 as with FTTP there's no hardware limitation to get it and I don't think contention is an issue any more so we'll see on this one.

[#12]

Speed issue sorted - I had QoS set on the router - Twit!

Now 150/45 Mbps and happy 😁