Moving Landline Phone to VOIP

[Alien8]

We'll soon be moving home and ideally wish to take our current landline phone number with us to the new address (to what will be a VOIP based system).

We also have to switch ISP and are going with Vodafone.

Vodafone tell us that we can't port the phone number because it will be a new address (it will be a new exchange area in the classic sense) but to me that makes no sense because VOIP systems don't care about geography (unless it is artificially forced on the customer by the provider).

Before I go back to Vodafone and get (possibly) more flannel am I right?

Has anyone taken their old traditional landline number with them to a totally different area and used it via a VOIP system?

 

[Dogtrousers]

We'll soon be moving home and ideally wish to take our current landline phone number with us to the new address (to what will be a VOIP based system).

We also have to switch ISP and are going with Vodafone.

Vodafone tell us that we can't port the phone number because it will be a new address (it will be a new exchange area in the classic sense) but to me that makes no sense because VOIP systems don't care about geography (unless it is artificially forced on the customer by the provider).

Before I go back to Vodafone and get (possibly) more flannel am I right?

Has anyone taken their old traditional landline number with them to a totally different area and used it via a VOIP system?

Check out what Ofcom has to say. If you want to challenge VF then be prepared to refer to an Ofcom policy.

This doesn't look promising https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/switching-provider/switching-landline

You can keep your existing landline telephone number when you switch. This is known as number 'porting'. If you want to keep your number, let your new provider know. You can request to keep your old phone number for free even if you have already cancelled your previous service (as long as you request this within one month of cancelling). However, you may not be able to keep your existing landline number if you are switching landline provider at the same time as moving home.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You will have to let all the scammers know your new number.

 

[Gunk]

We'll soon be moving home and ideally wish to take our current landline phone number with us to the new address (to what will be a VOIP based system).

We also have to switch ISP and are going with Vodafone.

Vodafone tell us that we can't port the phone number because it will be a new address (it will be a new exchange area in the classic sense) but to me that makes no sense because VOIP systems don't care about geography (unless it is artificially forced on the customer by the provider).

Before I go back to Vodafone and get (possibly) more flannel am I right?

Has anyone taken their old traditional landline number with them to a totally different area and used it via a VOIP system?

Try another provider like Tamar Communications, we use them for our business

 

[Drago]

You will have to let all the scammers know your new number.

I just gave them Accy's Number when I moved.

 

[Tenkaykev]

" Whitehall 1212 " ( i am very old )!

 

[mistyoptic]

" Whitehall 1212 " ( i am very old )!

I guess that means I am too 🤣

 

[briantrumpet]

We'll soon be moving home and ideally wish to take our current landline phone number with us to the new address (to what will be a VOIP based system).

We also have to switch ISP and are going with Vodafone.

Vodafone tell us that we can't port the phone number because it will be a new address (it will be a new exchange area in the classic sense) but to me that makes no sense because VOIP systems don't care about geography (unless it is artificially forced on the customer by the provider).

Before I go back to Vodafone and get (possibly) more flannel am I right?

Has anyone taken their old traditional landline number with them to a totally different area and used it via a VOIP system?

I'll be really annoying and answer with a different question/observation (sorry!)

Having held onto my landline number partly for sentimental reasons (have had the number for 34 years since I moved here) but also because mobile coverage was poor downstairs, once I realised that I could do free wireless calls from my mobile, and that the landline calls were not only going along exactly the same fibre optic cables but were also incurring a charge, I've stopped using the landline number at all and disconnected the VoIP box. By some quirk of Talktalk's pricing policy, it's been cheaper to stay on the fibre + VoIP tariff, so the number is still mine, just that I don't use it ever.

tl;dr - I came to the conclusion that having two numbers for one person was nuts, and expensive. I'm sure your circumstances are different, but the wireless calls from the mobile were a real game-changer.

 

[presta]

I think having a 'wrong' STD code is probably disallowed because it's a bit like using a false address, misleading callers about your location. Also, don't exchanges rely on the STD code to determine the call charge?

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Hypothetically let’s say you currently live in Glasgow and have a phone number starting 0141, and are moving to Edinburgh who’s telephone numbers start 0131 it would be misleading to callers as your number indicates you are in a different geographical area than you actually are.

 

[a.twiddler]

Phone scammers use random UK geographically related numbers (at least that's what shows up on my mobile screen) but it's not convincing when they speak to you in some Chinese dialect. If I don't recognise the number I just ignore them now. Doesn't stop them leaving some incomprehensible message on my phone message service though.

I haven't had any recently but they seem to come in bursts. Depends when it's the silly season for things like car finance claim scams, diesel emissions ditto, whatever the current version of PPI claims chancers is. I have no idea, as apart from meehow, I don't understand the rest of it! Obviously no one is clamping down on their use of geographical codes. It's just the traceable law abiding phone users what gets the fall out. Having diverted this thread, I wil l now retire.

 

[a.twiddler]

Actually, I hung on to my land line to the bitter end as I had a particular relative who found his hearing aid worked better with the phone that he used with the landline. The only calls I used to get apart from him were cold callers (despite over the years taking steps to minimise them) and blatant scammers.

When my relative forgot to tick the box to keep his landline when he moved flats he had to get a better smartphone. I thought I'd miss my landline, especially as we'd had the number for decades, but curiously enough when we got a better broadband deal minus the landline I soon got used to it. It's just the nagging doubt that should there be a power cut coinciding with the failure of local cells we'd be unable to use 999 services. Perhaps it's a remote worry, until it actually happens.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It's just the nagging doubt that should there be a power cut coinciding with the failure of local cells we'd be unable to use 999 services.

But since landlines are being dumped by Openreach anyway it makes no odds. Soon everyone will on mobile or phone over broadband but no copper landlines. Think broadband will go down with the powercut just as much as mobile.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Hypothetically let’s say you currently live in Glasgow and have a phone number starting 0141, and are moving to Edinburgh who’s telephone numbers start 0131 it would be misleading to callers as your number indicates you are in a different geographical area than you actually are.

You also need to consider emergency services too.

Mobiles send their location automatically when an emergency call is made (I'm not sure what the state of the art is, but most of them do). A landline is excellent for this too as it doesn't move around. VoIP buggers all of this up. It's not clever like a mobile, and it's not stationary like a landline.

I haven't worked in telco for over 10 years so I'm well out of date, but there is (or used to be) a risk that responders could be sent to the wrong place if a landline is digitally moved.

So that's a possible reason why they might not allow landlines to be moved around the country willy nilly.

 

[geocycle]

I'll be really annoying and answer with a different question/observation (sorry!)

Having held onto my landline number partly for sentimental reasons (have had the number for 34 years since I moved here) but also because mobile coverage was poor downstairs, once I realised that I could do free wireless calls from my mobile, and that the landline calls were not only going along exactly the same fibre optic cables but were also incurring a charge, I've stopped using the landline number at all and disconnected the VoIP box. By some quirk of Talktalk's pricing policy, it's been cheaper to stay on the fibre + VoIP tariff, so the number is still mine, just that I don't use it ever.

tl;dr - I came to the conclusion that having two numbers for one person was nuts, and expensive. I'm sure your circumstances are different, but the wireless calls from the mobile were a real game-changer.

We did the same a few years ago with BT. There was further confusion because open reach forgot to switch off the old copper wire so for a while we had two lines. We now have moved to EE on a broadband only contract and just use the mobile with Wi-Fi calling. Wi-Fi calling works great and is essential because we have no mobile reception in the house.