03333 447700What the digital switchover means for landline phones
The UK has started to switch off its old landline phone system. This big change is called the digital switchover and will eventually be nationwide.
This means that traditional landline phones will no longer work. So, what should you do instead?
The good news is that there are alternatives which let you carry on using your existing equipment and preserve your landline number.
How to ensure you can keep using your landline
At National Broadband, we know that many of our customers will want to carry on using a landline phone to make and receive calls when at home. They don't want to be forced into buying new handsets and importantly, they also want to retain the telephone number they've always had.
The good news is that this is entirely possible by using something called a VoIP (Voice over IP) service. And we've found a VoIP company that we're confident in endorsing - Phonely Ltd.
Here's why we chose Phonely as our recommended VoIP partner
We've spent a lot of time testing out solutions from different VoIP providers to find one we'd be happy recommending to our customers. We've chosen Phonely because its service:
- is very simple to set up and use - it's plug and play
- comes with a no quibble 14 day Money Back Guarantee
- lets you keep your existing phone number if that's what you want
- is fully backed up by UK-based customer support that's as good as ours
- includes useful features like Caller ID, Voice Mail and Auto Call Blocking as standard
- offers optional Enhanced Protection functions such as Call Recording and Anti-Scam Intros
and best of all, it's competitively priced, with packages starting from under £10 per month.
Find out more about Phonely's award-winning VoIP services here.
Or if you'd rather talk things over with Phonely directly, give them a call on 0800 112 5333
How it all works - it's ever so simple
1
Get in touch with Phonely and choose the VoIP plan that would suit you best. Let them know if you want to keep your existing landline phone number.
2
Once you've chosen your plan, Phonely will send you a VoIP adapter (worth £49.99, but entirely free of charge if you sign up to an annual plan).
3
Plug your landline phone into the VoIP adapter and then connect it to your broadband router with the cable that's supplied.
4
Power on your VoIP adapter and within five minutes, you'll be able to make and receive phone calls exactly as you would normally.
5
The only thing to note is that it may take up to 14 days for your existing phone number to be ported across. In the meantime, you'll be given a temporary number by Phonely which people can use to call you.
Take a look at Phonely's VoIP call plans here. There's bound to be one that suits you.
Prefer to talk things over? No problem - get in touch with Phonely on 0800 112 5333
Why is this switchover happening?
The existing landline system is called the "Public Switched Telephone Network" (or PSTN). It has been around for decades and is now becoming much harder and much more expensive to maintain. It's like trying to repair an old car that keeps breaking down.
After the switchover, all landline phone calls will be transmitted and received digitally, using an up to date technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP). With VoIP, calls are converted into data and sent over the internet, just like emails or video calls. By moving across to digital, the UK will have a more modern and future-proof phone system.
Frequently asked questions
Unlike the UK's old analogue landline phone system, a VoIP (voice over IP) service is transmitted entirely digitally. This means that any voice calls made need to be converted into digital data, sent over the internet and then converted back into audio at the other end.
That's what a VoIP adaptor does - it allows you to plug an existing landline phone into it and when you make an outgoing call, it digitises your voice, letting it be transmitted as outgoing digital data to whoever you're calling. In the same way, when you get an incoming call, a VoIP adapter converts that incoming digital data from your caller back into audio, so you can hear it.
Yes you can, provided that you haven't already given up (or only very recently given up) your landline - there's usually around a 30 day window in which your landline number is still available to be ported over to a new VoIP service. Retaining your existing landline number is something you need to inform your VoIP provider that you wish to do, when first signing up for a VoIP service.
Please note that it can take up to two weeks to port an existing landline number over to a VoIP service, so when your VoIP service is first activated, you'll be given a new number on which people can call you while the porting of your existing phone number takes place.
As an Internet Service Provider (or ISP), National Broadband supplies broadband (your connection to the internet). A VoIP telephony service is something additional that runs over the internet connection that we provide and it is not something that we ourselves supply.
Therefore a VoIP service will be separately billed by whoever you choose as your VoIP provider.
As a VoIP service needs an active internet connection to work, unlike the UK's old analogue phone system, it will inevitably stop working in the event of a power cut. Because of this, it is sensible to also have a mobile phone, so that you can make and receive calls in the event of a power outage.
Some VoIP providers also offer to supply an optional battery delivering temporary back-up power, if there ever is a power cut in your area. This is something which you may wish to discuss with them.
No, the UK's Digital Switchover will have no effect on mobile phones whatsoever. This is because these operate on an entirely separate system that already only uses digital technology.