Loss of Phone Number Dilemma Strikes BT’s FTTP Ultrafast Broadband

Everybody seems to want “full fibre” broadband, but there are caveats. People moving into new build developments, specifically those that are only being served by Openreach’s (BT) FTTP “ultrafast broadband” technology, are running into problems because they’re unable to keep their phone number.

A new report in The Telegraph complains that customers who adopt BT’s ‘up to’ 330Mbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) based broadband packages are being left frustrated after finding that they cannot also carry over their fixed line phone number to the service or when migrating between other FTTP providers.

The newspaper claims that small firms, which rely on landlines to run their businesses, and the elderly, who have had the same number for decades in many cases, are “most vulnerable“.

James Brooke, Resident of a New Sussex Development, said:

“I couldn’t believe it when BT told me they couldn’t move the landline number, it’s been possible on copper lines since about 1860. It’s a massive own goal for BT given the fact their rivals can do this. Nobody in their right mind would use BT if they knew this. They have a duty of care to tell their customers before converting them from copper to fibre that they can’t take their number with them.

Imagine you’re a small business at new offices with fibre broadband only and have to change your phone number. It’s absolutely bonkers.”

Readers of ISPreview.co.uk will probably already be aware that this is not a new issue and it’s one that will be similarly shared by most other “full fibre” networks. A big part of the reason for this is because optical fibre networks are separate data-only connections and they cannot carry analogue voice signs like traditional metallic copper lines.

As a partial solution Openreach can offer ISPs a “transition” product that essentially bundles a phone line alongside the optical FTTP service, although these aren’t always available to newer developments (it doesn’t make much sense to build both FTTP and copper) and some ISPs may choose to only sell the broadband-only variant of FTTP. Take note that people can also lose a number when moving between ISPs on copper lines too, such as when moving house and changing telephone exchange area.

A spokesman for BT claims to have made the decision not to allow numbers to move between FTTP services because the firm anticipated “very low” volumes of customers demanding it. However, the operator also said that customers would eventually be able to keep their numbers, which is part of an upgrade due to be completed “over the next few years“.

We suspect that the spokesperson is referring to the adoption of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) style phone (voice) services into their network, which are becoming increasingly necessary. We’ve explored this in more depth via our recent editorial on the same subject – The Changing Face of UK Home Phone Lines and Broadband Provision.

Suffice to say that the old model, where customers were supplied with a “phone line” first and then broadband went over the top of that, is being reversed so that in the future you’ll buy broadband first and the phone service will then be optionally added. The reason for this is a combination of both technological (as above) and societal changes (e.g. most of us prefer to use our mobile phone for calling, not to mention Skype, WhatsApp etc.).

However we’re currently stuck in somewhat of a transition phase between the old and new approaches. None of this will be a surprise to our regular readers, although the onus is on ISPs to ensure that customers are aware of the caveats and understand how to resolve common issues that may arise.

Until a full product solution is implemented then those faced with a situation like the one above should remember that there are solutions, although some of them can be a bit confusing for the uninitiated and it may take time for numbers to migrate. The most obvious one is to try and get your phone number moved to a VoIP provider like Vonage, while businesses can also setup more complex VoIP / SIP systems.

The advantage of VoIP is that you will no longer be constrained by the fear of losing your phone number when switching provider because it will be separate from your ISP’s control. The downside of migrating to VoIP is that if your broadband goes down then so does your phone service, which can be caused by a wider range of issues (e.g. protracted power cuts, faulty router etc.). Experiences do vary depending upon the setup.