According to Customer Services.......

[#1]

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@Baldrick1 wrote:

My interpretation of this is that it does not mean  that ‘it can’t be recovered’, it clearly can be. Rather it means ‘It can’t be recovered and ported to BT’s Digital Phone service’. I can quite believe that they are not prepared to go to the bother, which I understand requires manual intervention.

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That's my interpretation too. In effect, it's what Plusnet are saying to people with a landline "We transfer you to EE, or you lose your landline". That's not untrue! This is, IMO, as much a linguistic issue as a technical one. 😉

I am a pedant, I like to call a spade whatever it actually is. A spade... I feel that casual, loose and incorrect use of words only leads to confusions. I hear the word "landline" being banded about all over the place (not just on here) and can see it being used to mean three (at least) entirely different things.

Firstly: When you lose your 'landline' phone service it's gone, for ever. It's never coming back again, ever. Anymore that B&W television on 405 lines is coming back.

You will be left with, a digital network connection (whether through Broadband - on a 'landline'! - or via FTTP fibre). If you so choose, you can have a 'Home phone' service (not a 'landline' phone!) whether supplied by EE or anyone else, via your digital network connection.

If you want, and if you choose to have a 'Home phone' (not a 'landline' phone) service via the digital network, you can even choose to transfer your old, now dead landline ID number (i.e. landline phone number) ported to your brand new, digital 'Home phone'. Provided you ask for this within 30 days of your landline phone service being ceased.

This, I take it, is the case whether with Plusnet or BT. It's just that Plusnet won't be able to help you - other than simply passing your custom to EE - and BT themselves will, if you stay with them for their in house Digital Voice service (see above). Otherwise, in both cases, it is up to you to arrange to have a 'Home phone' service via your digital network. connection. If this, then neither BT or Plusnet will have any future involvement with your 'Home phone'.

As has also been pointed out elsewhere, you can even get an app for your mobile to receive calls coming to your 'landline' phone number. I just let the landline phone go and stick to Wi-Fi Calling on a mobile.

[#2]

Does this mean that somebody who has broadband with Plusnet and a VoIP service with say, A&A, wouldn't be able to move to EE for broadband with Digital Voice and keep the same number?

[#3]

Semantics are indeed important.

Losing the "landline" is indeed ambiguous, but "losing the phone number and not being able to recover it ... and having to get a new one allocated" is neither ambiguous nor (at a technical level) correct.  Released numbers should (by Ofcom requirements) fall into a state of quarantine from where they can be picked up by any VoIP (digital voice) supplier who choses to do so.

Perhaps one might read into this that EE / BT Retail do not want to do this to help users ... not that it cannot be done technically, if only there was the will to do so?

[#4]

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@Jones wrote:
Does this mean that somebody who has broadband with Plusnet and a VoIP service with say, A&A, wouldn't be able to move to EE for broadband with Digital Voice and keep the same number?

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Google is always a useful resource...

"Can a VoIP number with A&A be transferred to BT digital voice"

Yes, it is generally possible to transfer a VoIP number from Andrews & Arnold (A&A) to BT Digital Voice, but it can be complex and depends on the specific number, as A&A has very limited porting agreements. [1, 2, 3]

Here are the key considerations and steps for this transfer:

1. Porting from A&A to BT

• Porting Possibility: While A&A provides VoIP, porting out can be difficult because they have limited porting agreements. However, many UK geographical numbers are portable.
• Initiating the Transfer: You must initiate the request with BT. BT will then contact A&A to request the number, acting as the "gaining provider."
• Process: The number will be ported over and assigned to your BT Digital Voice service, usually plugged into the Smart Hub 2. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

2. Crucial Steps & Tips

• Do Not Cancel A&A First: Never cancel your service with your old provider before the number has ported to the new one, or you may lose the number.
• Identify the Number: Ensure the number is a standard geographical number.
• Account Information: You will need your A&A VoIP account details and your phone number. [1, 2, 3, 4]

3. Potential Issues

• Porting Limitations: A&A notes that they have limited porting agreements, so porting to a specific provider like BT might not be guaranteed for all numbers.
• Service Interruption: If you currently have broadband with A&A, porting the number out may cease that service, requiring you to arrange new broadband service with BT. [1, 2]

If the number is already on a separate A&A VoIP account (meaning it is no longer tied to an active copper PSTN line), the process is generally easier, as it is a VoIP-to-VoIP transfer. [1, 2]

See also - Porting number out from A&A? | ISPreview UK Forum

The answer might be "it depends...".

[#5]

I guess that the question, “if I have a data service with EE, is it possible to port a landline number in to their Digital Voice service” is one that would bamboozle their first line support. I suspect that the default ‘computer says no’ (i.e. there’s not enough demand to bother), would be the default answer.

[#6]

I would suspect that other providers such as Zen and Vodafone would also say no if you didnt go down the one touch route i.e. broadband/full fibre (thinking alt net here so not necessarily closing off existing OR landline/ISP service) and then at a later date closing OR landline and asking to port in landline number in would result in computer says no

It was the if you change your mind post 14 you cant get your number (not landline) back that i was surprised with 15-30 days seems in direct contradiction to ofcom rules for 30 day number retention?

[#7]

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@njay wrote:
It was the if you change your mind post 14 you cant get your number (not landline) back that i was surprised with 15-30 days seems in direct contradiction to ofcom rules for 30 day number retention?

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This brings us back to the point that I was trying to make: After 14 days the number will still be in quarantine and available for porting, but EE are not prepared to do it.

If you carefully read the words, it’s not clear that EE will recover it in the first 14 days either, you can read it either way.

[#8]

Thanks for all the replies.

This seems to have got very complicated, and I am seriously thinking of just taking everything to another provider.

I had a very bad experience with PN last year, many would have left and gone elsewhere, and that all started due to incorrect information provided by customer service, but despite them deleting my account and all my emails, I stuck with them.

Now, after again receiving what I believe is incorrect information, I'm not willing to risk another scenario which may compromise my landline.

I'm thinking of moving to another provider which is much more expensive, but one that will handle everything. 

As a customer of PN for over 20 years, it would be a big move to make, but with homeworking so dependent on the landline and internet, I can't afford major issues if lost.