With older technology, the voice is the "core" element, with data piggy backing on top. Telephone calls have been around longer than computers. Moving the landline number to VoIP cancels everything.

With FTTP, its data that is the core, with voice piggy backing. I'm expecting my parents will want to stay with a company they recognise for voice (BT). If we stayed with BT, upgraded to FTTP could we in the future split off the voice to another VOIP provider, and would this mean the data prevailed?

EDIT: 10:40. I think the technology used is irrelevant. Contractually, if voice+data are bundled together then if one element is removed, they both are removed.

Edited by BarkingMad (Thu 27-Apr-23 10:42:09)

Porting a telephone number to VOIP will likely kill any associated broadband service.

However if FTTP is installed as a new additional service then porting the landline telephone number to a VOIP service should just terminate the associated DSL broadband service which presumably is no longer wanted anyway.

Thanks @Michael_Chare,

I think I wasn't clear in our options. We'd would stay with BT and move to FTTP + DV with them. At some point in the future, towards the end of the contract, port the DV landline to a VOIP provider.

I think this would cease the FTTP because the contract was for FTTP + DV.

In reply to a post by BarkingMad:

I think this would cease the FTTP because the contract was for FTTP + DV.

You're very correct in thinking that.

I'm doing exactly this at the moment, and can confirm the advice in here is correct.

I am coming from FTTC + Digital Voice with BT, which I've been using since the trial started in 2019, and moving to Lit Fibre for my FTTP and A&A for VoIP.

I served BT 30 days notice when I was about a week out from my FTTP installation. Usually I would advise having your new service installed and tested but Lit had already ran the fibre to my house and tested for light at the CBT so I was confident that I could push the timings a bit - I was on a rolling monthly contract with BT that was costing close to £50 after the April increases, so was keen to keep the time I spent with them to a minimum.

Once I was happy with Lit I then ordered a number port with A&A and they confirmed some details and set the port date a couple of weeks before my BT services were due to expire. I then got an email from BT confirming that I'd requested to leave them (it's phrased as if you're moving your phone and broadband service because that's what it looks like to them) and setting the end date of my services to the port date that A&A had confirmed.

I could probably have done this without serving notice to BT first, but I assume they would then want to bill me for a 30 day period beyond when A&A booked the number port, so doing it this way saved me paying for a couple of extra weeks of service.

I will update this thread next week once the number port goes through.

In reply to a post by iannewson:

We use Andrews and Arnold with a BT8610 by plugging it into my Giganet supplied DG4134. It works a treat

Hi @iannewson, do you know if any NAT is performed when the DG4134 FXS port is used? A&A do not like VOIP using NAT. I'd probably connect ONT->VR600->GS HT801 ATA.

Do you hear UK ring, dial, engaged tones when using the DG4134 FXS port? I've searched but there is little info on the DG4134 (or its companion DGA0122). I configured (with help from TBB) the GS HT801 to have UK tones.

Thanks @jpm,

It's a good point about serving notice (to help reduce costs) but need to make sure FTTP is OK first! I'd not be popular if they lost service and their cherished land line number.

To be honest I have no idea if there is any NAT performed. All I did was enter the Andrews and Arnold settings into it and it just worked ( didnt even have to disable SIP ALG). It has full UK tones as far as I can make out, to the point my 86 year old mother hasn't noticed any difference when using it ( apart from costing a lot less per month).

In reply to a post by BarkingMad:

Hi @iannewson, do you know if any NAT is performed when the DG4134 FXS port is used? A&A do not like VOIP using NAT. I'd probably connect ONT->VR600->GS HT801 ATA.

Do you hear UK ring, dial, engaged tones when using the DG4134 FXS port? I've searched but there is little info on the DG4134 (or its companion DGA0122). I configured (with help from TBB) the GS HT801 to have UK tones.

My parents were not keen on using providers they didn't know. I showed them the history for the separate VOIP and FTTP providers but it didn't convince them. Orders placed with BT. I suppose we'll need to have a second OR fibre line into the property if they decide in two years time to split the BT DV line.

Thanks for all your help. I will be splitting our services in 18 months time.

We had a call the other day from our energy supplier (Octopus Energy). When searching the number to see who called I was surprised to find that the number was supplied by Andrews and Arnold.