Clearing Up Confusion Over the BT FTTP Digital Voice Transition

Some of those trying to take one of UK ISP BT’s ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based home broadband packages have been left confused by how the provider is handling the transition to their new VoIP style ‘Digital Voice’ service, which stems from the fact that it isn’t yet available to every Openreach based full fibre line.

Until recently if you purchased an ultrafast package from BT over FTTP then the phone service would have often been delivered via a “Transition Product“, which gives customers both the FTTP line and a copper line for the phone. More recently the ISP has launched Digital Voice, which is a VoIP style product that sends the voice transmission over your broadband connection (i.e. no need for an extra copper line if you take FTTP).

Customers who receive Digital Voice with their broadband service will usually also be supplied with a “free” Digital Home Phone (pictured), which comes included with support for HD calling, voicemail, call waiting and call divert (on a old copper phone service some of these features would cost extra or, in the case of HD calling, not be available at all). Additional handsets can be added at extra cost.

However, some customers who live in the exact same FTTP network area have found that the ISP offered each of them a different voice product (with no alternative allowed), despite being nearby neighbours. Essentially, one was only offered Digital Voice for their calls, while the other was offered a traditional copper phone line.

In the above example BT’s support staff did little to help to clear up the reason for this and instead stated that, at present, only those living in greenfield (new build) sites could get Digital Voice with FTTP, while those living in brownfield (existing) areas were told to expect it in the future. But in this example the local FTTP deployment was in a brownfield area and we’ve seen quite a few brownfield customers get Digital Voice.

We’ve since attempted to clarify this with BT (since their FAQ page wasn’t much help) and thought that our readers might benefit from the response.

BT’s Digital Voice Deployment

* FTTP to brownfield (not new build homes) is in the process of a phased launch, meaning that not all customers contacting BT will receive the new Digital Voice service as an option.

* However, we are in the process of scaling availability of our Digital Voice service through 2020, into 2021.

* There are no differences in pricing between our old legacy services and the new Digital Voice services.

So now you know. However, while there may be “no differences in pricing“, you could argue that there is a difference in value, albeit a subjective one (e.g. the lack of a free handset, HD calling and free calling features on their copper phone solution).

On the other hand making calls via Digital Voice is often more expensive than a mobile (priced like a home phone), most of which give you included call allowances (often unlimited). You may also find it much harder to use a different router. We should add that you can also continue to use your existing phone handset by plugging it into the phone port on the back of the Hub instead (BT’s own handset can wireless sync with the hub).