topic Re: Some advice for @stathe in Broadband

Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 19:57:18 GMT

I’ve probably spent about two days of my life trying to help you over the last few years, researching the options available at your address, and posting solutions on this forum, but you have done nothing to help yourself. You need to act soon otherwise you will lose your phone, broadband and email within six months.

So for one last time I’m going to layout your situation, explain what will happen if you don’t act in the next few months, and propose solutions to your three issues.

First, here are the FACTS that we are working with -

BROADBAND

Your existing Plusnet broadband and telephone are delivered via an ADSL copper landline.
Your ADSL broadband is now so slow that it is unusable and is not going to get any better. It is unlikely that Openreach can improve your line as the telephone exchange spare parts are obsolete and unavailable, and they don’t have much incentive doing repairs as they are planning to decommission ADSL in exchanges by 2030.
BT Openreach are retiring all UK landline telephones by the end of January 2027.
When your telephone service is switched off, you will lose your Plusnet broadband because an ADSL connection without the phone becomes a product called SOADSL which Plusnet and most other ISPs don’t support, and those few ISPs that do are very expensive.
At your address, no other wired Openreach broadband alternatives exists or planned within the next 12 months. Openreach don’t have FTTC/SOGEA (fibre to a street cabinet) in your area. Openreach have started the initial phases of installing FTTP (full fibre) in your exchange area – but they are not going to get to your address within twelve months.
During your recent Openreach phone repair, the engineer confirmed that no broadband upgrades are happening in the near future.
When you have no Openreach broadband options available, you will have to leave Plusnet.
Checking for alternative broadband providers, there are no “AltNet” full fibre providers in your postcode, there are a few “fixed wireless” broadband providers in adjacent villages but their wireless coverage doesn’t extend to where you are.
Mobile data coverage on 5G is non-existent, as is 4G indoor data with any of the mobile providers. There is a chance that with an external 4G directional aerial that you might be able to get an acceptable broadband connection on the “Three” mobile network.
That only leaves satellite broadband, of which Starlink is the obvious solution.

TELEPHONE

Your current analogue telephone is plugged into a BT telephone socket.
If you want to continue to have a home phone after the imminent shutdown of the phone landline service, you will need to transfer your telephone number to a digital telephone service provider.
Digital telephones in the UK are either “VoIP” (Voice over Internet Protocol), or “Digital Voice” which is similar to VoIP but usually less flexible and often more expensive.
Digital telephones are connected via your internet service, either using a new VoIP handset, or using your existing handset via an ATA adaptor to convert the BT plug to an ethernet connection which is plugged in to a spare socket on your broadband router.
One of the many problems you have, is that VoIP needs a relatively good broadband connection to work, but with your sub 1Mbps ADSL connection, you have almost no hope of having a reliably working telephone service until you change your broadband.

EMAIL

Plusnet are in the process of relieving themselves of responsibility for maintaining their email service, by offloading it to Greenby (covered in many topics on this forum).
If your telephone service is removed, or your Plusnet broadband ends, before your email address is migrated to Greenby, then you will lose your Plusnet email service.

ADVICE - BROADBAND

You keep posting messages along the lines of -

“I want to stay with Plusnet, and will hang on until they migrate me to a better service”.

It is NEVER going to happen - because they CAN’T !

Plusnet can only provide whatever Openreach has available at your address.

It is Openreach that are retiring the telephone service in six months.

It is Openreach that don’t have other broadband options in your area.

Plusnet don’t use any providers other than Openreach.

There are misleading posts on this forum that suggest that you should ask Plusnet to migrate you to EE, but that won’t work because EE don’t support ADSL or SOADSL. The next logical step would be to migrate you to BT as they do support SOADSL, but that wouldn’t solve your terrible broadband speeds, and the BT supplied router is incapable of simultaneously providing “Digital Voice” telephone service at the same time as an active broadband service with the very low speed of your line.

Before you do anything else, you need to get a better broadband service installed.

As I have told you before, your BEST option is is to sign-up for the cheapest Starlink service and pay for a professional installer to permanently mount the satellite dish on your house, run the cables from the dish to the broadband router inside your house, and setup your router to work with all of your existing equipment.

As I mentioned above, there is a chance that you could achieve a reliable broadband service via “Three” mobile data using an external directional 4G aerial. Again, call in a professional installer to fit the 4G aerial to your roof, run the wires, and setup the new router.

In your area there are two local suppliers that can do this for you -

https://somersetcomms.co.uk/4g-5g/

https://southwestwifi.co.uk/somerset/4g-5g-broadband/

ADVICE – EMAIL

@stathe – do you know whether Plusnet have transferred your email service to Greenby yet ?

If they have and you are happy with it, then skip the rest of this section.

If you haven’t been migrated to Greenby yet, you are in real danger of losing your email completely. Although Openreach are due to switch off everyone’s telephone service in January 2027, phone service providers are going to switch you off well before then, and you are unlikely to still have a traditional landline service by Christmas 2026. Whenever Plusnet decide at short notice to switch-off your phone in the next few months, your ADSL broadband will also cease, which in turn closes your Plusnet account, after which your email service and all of your past emails will also be lost.

Having seen the terrible problems other Plusnet customers have had with the Greenby service, and the uncertainty of when accounts are due to be transferred, my advice would be to give up with the idea of retaining your Plusnet email and instead start again with a reliable paid-for email provider using a brand new email domain name.

I suggest first identifying a new domain name for your new email service, using a tool such as -

IONOS - domain search

… for example ‘stathe.me.uk’ is still available !

… so your new email address could be ‘your-name@stathe.me.uk’

Next, choose an email package, for you I suggest IONOS – “Mail Basic 5”

During the email sign-up process you can add your free chosen domain.

You should get instructions of how to add your new email account to your computer’s email program.

Ensure that your new IONOS email is working, by sending and receiving a few messages, and then go through the tedious process of informing all of your contacts that currently have your Plusnet email address, to in future use your new IONOS email address.

Note that within your IONOS account, there is a email migration tool which can copy/move all of your old Plusnet emails in to your new IONOS account – so when your Plusnet email inevitably disappears then you will have a secure copy of your email history in your new paid-for account.

To catch any stragglers still using your old Plusnet email address, go into your Plusnet “Member Centre”, find the email settings, and change your email mailboxes to automatically ‘forward’ or ‘redirect’ to your new IONOS email address, that way you won’t be accumulating new messages on Plusnet servers that would otherwise be lost when your account closes.

ADVICE – TELEPHONE

Only do this AFTER you have a new broadband service installed AND your email has been migrated away from Plusnet.

You need to initiate the transfer of your existing telephone number to a VoIP supplier.

Be aware that doing this will immediately cease your Plusnet broadband and email !

First choose a new VoIP provider.

I recommend either A&A VoIP or Voipfone – both are excellent !.

A&A has inexpensive PAYG call charges, have excellent technical help, and can provide a pre-configured VoIP phone handset, so all you need to do is plug the new phone into your new broadband router.

Voipfone has various call plans or PAYG, they also can supply a selection of pre-configured VoIP handsets or adaptors. Note that they can supply a pre-configured ATA adaptor which allows your existing analogue telephone handset to convert to VoIP and be plugged in to your new broadband router.

Get your chosen A&A or Voipfone account setup, ensure your new hardware (VoIP handset or ATA adaptor) is installed and ready to go. Then instruct the new provider to “port” your Plusnet landline telephone number to your new digital telephone VoIP account. When the porting completes, your old phone number should be working on your new or converted handset via the internet, your Plusnet ADSL broadband will cease, your Plusnet account will close, and your Plusnet emails will have been deleted.

ADVICE – GET SOME HELP !

I appreciate that you probably don’t understand most of what I’ve written here.

If you don’t have a family member or a tech savvy neighbour consider getting some help.

See if you can get a home visit from AbilityNet – who have DBS checked volunteers near you who can provide free tech support and information for disabled and older people.

Alternatively there are several local companies that you could pay for tech support, for example -

https://www.tauntonhometech.co.uk/

http://nbcomputingsolutions.co.uk/

I hope that helps, although given that you have been bleating for help and ignoring advice for at least five years, I don’t have high hopes that you will do anything, and will probably continue pointlessly complaining about SNR margins, until one day soon sometime before Christmas 2026 you will suddenly lose phone, broadband, and email. Then all the people who have patiently tried to help you, again and again and again, will say WE TOLD YOU SO !.

Plusnet are NOT going to help you.

Many forum members here have given you hours of their time trying to help you.

If you ignore this final attempt to sort out your problems, then there is no hope for you.

You need to take action now to save your phone number and to not lose your ability to email.

Good luck !

Re: Some advice for @stathe

RadioFox — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 22:47:59 GMT

I do have sympathy for stathe. Living in an area with such severely restricted phone/internet options must be so frustrating. I believe he is over 90 years old with disabilities. It's unbelievable in this day & age that a vulnerable older person, who previously had acceptable phone & broadband services should be left to essentially fend for himself when ADSL is removed.

It makes me grateful to live in an area with good mobile services, FTTC, FTTP, & Alt providers. It's only when you hear about people like stathe, that you realise how lucky most of the rest of us are.

As you say in your comprehensive & helpful post, I hope stathe can find someone to help him through the transition. He shouldn't be in a position where he has to worry about losing his phone & internet.

IMO Starlink is the very last resort & more expensive than all other options. But until Openreach or any other Alt ISP's decide that his area is worth upgrading, or mobile phone companies upgrade their coverage, then it looks like it is his only option.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 01:07:10 GMT

@RadioFox wrote:

I do have sympathy for stathe. Living in an area with such severely restricted phone/internet options must be so frustrating.

I live in an equally rural area, with no indoor mobile coverage, and it was only a few years ago that thankfully we got upgraded to FTTC from ADSL2+, and sympathise with @stathe's dilema, hence why I spent most of today writing this thread.

@RadioFox wrote:

IMO Starlink is the very last resort & more expensive than all other options.

In this instance are there any other options that I haven't considered ?

I did explore other LEO satellite providers (compatible with low latency VoIP), and while there are cheaper monthly plans, the initial equipment costs are much higher than Starlink, and is concerning that smaller satellite companies frequently go out of business - often leaving customers with expensive equipment and no service.

It is only in the last few months that Three mobile have slightly improved their 4G coverage in @stathe's area, and is the only potentially viable alternative to Starlink that I could find, but would involve having a properly aligned external 4G aerial pointing at the mobile mast.

While Starlink is now quite expensive, if @stathe had acted on my advice back in January 2026, he would only be paying £35/month !

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Post released from Spam Filter.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 23:40:14 GMT

I replied to this post but my submission has now vanished !

has my post gone into a SPAM filter ?

Re: Some advice for @stathe

pvmb — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 08:39:48 GMT

@RadioFox wrote:

I do have sympathy for stathe. Living in an area with such severely restricted phone/internet options must be so frustrating. I believe he is over 90 years old with disabilities. It's unbelievable in this day & age that a vulnerable older person, who previously had acceptable phone & broadband services should be left to essentially fend for himself when ADSL is removed.

As you say in your comprehensive & helpful post, I hope stathe can find someone to help him through the transition. He shouldn't be in a position where he has to worry about losing his phone & internet.

One small point - I don't think BT would actually allow anyone, particularly a vulnerable person, to be left completely cut off. Imagine the publicity!

At least, this would be the case with the landline phone. There are special measures that can be taken in such cases: PDPL - Pre-Digital Phone Line, an interim technical capability to help move customers off the PSTN where no alternate digital solution today. PDPL will emulate (as close as possible) a traditional phone line, but within a modern network. However, that still leaves the problems with access to the digital network, Plusnet account and email.

https://www.bt.com/bt-plc/assets/documents/special-services/pdpl-wholesale-faq.pdf

Openreach Pilot Emergency UK Phone Lines for 2027 Analogue Switch-Off

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/04/openreach-pilot-emergency-uk-phone-lines-for-2027-analogue-switch-off.html

Openreach Says No BIG BANG in Jan 2027 When UK Analogue Phones Switch-Off

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/06/openreach-says-no-big-bang-in-jan-2027-when-uk-analogue-phones-switch-off.html

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 11:22:14 GMT

The problem with the PDPL suggestion, is that BT specified that this technology would ONLY be used as a short term (until 2030) bridging solution to replace existing PSTN 'phone only' lines where transition to VoIP is currently unavailable, to allow the analogue telephone exchange equipment to be decommissioned after January 2027.

Therefore a customer that has an existing phone service associated with ADSL, FTTC, or ISDN, cannot get the temporary PDPL or "SOTAP Analogue" stopgap.

If @stathe's ADSL was a little faster then VoIP would have been possible with simultaneous broadband usage.

Sadly I can't see what else @stathe can do other than a complete overhaul of his broadband, then email, then phone service, but once done will have him setup properly and reliably working once and for.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

RadioFox — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:14:51 GMT

Oops. mucked that up. I'll try again.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

RadioFox — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:23:50 GMT

@ExForce9 wrote:

@RadioFox wrote:

IMO Starlink is the very last resort & more expensive than all other options.

In this instance are there any other options that I haven't considered ?...

While Starlink is now quite expensive, if @stathe had acted on my advice back in January 2026, he would only be paying £35/month !

I don't think you have missed anything, as I said in the next sentence, it appears to be his only option.

Out of interest I looked at the Starlink website. I can't find any instructions of how to set it up yourself, or what is involved. Even the FAQ is only 4 questions, & they are only about ordering. The installation is £150 & the p&p is £19. There's also now a £10 per month "monthly kit fee"? So a 1 off fee of £169, then £50 monthly. Costly, but it looks like that is all that is available for him right now.

Current prices in the attachment.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 14:04:31 GMT

For completeness, when Starlink was £35 as shown in my screenshot, there was no "monthly kit fee", and installation was £75.

Regarding Starlink setup, there are lots of videos on YouTube of British people going from unboxing then doing the installation.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

stathe — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:43:39 GMT

Well thank you all for your advice I am over 90 and vulnerable with shakey hans and legs Looks like Plusnet have or going to leave me up the creek without a paddle I do pay them over 40 pounds a month and willbe signed up to next year Regards Starlink would be prohibitably expensive for me Not 35 pounds as there is instalation charges and rentals out of my ability to pay I do have a gmail address and yahoo is that any help ?

are any of you employed by Plusnet to give advice ?? I dont understand all the terms used . No disrespect to any of you

I will probably get in touch with a local adviser failing help from t Plusnet who tell me a fault should be fixed 10pm Monday

That would speed me up just a little`but not solve the problem Thank you all

Re: Some advice for @stathe

stathe — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:47:44 GMT

Unfortunately not round here

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:44:55 GMT

@stathe wrote:

... are any of you employed by Plusnet to give advice ?

No, but many of us have been repeatedly let down by Plusnet's lack of support, and now post here to help others like you.

@stathe wrote:

Looks like Plusnet have or going to leave me up the creek without a paddle

I'm glad that you are now aware that something needs to change sooner rather than later.

@stathe wrote:

I do pay them over 40 pounds a month and will be signed up to next year Regards Starlink would be prohibitably expensive for me

But Starlink would be INSTEAD of Plusnet, so you would be paying less than £10 extra per month.

Consider contacting Somerset Comms Rural Broadband and asking whether they can replace your ADSL broadband with 4G data broadband from "Three" mobile, and get a quote for fitting an external 4G aerial and associated broadband router in you home. I can't imagine that the monthly cost would be anything like Starlink. You might be lucky and be within the Three wireless coverage area, but you won't know until you have a home coverage check from a professional mobile broadband installer. If you do speak to them, I see that they can also provide VoIP telephones, so investigate whether their service is competitive with the equivalent costs at A&A VoIP and/or Voipfone.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

stathe — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:52:18 GMT

Sttarlink expensive for this area installation fee and rent plus call charges to start

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:00:32 GMT

@stathe

I asked Elon Musk's Grok AI to see what other help is available to you, this was the reply -

Yes, there are several potential sources of help in Somerset for vulnerable elderly residents facing connectivity costs. Stathe’s situation (90 years old, reliant on phone/broadband/email, low income implied) qualifies him for priority support as a vulnerable customer.

1. Somerset Council – Household Support Fund (HSF)

Extended support for essential costs including broadband, phone bills, and utilities.
Designed for vulnerable households (pensioners, disabled, low-income).
Can provide vouchers, grants, or direct payments.
Contact: Somerset Council website or local Adult Social Care team. Search “Somerset Household Support Fund” or call the council helpline. Mention the impending loss of phone/broadband and email.

2. Age UK Somerset & Digital Inclusion Programmes

They run digital inclusion projects helping older people get online, often with equipment, training, and sometimes cost support.
Partnerships with councils and charities for broadband access.
Contact: ageuk.org.uk/somerset or local branch. They can advise on grants and connect to local volunteers for setup help.

3. Other Local/Charity Options

Good Things Foundation — National digital inclusion charity working in Somerset communities. They support schemes for low-income elderly.
West of England Rural Network (WERN) or similar — Offers tech support and possible assistance for rural older residents (mentioned in North Somerset contexts).
St Monica Trust Digital Inclusion Fund — Supports older people in the South West with technology access.

4. Plusnet / Openreach Vulnerable Customer Support

Both have obligations for vulnerable customers. Contact Plusnet now, explain the situation (age, isolation risk if services lost), and ask for extensions or migration help. They may delay cutoff or assist with email preservation.

Next Steps (What to Do Today)

Call Somerset Council — Ask for the Household Support Fund / Adult Social Care team and explain the urgent risk of losing phone + broadband.
Contact Age UK Somerset — They are excellent at coordinating help for exactly this.
Plusnet — Request vulnerable customer status and email migration support.

These schemes exist precisely for situations like this to prevent digital exclusion and isolation. A local council or Age UK worker can often visit or guide the process. If you share more details (e.g., if he receives Pension Credit, Council Tax Reduction, or has disability status), I can refine the suggestions further.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

stathe — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:54:35 GMT

Well as these are means tested I would not qualifyI have to pay my care person

Re: Some advice for @stathe

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 18:10:18 GMT

@stathe

Openreach are likely NOT to have public access to any one who is vulnerable .

But plusnet do; see https://www.plus.net/help/legal/accessibility/ look for "Support for customers with vulnerabilities"

If not registered I suggest you do.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 18:15:11 GMT

@stathe wrote:

... as these are means tested I would not qualify

I asked Grok to clarify which of it's support suggestions were likely to be "means tested", it replied -

Not all of the options I listed are strictly means-tested in the way Stathe thinks. Many are needs-based or vulnerability-based, focusing on age, isolation risk, disability, or urgent need rather than just income/savings. Here's a clear breakdown:

Likely Not Strictly Means-Tested (or Low Barrier)

AbilityNet Tech Volunteers — Free support for older/disabled people. Primarily based on age (over 65/70) and need for tech help. Savings/income usually not a barrier. Strongly recommend starting here.
Age UK Somerset Digital Inclusion — Focuses on older people’s digital access. Often free/low-cost training, equipment loans, and advice. Not primarily savings-based; they help many pensioners regardless.
Ofcom Vulnerable Customer Rules (Plusnet/Openreach) — Providers must offer extra support (delays, priority repairs, migration help) for elderly/vulnerable customers. This is not means-tested — it’s based on age, health, or reliance on the service. Tell Plusnet: “Treat me as a vulnerable customer.”
Local Council Crisis / Resilience Fund (Somerset) — Short-term help for essentials (including broadband/phone). Often targeted at vulnerable households; may consider overall situation rather than rigid savings test.

More Likely Means-Tested

Household Support Fund / Crisis & Resilience Fund — Usually checks income, benefits, and sometimes savings/capital. Having savings could disqualify, but they have discretion for urgent cases (e.g., risk of total disconnection).

What to Do Next

Prioritise non-means-tested routes:
- Call AbilityNet (0800 269 545) or Age UK Somerset today.
- Contact Plusnet and formally request vulnerable customer status due to age and risk of isolation.
Explain simply to Stathe:
- “These charities and rules are there for people your age who need the phone and internet to stay safe and connected. They don’t always check savings like benefits do.”

If he has savings but limited income/pension, some discretionary help may still be possible — especially with a GP or social worker letter highlighting vulnerability.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

RobPN — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 18:27:02 GMT

@stathe wrote:

Well as these are means tested I would not qualifyI have to pay my care person

@stathe

Maybe you already know this; If you need a care person to help you, you may well qualify for Attendance Allowance which is not means tested.

Re: Some advice for @stathe

stathe — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:11:10 GMT

Knowl about attendance allowance

Re: Some advice for @stathe

ExForce9 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:22:20 GMT

@stathe - so what steps are you taking tomorrow to start your journey to better broadband ?