topic Re: Multiple fibre lines? in Everything else

Multiple fibre lines?

weewards — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:55:08 GMT

I currently have a full fibre line to my premises and an analogue line with fibre broadband.
What happens after switch off of the copper line as I am told it is not possible to have two fibre lines to the same premises.
Apparently this is not a technical issue but an agreement/marketing issue.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

tactilis — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:27:33 GMT

What is the reason you want two fibre lines?

Other solutions may be available if the actual problem to be solved is understood.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

jab1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:47:24 GMT

@weewards If you are thinking that you need a separate line line for the phone, you don't. You will get the phone service over the same line as your broadband, but it will be a VoIP service i.e a digital one. What that means is that instead of your phone being plugged into the current Master Socket, it will be plugged into the rear of your router via an adapter, and work exactly as it does now.

The only difference i that,, if you stay with Plusnet, you will need to take out a separate service with a VoIP provider. If you still want the phone with the same provider as your broadband, you will have to move to an ISP which does both. EE or Zen are two who do this - there will be others, but without further research I don't know which they are, but you can check this yourself by visiting other ISP's sites.

If you need further help, post back with your specific questions.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

Baldrick1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:29:35 GMT

Moderator's note:
Thread moved from Broadband to Everything Else

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

Townman — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:57:29 GMT

This reads as a current solution to an unspecified problem. Providing appropriate advice needs to be informed of why you have two lines now: do they both deliver broadband services?

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

bmc — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:36:36 GMT

@weewards

The copper line is used to supply "Fibre" along with a phone service.

In a victory for the marketing bods over common sense what we know as FTTC (SOGEA in the future) is known as "Fibre" whereas FTTP is "Full Fibre"

If you have two lines then I assume you have two accounts. It may be possible to move the Copper line to SOGEA so you still have two lines but, as stated, you need VOIP for the phone service. VOIP works on almost any internet connection.

Brian

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

weewards — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:39:29 GMT

I live in a multi generational household & my son in law works from home in a garden office. He has his own full fibre broadband & I have fibre broadband via the analogue phone line but when I contacted PlusNet a while back I was told that they cannot supply 2 full fibre circuits to the same address so I am concerned that when the copper wire is cut I won’t be able to have my own broadband.

Previously I was told I could upgrade to full fibre but in the process they cut off my son in law who is with BT, he wasn’t happy & it was then that I was told that PlusNet cannot supply 2 full fibre circuits to the same address.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

bmc — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:42:15 GMT

@weewards

Put your phone number in the folowing.

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Look to see if SOGEA is available and what does it say regarding Fibre Priority Exchange (Y/N)

Brian

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

jab1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:54:54 GMT

@weewards wrote:
I live in a multi generational household & my son in law works from home in a garden office. He has his own full fibre broadband & I have fibre broadband via the analogue phone line but when I contacted PlusNet a while back I was told that they cannot supply 2 full fibre circuits to the same address so I am concerned that when the copper wire is cut I won’t be able to have my own broadband.

Previously I was told I could upgrade to full fibre but in the process they cut off my son in law who is with BT, he wasn’t happy & it was then that I was told that PlusNet cannot supply 2 full fibre circuits to the same address.

@weewards Are there any other (non-BT) suppliers available to you?

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

MisterW — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:03:38 GMT

@weewards

I live in a multi generational household & my son in law works from home in a garden office

I would have thought that a single full fibre connection would provide ample bandwidth for both generations.

Offer to contribute to the cost and upgrade your son in laws full fibre to FF900 if necessary. If you really want to separate the 2 generations , then install an ethernet cable from his router to where you want your router. You need a little bit of network expertise but doing that should be able to provide 2 largely separate wireless and wired networks sharing the single full fibre connection.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

Baldrick1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:18:26 GMT

@weewards wrote:
I currently have a full fibre line to my premises and an analogue line with fibre broadband.
What happens after switch off of the copper line as I am told it is not possible to have two fibre lines to the same premises.

Many people associate the closing down of the PSTN telephone system with switching off the copper cable to your property. This is not the case. In terms of ‘switching off copper’, what is happening is that the connection between your FTTC street cabinet and the telephone exchange is being disconnected, the copper from the FTTC cabinet to your property remains active, providing you with a broadband connection.
Providing you are not in a fibre priority area you should be able to convert to SoGEA, be that if you stay with Plusnet you will need to either lose your landline phone or use a third party VoIP provider.

If you are in this fortunate position you should do it without delay. With the roll out of FTTP, exchange areas are being moved to fibre priority status at an increasingly rapid rate.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

pvmb — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:32:39 GMT

@weewards wrote:
I live in a multi generational household & my son in law works from home in a garden office. He has his own full fibre broadband & I have fibre broadband via the analogue phone line but when I contacted PlusNet a while back I was told that they cannot supply 2 full fibre circuits to the same address so I am concerned that when the copper wire is cut I won’t be able to have my own broadband.

Previously I was told I could upgrade to full fibre but in the process they cut off my son in law who is with BT, he wasn’t happy & it was then that I was told that PlusNet cannot supply 2 full fibre circuits to the same address.

Well no... Also, it would surely be Openworld that refused this? But why would you need "two full fibre circuits to the same address"?

An interesting question though. With FTTP would it be possible to have two different ISP services at the same address, via the same ONT? (ONT would presumably need to be one with two Ethernet ports).

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

jab1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:40:07 GMT

@pvmb wrote:

An interesting question though. With FTTP would it be possible to have two different ISP services at the same address, via the same ONT? (ONT would presumably need to be one with two Ethernet ports).

AIUI, Openreach no longer supply multi-port ONTs - read that somewhere recently. As I said above, the only way to get two FF connections - a little expensive - is to keep the BT supplied one, and see whether an altnet, or someone using say, the Cityfibre network, would install a second full connection.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

bmc — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:41:32 GMT

@pvmb

When I had FTTP installed in late 2017 I got a 4 port ONT with a separate battery back up unit. It was technically possible to receive 4 separate feeds but the problem would have been finding ISP's to supply.

OpenReach have recently been trialing 4 port ONT's but I gather they have cancelled the trial due to problems identified.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/03/openreach-to-fully-withdraw-multiport-ont-on-uk-fttp-broadband-lines.html

Brian

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

pvmb — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:07:02 GMT

It occurs to me that there may be an underlying misunderstanding here, of how the GPON (optical network) works. This misunderstanding could be shared by others: that the fibre (FTTP) link is just a 'Go Faster' version of the existing private line, landline network. It isn't.

A copper landline is a private line to a specific address that connects back to the local cabinet (in the first instance). It is an private, unshared, copper analogue electrical circuit, one to each individual household wall socket.

With FTTP (the GPON) it isn't like that. It's not electrical, it isn't circuit based, it isn't analogue and it isn't there to provide an unshared private line to each household. The fibre is there simply to connect each premise up to the digital optical network (GPON). It isn't 'your private line', it is a sort of incoming broadcast system, rather like DAB or DTV. It is the job of the ONT - each with a unique ID registered to the address where it is installed - to decode the data coming in for your premises. What services are coming out of your ONT Ethernet port is down to what arrangements you have with your ISP.

So you can have (cough!) 'Broadband' with one ISP and a VoIP telephone service with another.

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

Townman — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:19:07 GMT

Single service supply would appear to bring about some niche issues, especially in work from home scenarios where an employer pays for the work related connection. One can foresee situations where domestic use of such services might be prohibited.

Where there are legitimate needs for separate services BT / ISPs might need to think again / have their stance challenged. In the circumstances described there are three go forward options.

If not a full fibre priority area get the FTTC switched to SoGEA and transfer the phone number (if still required) to VoIP
Share the existing FTTP service distributing connectivity within the premises as needed (and dealing with the phone as above)
If there are altnet connections obtain a second connection using one of them … but the ISP will not be one from the BT group - Zen over City Fibre would be a good choice - they can offer BB and VoIP as a combination service

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

weewards — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:21:34 GMT

Many thanks, I don’t actually know my landline number as I I have never used it, how do I find it as it’s not on the master socket & I can’t find it by logging into my PlusNet account?

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

bmc — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:23:11 GMT

@weewards

Use the address version. Enter your post code and then select your address from the drop down list.

Brian

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

Townman — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:24:30 GMT

If you’ve never used it / do not want it … you do not need to know. Just get the service changed to SoGEA make clear you do not want to go FTTP.

EDIT: Ah to look up the availability query!! That’s a different matter!!

Re: Multiple fibre lines?

PhilipHeyes — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:16:45 GMT

"I don’t actually know my landline number"

Perhaps it is on the monthly bill.

Or plug a phone in and dial 17070 - the exchange may read back the number.