topic Contract Offers in My Account/Billing

Contract Offers

pvmb — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 18:52:36 GMT

Curses! Just noticed my account upgrade offer for 18 month re-contract to existing contract - 18 month, 40/10 FTTC + landline phone - has gone up by £2.49pm since June 2025. That's since fibre arrived where I live, also nearer the end of my current contract.

Previous cheaper deals were, of course SOGEA before fibre arrived. Should have jumped then?

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 19:15:26 GMT

So what are your renewal offers for -

18 month FTTC with phone
18 month SOGEA without phone
24 months 74Mbps FTTP (I'm guessing 18 months isn't an option)

It would be interesting to see whether the charges are designed to 'encourage' you to lose the phone or move off copper line.

@pvmb wrote:

Should have jumped then?

When I was in that position, it was noticeable that my various 'offer' prices kept changing (up and down) every few weeks,

so it was just a matter of regularly reviewing the offers, and keeping notes of the prices, to make a 'dip' easier to spot.

Re: Contract Offers

bmc — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 19:32:12 GMT

@pvmb

I have a feeling this may have been discussed in other threads but the first question is - do you need a phone service?

Deals do change all the time.

Brian

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 20:39:38 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

Just noticed my account upgrade offer for 18 month re-contract to existing contract - 18 month, 40/10 FTTC + landline phone - has gone up by £2.49pm since June 2025.

While I accept that there are different interpretations of when residential landline phones need to be transitioned to VoIP,

but even if you choose to believe the most optimistic furthest away deadline date of 31st January 2027,

that is now less than 18 months away, so it seems misleading for Plusnet to be offering 18 month "as is" phone renewals.

If was an ordinary Plusnet customer, who probably doesn't scour the tech news every day, I would have the expectation that if I signed up for an 18 month contract, that the paid for service should be guaranteed available for the agreed duration.

Even the most optimistic Plusnet sales person can't believe that an 18 month "with phone" deal can be fulfilled as currently sold !

While others here will disagree, it is my considered opinion, that it is unlikely that many residential landline phones over PSTN will exist after 31st March 2026 (only 8 months away). So even if 12 month "as is" with-phone renewals were offered, then that would still be offering false hope of having a phone service for the duration.

The only case I can see for Plusnet offering 12 or 18 month "with phone" renewals, are to unfortunate customers currently on ADSL with no other broadband options to upgrade to, as the PSTN switch off will also terminate their Plusnet ADSL broadband. Therefore having an extended period for the phone contract, gives Openreach a longer opportunity to provide FTTP before 31st January 2027, or for the Openreach transition team to supply a second ADSL line over which a SoTAP adaptor can be used to emulate an analogue phone (at least until FTTP arrives before 2030).

Re: Contract Offers

pvmb — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 21:17:36 GMT

Offers

12, 18 months Existing 40/10 FTTC with phone

24 month Full Fibre 74, FF145, FF300, FF500, FF900 all without phone.

No SOGEA offers shown, which were the alternative offers in June, before the recent coming of fibre (Officially 23 June).

BT Information
WBC FTTC Availability: Unavailable
WBC SOGEA Availability: Available
FTTP Priority Exchange: N

Does this mean Plusnet won't any longer offer SOGEA contracts once fibre has arrived?

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 21:26:38 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

Does this mean Plusnet won't any longer offer SOGEA contracts once fibre has arrived?

There was a post recently, similarly with no offer in the Member's portal for SOGEA, and "FTTP Priority Exchange: N", who phoned in and successfully negotiated a renewal upgrade to SOGEA.

It would be worth a try if you want to put off the inevitable transition to FTTP in the next three or four years.

Re: Contract Offers

pvmb — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 21:33:31 GMT

@bmc wrote:
I have a feeling this may have been discussed in other threads but the first question is - do you need a phone service?

I have accepted losing the landline as I really don't use it myself any more. Though the mobile signal can be rather up and down and there were a number of serious outages a couple of years ago. I don't think I want the bother of transferring to a VoIP service. But, like others I am a bit sentimentally attached to my long held phone number, so after seeing the June SOGEA offers I was mulling things over. i.e. Putting it off until my current contract was near ending in September.

But fibre arrived quite suddenly shortly afterwards. I have only today had a look at my current Offers, which no longer mention SOGEA type contracts - either renew as is, or FF.

Thanks outcast, I may have to try renewal by negotiation.

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 22:09:28 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

... I don't think I want the bother of transferring to a VoIP service ...

...
... like others I am a bit sentimentally attached to my long held phone number

Just to put an idea into your head -

If you are unsure about losing your long held number, if you were to merely migrate your phone number to an A&A VoIP account, other than the initial £12 migration charge, it would only cost you £1.44 per month to retain your phone number and leave it unused, until you finally decided whether you wanted to get rid of it, or buy a VoIP adaptor (£30) and put your old house phone back in to action. This would give you some time to consider your future phone usage options, independently of your broadband SOGEA / FTTP decisions.

For what it's worth, when I migrated my landline to A&A VoIP, the process wasn't too onerous, just filling in an online form with the details, and following the interactive instructions to setup direct debit payments. Job done.

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 21:53:23 GMT

Hmm that's odd, half of the above post disappeared, after I previewed it and then hit [Post].

I will attempt to retype the second half of the reply.

Sigh !

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 22:05:53 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

... the mobile signal can be rather up and down and there were a number of serious outages a couple of years ago

Another thought -

If you did migrate your landline number to VoIP, you could install a VoIP app such as "Acrobits Softphone" on the mobile.

Your mobile could then be used for BOTH the usual mobile calls, and as a VoIP handset for your landline number, whether you were at home (via WiFi data) or away (using mobile data).

Re: Contract Offers

bmc — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 11:02:05 GMT

@pvmb

If the results show your Exchange is Fibre Priority then OR will not accept any other order other than Full Fibre unless FF is not available for that property.

If the Exchange is not Fibre Priority then OR will accept SOGEA orders..

A&A have already been mentioned as a cheap way to keep your number without spending too much money on it. To make it even more attractive I believe you can set the number to permanent answer phone mode and get an email with all calls received. You then use your mobile to return the call if required.

Brian

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 11:50:24 GMT

@bmc wrote:

I believe you can set the number to permanent answer phone mode and get an email with all calls received.

Confirmed (as an A&A VoIP user). The email contains the following -

TIme and date of call
Caller ID showing the caller's phone number
Duration of voicemail message
An .mp3 attachment with the audio of the voicemail

@bmc wrote:

If the results show your Exchange is Fibre Priority ...

In Message #5, @pvmb confirmed "FTTP Priority Exchange: N"

therefore as stated -

@bmc wrote:
If the Exchange is not Fibre Priority then OR will accept SOGEA orders.

Re: Contract Offers

Baldrick1 — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 12:01:49 GMT

@bmc wrote:

@pvmb

If the Exchange is not Fibre Priority then OR will accept SOGEA orders..

Agreed OR will accept orders. However, I suspect that there is a growing reluctance for ISPs to offer it as standard product due to what will be the decreasing reliabilty and increasing support resources needed to keep this dying technology going. Going forward, this will need additional ISP support (read costs and hassle) when compared with FF. Notwithstanding, that in the future FTTC will be declared redundant and there will be no choice but to move to FF.

To my simple mind, moving to SoGEA rather than FTTP makes little sense unless you do not intend to stay long in a property and don't want the hassle of the new installation.

Re: Contract Offers

Baldrick1 — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 12:14:48 GMT

@outcast wrote:

Therefore having an extended period for the phone contract, gives Openreach a longer opportunity to provide FTTP before 31st January 2027, or for the Openreach transition team to supply a second ADSL line over which a SoTAP adaptor can be used to emulate an analogue phone (at least until FTTP arrives before 2030).

Why a second ADSL line? I understand that SOTAP is designed to carry both broadband and VoIP services. Whilst VoIP might be problematic with say a Plusnet hub, which has no QoS control, ISPs that offer a combined broadband and 'Digital Phone' service provide hubs that automatically prioritise the voice port over Internet traffic.

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 14:06:18 GMT

SOTAP is for lines that DON'T also carry broadband, AND are in areas that don't have VDSL or FTTP.

For existing VOICE ONLY customers with analogue phones currently connected to the local telephone exchange

SOTAP will use a dedicated ADSL connection back to the exchange to emulate an analogue phone line

this is referred to as a 'pre-digital' landline phone.

This is a temporary measure to allow Openreach more time to provide universal FTTP coverage, and upgrade those customers to VoIP over FTTP, before the telephone exchanges are decommissioned in 2030 and all SOTAP transitional products are withdrawn.

The problem with VoIP and QoS on ADSL, is that you need a theoretical minimum upstream available bandwidth somewhere around 680Kbps to 720Kbps, for there to be enough packets passing through the device performing QoS, to mathematically have any chance of prioritising and rearranging the outgoing packets for VoIP data in real time, while simultaneously using the broadband for other things.

Many people still on ADSL are in remote areas, on very long lines back to the exchange, and are unlikely to be achieving those minimum upstream speeds, so no amount of QoS will provide usable VoIP calls unless they completely cease using the broadband while making calls using VoIP over ADSL - very inconvenient for incoming calls !

For customers who get the 1.0Mbps to 1.2Mbps upload speed of ADSL2+, then yes an ISP supplier router with QoS would probably enable VoIP to work, but you can't blanket say that VoIP will work over ANY ADSL line if you use a QoS capable router.

FWIW, for several years I successfully used VoIP over "ADSLMax Premium" with 832Kbps upload sync, 720Kbps usable upload bandwidth, so yes it is possible, but spent a lot of time building my own QoS server to achieve it, and experimenting with the limits of the minimum bandwidths that were required.

For existing ADSL (i.e. broadband+voice) customers, there is a problem with the PSTN switch off.

Plusnet support when asked, have stated that Plusnet won't be supporting SoADSL lines (like most other ISPs).

Therefore when Openreach unilaterally switch off the PSTN voice circuits, the Plusnet ADSL lines will fall back to be SoADSL, and therefore Plusnet customers will lose broadband, phone, and anything else associated with their accounts.

Currently, those abandoned customers would have to move to one of the few (and expensive) ISPs that still sell SoADSL.

However for the reasons above in the QoS discussion, if the SoADSL connection isn't capable of supporting the minimum upload bandwidth for QoS to prioritise VoIP ahead of other broadband traffic, then the only options to have a VoIP phone are to have a second ADSL line that provides ONLY VoIP traffic, or somehow persuade Openreach to provide a second dedicated SoTAP line to provide the essential landline phone (although so far Openreach say that SoTAP is only for existing voice only lines).

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 14:12:08 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

.. after seeing the June SOGEA offers I was mulling things over. i.e. Putting it off until my current contract was near ending in September.

There is no need to try to coordinate an upgrade (preferably to full fibre), with your existing contract coming to an end.

If anything you risk paying out-of-contract prices if the upgrade gets delayed (perhaps due to unavailability of engineers etc).

The best option would be to upgrade to FTTP sooner rather than later, wait for the install to complete, then consider retaining your landline phone number by porting it to A&A. Then in the coming months, decide whether you need your home phone after all - and either convert your phone handset to be able to plug in to your router's LAN socket, or close the VoIP account and lose the number forever.

Re: Contract Offers

Baldrick1 — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 15:13:11 GMT

@outcast wrote:

SOTAP is for lines that DON'T also carry broadband, AND are in areas that don't have VDSL or FTTP.

For existing VOICE ONLY customers with analogue phones currently connected to the local telephone exchange

I admit it, my knowledge is based on what I read, such as, from here: :https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/11/openreach-launch-all-ip-solution-for-uk-adsl-broadband-lines.html:

After a long pilot, Openreach has today revealed that the commercial launch of their Single Order Transitional Access Product (SOTAP) for UK ISPs will take place on 1st December 2023. The new product makes it possible to offer a standalone ADSL broadband line with optional IP-based (digital) phone services.

My understanding is that it is intended to provide a temporary fix for area that have no FTTC or FTTP provision.

Re: Contract Offers

outcast — Sun, 03 Aug 2025 16:24:51 GMT

@Baldrick1 wrote:

"The new product makes it possible to offer a standalone ADSL broadband line with optional IP-based (digital) phone services"

Hmm, I can see the confusion with that ambiguous wording by ISPreview, which could be read as providing broadband and VoIP.

SOTAP uses a "standalone" line, i.e. it only exists to provide one function, in this case to emulate an analogue phone line.

The SOTAP connection uses the existing ADSL digital signals to/from the telephone exchange to perform it's single emulated function, but does not additionally provide broadband to the end user.

In the case of "SOTAP for Analogue" which is specifically the emulated analogue phone line replacement, all calls will be "IP-based". By default this will be "Digital Voice", however my understanding is that you can use any third party VoIP service with it.

SOTAP is the abbreviation of "Single Order Transitional Access Product"

Be aware that SOTAP is the generic name of various single purpose devices that allow Openreach to remove the analogue signals from copper lines, by using digital ADSL signalling and far end emulation of voice and other analogue signalling - such as DTMF alarms, and remote analogue monitoring of water levels, etc).

The emulation of analogue voice lines, is a specific variant of SOTAP, referred to as "SOTAP for Analogue",

but other SOTAP emulators exist for other specialised purposes.

All SOTAP variants are temporary fixes on ADSL only lines, until the emulated service can be transitioned to FTTP,

or terminated around 2030 if the end user hasn't found an alternative solution by the time the phone exchanges are decommissioned and the copper wires removed.

Unfortunately moving to FTTP isn't the answer to everything, for example remote analogue water monitoring devices use the DC line voltage on the existing analogue phone cables to power the electronics, as there is no other power source nearby. As FTTP uses fibre-optic cables that don't conduct electricity, these remote monitors will need replacing with perhaps something that has a solar panel, etc.

Re: Contract Offers

Baldrick1 — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 13:02:07 GMT

@outcast

Now I'm totally confused. From my reading there is two products, SOTAP and SOTAP for Analogue.

However, that woud make SOTAP the same as what I believe you call SoADSL. Are these just two different names for the same product? Both services would be transitional.

Re: Contract Offers

pjmarsh — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 13:48:21 GMT

I think (though it's been a while since I paid too much attention to it!) that SOTAP and SOADSL are the same thing, ie an ADSL type service without a phone service, whereas SOTAP for Analogue is basically a phone service run over ADSL, without the ADSL being available to the end user.