WLR with BT and Broadband with Zen - the future...

I am asking this for a friend.

He has PSTN+WLR (Wholesale Line Rental) with BT and FTTC with Zen. Obviously two different bills.

He's received an email from BT referring to a migration from PSTN to their DV (Digital Voice) but I believe this would not be applicable to him because his broadband, an FTTC product, is with Zen. He's not bundled.

He's asked me what to do and what will occur when PSTN is switched off. I haven't seen any definitive answers. It would be nice if he could migrate the PSTN number to a VoIP provider to have it function entirely independently. However from reading other posts on this forum, I believe, even though he is paying BT for WLR, by paying for an Openreach renumber and export it would cause Zen to terminate the broadband because that is still linked to his line by the existing telephone number.

Another option might be to try to combine the WLR+PSTN with the broadband at Zen. Could this be done without ceasing his broadband? He's on a "no price increase" tariff with Zen so imagine this might have to end but ending it would still be cheaper than existing cost of BT WLR+PSTN and Zen FTTC.

I realise most people are probably bundling WLR+PSTN with broadband these days but many still may not be, particularly if different people in a family started out paying for the parts separately.

What do you suggest?

Edited by EvD (Tue 20-Jun-23 14:43:32)

If you change to a VOIP provider of your choice and you select a new telephone number you will have a VOIP line.

Next, (at your convenience), if you cancel the BT line it will end the contract with BT. - However, if it is not ported the Zen FTTC line should not be affected, (even though the Zen Line will refer to your old disused phone number).

At least that was what happened when I changed to VOIP and I did not port the old number.

Regards,
Fido

Yes, porting the number out will cease any FTTC service.

Zen can certainly migrate WLR + FTTC from different providers to SOGEA + their own DV, so they should be able to migrate the WLR to their DV and FTTC to SOGEA with no loss of service, it would need a conversation with them regarding price guarantee on the broadband service.

From what others have said if you have broadband and DV from Zen they don't consider it to be bundled so after any contractual terms you can port the number from their DV to another provider if you wish.