{"id":17814,"date":"2019-04-23T00:01:16","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T23:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=17814"},"modified":"2024-02-23T15:02:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T15:02:34","slug":"swapping-to-broadband-voip-from-a-uk-copper-home-phone-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2019\/04\/swapping-to-broadband-voip-from-a-uk-copper-home-phone-line.html","title":{"rendered":"Swapping to Broadband VoIP from a UK Copper Home Phone Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

The way people use home phone services is changing and many of us will eventually end up replacing our old analogue voice service with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP<\/a>) alternative, which uses your broadband ISPs internet connection to make calls. But how do you set it up and move (port) your number? We explain.<\/p>\n

Firstly, a little context is required. According to Ofcom<\/a>, during 2012 UK people made a total of 103 billion minutes of landline calls and this has since fallen to just 54 billion in 2017 (here<\/a>). Much of this change, which has had a negative impact on fixed line call revenues, is due to consumers making greater use of Mobile phones, internet messaging (Whatsapp, Facebook etc.) and VoIP<\/a> services.<\/p>\n

On top of that the roll-out of Fibre-to-the-Premises<\/strong> (FTTP<\/a> \/ FTTH<\/a>) based ultrafast broadband networks across the United Kingdom will eventually result in the retirement of old copper phone lines, which for many decades have been used to carry analogue phone (voice) signals (PSTN \/ POTS).<\/p>\n

As a result of all this many operators around the world are now in the process of switching to a broadband-by-default approach. In other words, in the future you will only buy a new fixed line for broadband and the voice service will become optional (i.e. supplied via VoIP over an internet connection).<\/p>\n

Why VoIP?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Aside from the fact that fixed lines will all inevitably adopt an all-IP<\/a> network approach (as above), there are also plenty of other reasons for why you might want to use VoIP. The biggest one is cost because the price of making a call over an internet connection tends to be significantly cheaper than via a traditional fixed line or even mobile plan, particularly if you’re contacting somebody in a different country.<\/p>\n

For example, the standard charges for calling Pakistan from a normal UK landline or mobile can vary between around \u00a31 to \u00a32 per minute (less with special discounts). By comparison the same call over a VoIP network may only cost you around 10-12 pence per minute and it could even be free if the end-user is using the same VoIP platform as you are (VoIP to VoIP calls on the same platform are usually free).<\/p>\n

A good VoIP platform will also give you a wide selection of different ways to access their network. For example, you may be able to install special Software (Apps) on your Smartphone and Laptop, or you could even make VoIP calls over your old analogue phone handset (requires SIP details – see further below for details). In short, you can use your VoIP phone number almost anywhere there’s an internet connection.<\/p>\n

The other reason is that many VoIP platforms will throw in a lot of useful features for no extra cost, which might otherwise attract a cost on an old copper landline. A good provider will thus give you access to things like Caller Display, VoiceMail, Call Divert, International Call Barring, Anonymous Call Blocking and much more.<\/p>\n

However for home broadband users the best advantages is that you’ll no longer need to worry about the inevitable admin hassle of having to tell everybody your new phone number, which often occurs when swapping between certain fixed line networks or during house moves into a different telephone exchange area. By porting your home number to VoIP you can keep it separate from all that.<\/p>\n

Finally, most VoIP providers won’t lock you in to a long contract term (standard 30 day contracts are much more common).<\/p>\n

The Confusing State of VoIP<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The concept of VoIP is easy to understand. Sadly the market and terminology that exists around it, which is filled to the brim with a plethora of sometimes wildly different choices, can easily create confusion. As if to make matters worse, the process of moving an existing home phone number to VoIP isn’t well understood by ordinary users and can even vary, depending upon the network platforms involved.<\/p>\n

Continued over the page..<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

All of this is frustrating because the ability to retain your home phone number, no matter who you might choose for broadband, is an important consideration for consumers. The good news is that Ofcom<\/a> are mindful of this and they’re working on a possible solution using blockchain<\/strong> (here<\/a> and here<\/a>), but it’s too soon to know how this will pan out.<\/p>\n

In the meantime some people today might still desire to replace their home phone with a residential friendly VoIP alternative and so we’ve written this simplified guide to act as a primer. Hopefully this will help you to understand some of the terminology, processes and options that exist.<\/p>\n

Our focus here is thus on replicating your current home phone and handset setup as closely as possible, albeit via VoIP rather than an analogue landline. Happily once you get past the initial terminology barrier then it’s really not all that difficult, although some basic IT \/  Networking knowledge does help (e.g. the ability to access your broadband router settings and make changes).<\/p>\n

NOTE<\/strong>: Check out our article – The Changing Face of UK Home Phone Lines<\/strong><\/a> – for a bit more background. The BSG has also highlighted some of the Challenges in Moving to All-IP Networks<\/strong><\/a> and Ofcom has talked about a Phone Number for Life<\/a><\/strong>.<\/div>\n

The Terminology Primer<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Before we delve any deeper it’s probably a good idea to pause and build a basic understanding of the key terminology that you’re likely to come across. Alas this is rarely ever explained by VoIP providers, many of which adopt the usual approach of assuming that everybody knows what they’re talking about.<\/p>\n

Luckily we can simplify this down to the basics.<\/p>\n

Key VoIP Terms<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

VoIP – Voice-over-Internet Protocol<\/strong>
\nThis broadly means the overall approach of making or receiving phone calls over the internet (i.e. encoding voice traffic into a digital signal \/ data). Some people may also try to over-simplify this by using terms such as IP<\/a> telephony, internet telephony or voice over broadband, but it’s all still VoIP.<\/p>\n

SIP – Session Initiation Protocol<\/strong>
\nThis is one of the most common protocols for enabling a VoIP service and it can work on a peer-to-peer basis. Generally you’ll want to use a SIP supporting service, although there are also older protocols (e.g. H.323 or MGCP) and Cisco’s kit has their own proprietary one called SCCP.<\/p>\n

SIP Trunking<\/strong>
\nThis as an extension to SIP that enables you to increase your call capacity and the number of concurrent calls (it may also carry other media like video calls), which makes it ideal for businesses.<\/p>\n

PBX (IP PBX) – Private Branch (Box) Exchange<\/strong>
\nThis is essentially a private telephone exchange and is often spoken of alongside SIP Trunking since such services are generally business centric. In the past these were designed for use with the old PSTN analogue phone system but modern IP PBX’s can also be used with VoIP \/ SIP Trunking etc. A PBX is generally not something that residential users need to think about.<\/p>\n

ATA – Analogue Telephone Adapter<\/strong>
\nA useful little piece of hardware (box) that enables you to use a traditional analogue or DECT phone handset over a VoIP system. One cable connects to your phone and the other to your network via an Ethernet (LAN<\/a>) port. You can also buy dedicated VoIP Phones that have an ATA built-in (i.e. you connect the VoIP Phone directly to your router’s LAN<\/a> port or via WiFi<\/a>).<\/p>\n

FXS \/ FXO Ports – Foreign Exchange Subscriber \/ Office<\/strong>
\nIn simple terms this is a phone port (RJ11 size) for your old analogue or DECT phone handset, which you’ll often find on the back of VoIP equipped broadband routers and ATA adapters. In reality there’s a little more to it than that but for the purposes of this article this is all you need to know.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You’re also likely to come across plenty of other terms but those listed above are among the most important. Generally speaking most of the time when people talk about VoIP or SIP then they’re really just discussing the same service (i.e. the SIP protocol is widely used for delivering VoIP).<\/p>\n

Connecting to VoIP<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the best things about VoIP is that there’s usually a variety of different ways to both setup and access the service, although admittedly the caveat here is that too much choice can cause confusion. As such it’s often better to think of VoIP as being a very flexible communication service, which often enables you to access it however you choose and to even take it with you when travelling.<\/p>\n

Continued over the page..<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Generally all you need for a VoIP service to work is a stable internet connection and it doesn’t usually need to be particularly fast. For example, Vonage<\/a> recommends an upload speed of 90Kbps<\/strong> (0.09 Megabits per second) for the best voice quality, but they can support less optimized calls at a lower rate of 30Kbps (i.e. slower than an ancient dialup<\/a> modem).<\/p>\n

On this point we should add that there are various different voice codecs for handling the conversion and compression of your analogue voice stream into a digital packet (e.g. GSM, iLBC and G.711 to G.729), all of which have different requirements, but voice traffic is generally not a major concern. You’ll most likely find G.728 or G.729 to be fairly common if setting up VoIP via a broadband router.<\/p>\n

Arguably latency (the time delay as data travels between servers) is going to be more of an issue than connection speed, but for the most part this is only really a consideration when dealing with Satellite<\/a> broadband (i.e. extreme delays can cause calls to go way out of sync or to even disconnect) and in business environments (multiple channels). Some mobile data connections can also suffer from latency issues but this isn’t so serious.<\/p>\n

The Primary Methods of Using VoIP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Software and Apps (inc. Web Based)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Software based VoIP solutions (e.g. Skype) will usually enable you to make calls via a web-browser, mobile app (iOS, Android) and \/ or desktop software (PC \/ MAC). But not all of these are true VoIP or will give you SIP details, which are required to setup hardware (see below for more on this).<\/p>\n

The advantage of software VoIP is that it’s very easy to setup and you usually only need to login in order to use it.<\/p>\n

2. ATA – Analogue Telephone Adapter
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

As explained earlier, if you you want to keep your existing analogue or DECT phone but use it with VoIP then what you need is an ATA adapter, which acts as a bridge between the handset and your broadband connection. Some VoIP providers, such as Vonage, will supply their own form of branded adapter but you can also buy and configure your own (e.g. Grandstream HT802<\/a> for c.\u00a335).<\/p>\n

Essentially you plug the ATA via an Ethernet (RJ45) cable into your broadband router and then the RJ11 (FXS \/ FXO) ports on the back of the adapter can be used to connect your analogue phone. At this point you’ll need to configure the ATA for your VoIP service, which can be done via a web-based admin interface and some models also allow you to do the setup via voice prompts on your handset (clever but tedious).<\/p>\n

At this point you’ll need the SIP account settings from your VoIP provider (login, pass, SIP server IP\/domain addresses etc.) and you may also need to select the voice codec (if in doubt try G.729) for the phone port being used. Obviously if you use an ATA provided by your VoIP service (assuming they offer one) then most of this should be pre-configured, otherwise you’ll need some basic IT skills to do all this.<\/p>\n

\"grandstream<\/p>\n

3. VoIP Integrated Broadband Routers<\/strong><\/p>\n

A growing number of broadband routers now come with the equivalent of a built-in ATA adapter, which allows you to plug your old analogue or DECT phone directly into the back of the router’s RJ11 FXS \/ FXO port(s). After that you can configure the SIP \/ VoIP details directly via the router’s web-based admin interference.<\/p>\n

See below for what this looks like on a DrayTek v2762vac router with two phone ports, which in this example is using SIP details from the company’s own DrayTel<\/a> VoIP service.<\/p>\n

\"draytek<\/p>\n

Going forward we’d expect all of the major ISPs to eventually bundle broadband routers that include FXS \/ FXO phone ports on the back (many already do) and these will also become much more common in cheaper third-party devices. The ability to skip the need for a separate ATA certainly makes this setup a lot cleaner.<\/p>\n

4. Dedicated VoIP Phones<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another option for domestic consumers is to forget about using your existing analogue or DECT handset entirely and buy a dedicated VoIP phone, which will connect directly to your router via either an Ethernet cable or even over WiFi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Phones like this tend to be quite sophisticated and may even support video calls and email, among other things. The downside is that a good one can be quite pricey and most of these are perhaps more intended for the office environment, although you can get cheaper models.<\/p>\n

One thing to be aware of here is that a fair few VoIP Phones are dependent upon the Power over Ethernet<\/strong> (POE) standard (i.e. they get both data and power over the Ethernet cable) and a lot of consumer broadband routers do not support this. If in doubts its very easy to buy a cheap POE supporting “Switch<\/em>” hub that can sit between the router and phone, which as a bonus will also give you more LAN ports.<\/p>\n

\"voip<\/p>\n

One final option is to purchase a USB based VoIP handset, which simply plugs into the USB port on your desktop or laptop computer and then you can configure the VoIP settings via software. However this isn’t ideal because it is dependent upon your computer being switched-on in order to function (i.e. you may be better off installing VoIP software on a Smartphone).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Out of the above options we’d say that anybody looking to move from an old analogue phone to VoIP solution, while at the same time replicating the old approach as closely as possible, would probably be better off either adopting the ATA adapter (2) or FXS \/ FXO equipped broadband router (3) approach.<\/p>\n

Transferring an Existing Phone Number<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Ofcom have made it a requirement to be able to port phone numbers between providers, although on some platforms the technical restrictions and overly sensitive admin checks involved can still hamper the process. Nevertheless it should be perfectly possible to move numbers both between different UK VoIP providers and away from at least the major network operators (e.g. Virgin Media<\/a>, BT<\/a>, Sky Broadband<\/a>, TalkTalk<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The caveat in all this is that at present, until the regulator comes up with a better approach (and boy.. oh.. boy do we need one!), porting your number away from an existing fixed phone line can be a slow and tedious process. Likewise the process is not without its negative consequences, but we’ll come back to that.<\/p>\n

You can also expect to be charged a porting fee, which may be a small one-off charge of \u00a320 +vat or more and of course there may be other charges for on-going use (you can’t use the number for free but most VoIP providers cover this via their various rental charges \/ plans).<\/p>\n

What’s the Number Porting Process?<\/strong><\/span>
\n1. Setup an account with your chosen VoIP provider (they will most likely also give you a phone number by default).<\/p>\n

2. Make sure the phone number you want to port is both owned by you and still in-service (you’ll need evidence of this, such as a recent copy of your telephone bill with the number and address on). We recommend the bill be less than 3 months old.<\/p>\n

3. Make sure you haven’t started any kind of other change on the line (e.g. line cease, line stop or broadband migration).<\/p>\n

4. Make sure you’re near the very end of your broadband and \/ or phone contract before attempting this (we’ll explain why further down).<\/p>\n

5. Ask your chosen VoIP provider to send you a number porting request form or find it on their website. Sadly some VoIP providers don’t make this easy to find. The VoIP provider may also ask you to include a signed letter (Letter of Authority – sometimes combined with the porting request form), confirming your intention to port the number (make sure to include your VoIP account number on this).<\/p>\n

6. Fill in the form\/letter with details of your current operator, number and the date you’d like the port to take place. Send this back to the VoIP provider, alongside evidence to prove that you own the line (as above), and this will give them the authority to request a port away from your existing operator. This is Gaining Provider Led<\/strong> (GPL), so you don’t have to tell your existing phone provider first.<\/p>\n

7. The process can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a full month, during which time you should hopefully still be able to use both your old number and the number that your VoIP provider gave you when you first joined their service (if applicable). Consider this delay when choosing a date for your number port – planning ahead will save you a lot of trouble.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now the bad news, as if having to wait several weeks wasn’t already painful enough! Try not to make any mistakes on that number porting form, even small ones, because if you do then it could result in your request being delayed or rejected and the latter may attract a failed port charge (usually costs a bit less than the original port request fee).<\/p>\n

We’ve also found that some VoIP providers (e.g. Vonage) will expect you to, a) keep a working handset connected to both your old landline and new VoIP number during the process and, b) to have made and received at least one call on both services (particularly the VoIP account that you setup earlier). Failing to do this may delay the number port.<\/p>\n

Continued over the page..<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However the biggest caveat is that by requesting to port your old landline number you may also end up ceasing any services (phone and broadband) on that same line (cancellation). You might think that the ISP could just assign a different number to the old line but that’s not how this works (it’s a rubbish way of doing things, we agree). This is because the current process is geared toward porting a “service<\/em>” rather than just a “number<\/em>“.<\/p>\n

Obviously the cancellation of your old service means you need to be particularly careful to ensure that you’re out of contract with the fixed line provider (otherwise expect early termination charges) and are prepared for the possibility of some internet downtime, at least until you can get connected to a new ISP or re-contract (may attract additional costs). As we say, this is a terribly archaic process but for now we’re stuck with it.<\/p>\n

In some other cases your ATA may be located behind a router that has a strict firewall, which could end up hampering the VoIP connection. If this occurs then you should be able to use port forwarding on your router to fix the problem (ask your provider for details). Likewise some networks, such as public WiFi Hotspots, may block VoIP traffic but this can be overcome by using a Virtual Private Network<\/strong> (VPN).<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> If the number being ported has any associated numbers, they’ll have to be included in the port; these can be retained or ceased once a port is complete.<\/div>\n

Closing Thoughts and Tips<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Given all of the above you might just decide that it’s easier to setup VoIP with a different number and do the admin to update all your contacts, which is what many consumers end up doing. We don’t blame them. However for others the ability to retain an established phone number has both value and some personal identity, thus a little short-term hassle may be worth the result.<\/p>\n

At this point we should highlight that providers can and do get into trouble with Ofcom if they try to obstruct or cause undue delay to a number port, so don’t be afraid to raise a complaint to the regulator if you hit a wall. Several ISPs have already faced sizeable fines for shunning the rules on number portability<\/a><\/strong> (applies to UK based providers).<\/p>\n

Another issue to be aware of is that not all VoIP providers are suitable for making calls to UK Emergency Services<\/strong> (e.g. Localphone) and likewise if you swap to VoIP then the stability of your line is likely to depend upon access to a power supply (i.e. if there’s a power cut and your internet connection goes down then so does VoIP, unless you also have it on a mobile app [4G<\/a> data] or some form of battery device \/ backup).<\/p>\n

TIP:<\/strong> Check with the provider if they support emergency calls and SIP before joining.<\/div>\n

The potential for problems suggests it would be handy to pick a provider that is both a member of an Ofcom approved Alternative Dispute Resolution<\/strong> (ADR) scheme (e.g. CISAS or Ombudsman Services) for handling complaints and of the Internet Telephony Services Providers Association<\/a> (ITSPA). For example, Vonage<\/a> is a member of both and Localphone<\/a> is an ITSPA member, but sadly many others aren’t.<\/p>\n

As part of our research we did hunt for other dedicated VoIP providers with a residential focus and came up largely empty (Vonage is one of the few). Instead most tend to be business focused, but there’s no reason why domestic users can’t use them too.<\/p>\n

Examples of Popular VoIP Providers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

RingCentral<\/a><\/p>\n

Voipstudio<\/a><\/p>\n

Voiptalk<\/a><\/p>\n

Vonage<\/a><\/p>\n

Voipfone<\/a><\/p>\n

Yay<\/a><\/p>\n

Port5060<\/a><\/p>\n

Sipgate basic<\/a><\/p>\n

Tel2<\/a><\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> We haven’t reviewed these, they’re options based on word of mouth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The effectiveness of the porting process also seems to vary between different providers. For example, several of the VoIP providers that we engaged with say they found it fairly smooth to port a number away from Virgin Media<\/a>, although the process could be a bit more tedious when trying to do the same with ISPs on Openreach<\/a>’s network (BT<\/a>, Sky, TalkTalk<\/a> etc.).<\/p>\n

Elsewhere internet provider AAISP<\/a> (they run their own VoIP setup) said they can quickly port BT numbers on a BT line because they’re able to use a much more automated process, often even without killing your broadband. This effectively renumbers the existing line and then ports the original number to VoIP. We don’t how many others can do the same.<\/p>\n

Suffice to say that your mileage may vary and it’s best to ask your intended provider about what plans you have before joining. In the future this process should become much easier as ISPs adopt IP services for voice and retire the old analogue phone lines, but that process will take years. In the meantime we hope that this guide offers some useful assistance for those looking to make the switch sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The way people use home phone services is changing and many of us will eventually end up replacing our old analogue voice service with a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) alternative, which uses your broadband ISPs internet connection to make calls. But how do you set it up and move (port) your number? We explain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1,2715],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-17814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial_article","category-uk_isp_news","category-tips-and-guides","tag-voip"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"yoast_head":"\nSwapping to Broadband VoIP from a UK Copper Home Phone Line - ISPreview UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The way people use home phone services is changing and many of us will eventually end up replacing our old analogue voice service with a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2019\/04\/swapping-to-broadband-voip-from-a-uk-copper-home-phone-line.html\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2019\/04\/swapping-to-broadband-voip-from-a-uk-copper-home-phone-line.html\/2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swapping to Broadband VoIP from a UK Copper Home Phone Line - 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