In reply to a post by ian72:

DV is just glorified SIP so you could source a SIP service and an ATA to plug the phone into - not as simple as moving to an ISP that supports DV but an option.

I have VoIP services myself via SipGate and VoIPFone, but I didn't want to have to manage that for Mum as well, hence the potential move to DV.

I have heard many good things about Zen and to know it's still owned by the same person nearly 30 years after he started the company speaks volumes to me.

I feel happier knowing I can ring Zen if the DV plays up and they fix it.

In reply to a post by think26872:

It is worth checking your options as Plusnet will hopefully just allow you to renew keeping your existing package including landline for the time being.

It will just move the problem to a later date but at least you can continue with hopefully cheaper Plusnet prices for the time being?

Plusnet send end of contract emails approximately 1 month before it is due for renewal. It should have wording in this email on whether renewing keeps your landline or not with a price and link. End of contract date is available in the Plusnet Dashboard.

If Plusnet do remove the landline service and not provide an alternative I would say that is a big enough contract change and you would be free to move elsewhere without penalty.

If your mum has a mobile and can tolerate it and you renew it may give a good number of months to wean your mum off the landline and give mobile number for contact details instead.

To keep things simple I think it's time to move away from PN, they are sadly just a side-line of BT now. The colleague I spoke to said we could renew and at some point the phone would be phased out, but if we are going to make the jump (which we would have to do at some point) I'd much rather do it now at the end of the contract then mid contract and have to hope PN release us.

Sadly even though my Mum has a mobile phone it's only turned on now and then, she has grown up with a landline (she was once a Telephonist for the GPO) so I don't think we could wean her off it!

In reply to a post by GonePostal:

In reply to a post by think26872:

It is worth checking your options as Plusnet will hopefully just allow you to renew keeping your existing package including landline for the time being.

It will just move the problem to a later date but at least you can continue with hopefully cheaper Plusnet prices for the time being?

Plusnet send end of contract emails approximately 1 month before it is due for renewal. It should have wording in this email on whether renewing keeps your landline or not with a price and link. End of contract date is available in the Plusnet Dashboard.

If Plusnet do remove the landline service and not provide an alternative I would say that is a big enough contract change and you would be free to move elsewhere without penalty.

If your mum has a mobile and can tolerate it and you renew it may give a good number of months to wean your mum off the landline and give mobile number for contact details instead.

Or is it possible to port the landline number to a VoIP provider and put their app on your mother's mobile so that the landline number will ring on her mobile?

It probably is, but considering the mobile is off 99% of the time, that's not going to work sadly, hence the move to DV.

In reply to a post by chris52:

For exactly the same reasons we are doing exactly the same thing. We go live with Zen on the 26th.

There are lots of alternatives but Zen felt like a high quality one stop shop. I am perfectly happy with our decision.

I have asked a couple of telephone questions in the Zen forum which will hopefully make set up easier.

Good luck.

I do like Zen for many reasons, and the person I spoke to (at nearly 5pm one evening) was so helpful and informative it just made me feel it's the right company to go with.

I hope your move goes well

In reply to a post by tdw42:

You shouldn't need to set anything up, Zen will automatically provision the broadband and DV on the supplied FritzBOX router when first connected after they have taken over the service.

For a wired phone it is just a case of plugging it into the FON socket via the supplied BT - RJ11 adapter. You can register compatible DECT handsets directly with the FritzBOX and do away with an existing DECT basestation, many of the Gigaset (formerly Siemens) handsets work.

A plus point is that if you decided to migrate just the DV service to another supplier once out of the initial contract period you are not locked in by Zen, unlike some other suppliers.

Sounds like it should be plain sailing, however I will probably pay her a visit around D day just to be safe!

ah that's good to know about migrating the service.

Why not just renew the Broadband with PN and migrate the landline number to a VoIP provider - simple and easy to do. Get a Gigaset N300 and two or three handsets and so easy to do.


PN have good support for the elderly and infirm. Process make ot easy for you to deal with te account. If there is a failure it will be escaleted and dealt with ASAP. We discovered a fault on an infirm person's line. Reported mid/late afternoon on Froiday. PN got OR techs on site for 8AM on teh sturday.

DV is just a different name for VoIP.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Why not just renew the Broadband with PN and migrate the landline number to a VoIP provider - simple and easy to do. Get a Gigaset N300 and two or three handsets and so easy to do.

I assume you've not read the answers above from the OP then? This question has already been answered

Quite. We will eventually have a similar situation to the OP, although I have a VoIP number with Sipgate, there's no way I'd go down that road for our relative.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by think26872:

VoIP is a possibility but just moving to a mobile phone may be a big step having the complication of a VoIP provider may be a step to far.

For a transition period you can get the old landline number to forward calls to the new mobile number, and it can be cheap if there aren't very many minutes of these per month.

e.g. https://numberpeople.co.uk/call-forwarding-rates-bun...

Finding someone who can divert to a recorded message would be even better.

numberpeople has had a huge problem with porting my other number. and the customer service isn't the greatest.