Take action to avoid Disruption. Legit or Spam?

[#1]

I have received an email (posted below) from [email protected]

Is this legit because I only got the email sent to my non-Plusnet email address on my account, and not to my Plusnet account.

There is no personal identification (no name or account name) and the links go via intelli-direct.com (which I haven't clicked on.)

Googled the phone number 0800 389 6925 and got no hits.

I have not received anything through the postal mail or telephone calls, although I have received an email previously from Plusnet about the digital swtich-over, and of which I am aware of.

Currently have ADSL with Plusnet and phone line with BT. BT have told me via a telephone call earlier this year about what will happen come the end of January if I do nothing (The BT phone line will continue but the broadband will be cancelled).

The email states your broadband service will temporarily stop within the next 5 days for 7 days. Anyone know why it would be 7 days? As far as I have read the broadband will be completely lost, not temporarily stop.

The email looks legit, but considering they make a point of making you check for obvious signs of a phishing scam, then it seems a poorly constructed email (No personal identification, links that don't go direct, an urgency, and factually incorrect about trying to contact via telephone and postal mail).

Without action, you’ll lose your broadband services

This is an urgent notice. We have tried to reach you several times through emails, letters and phone calls about updating your services for the digital switchover before the January 2027 deadline, but we have not yet had a response.

This means your broadband service will temporarily stop within the next 5 days for 7 days.

Call us Now To keep your service running, contact us on 0800 389 6925 Our guides are here to help you and talk you through your options.

Don’t worry, your phone service will be unaffected by the temporary pause in service. If you have already taken action to move your service to a new product, you can ignore this email. Thanks The Plusnet Team

[#2]

@steed The number quoted in that message was a genuine BT service number, but redirects to an 0300 number (also a genuine BT number), so the email looks genuine.

If you are on ADSL, note that the service will cease come the end of January when the PSTN service is closed down.

[#3]

"This means your broadband service will temporarily stop within the next 5 days for 7 days."

To me, that seems suspicious.

Plusnet is indeed moving folks who still have land lines to EE unilaterally, but that follows a strict engagement process which checks to see if there are any telcare devices in the customer's environment (even if they do not use the phone line).  Whatever to date none of the migration journeys have hinted at a break in service.  It has been positioned that (barring disasters) the older service ends only after the new service is commissioned.

Whatever, if ever there is any doubt, do not use an telephone number or link in an email, call a number you find from the company's website.

See here Help with My Account | Help | Plusnet - 0330 1239 123

@James_B 

Can you advise if this is a legitimate communication please?  What is the customer management journey where (as claimed in the email) the business has tried and failed to establish contact with the user?

"We have tried to reach you several times through emails, letters and phone calls about updating your services for the digital switchover before the January 2027 deadline, but we have not yet had a response."

The tone of urgency to act, is the very hallmark red-flag of an attempt to defraud.

@steed 

Have you had / missed any of...

• Previous emails (check your spam folder) [are you using a POP3 client - they do not see the spam folder]
• Snail mail letters
• Telephone calls (check missed call logs and the calling number - Plusnet has used a BT group for this programme

[#4]

---

@steed wrote:

Googled the phone number 0800 389 6925 and got no hits.

I can't find any references to that number either.

However, Plusnet have very recently started sending service termination notices to ADSL customers, so you should act with urgency, and I would suggest phoning the official Plusnet main help line on 0330 1239 123

---

@steed wrote:

Currently have ADSL with Plusnet and phone line with BT.

BT have told me via a telephone call earlier this year about what will happen come the end of January if I do nothing (The BT phone line will continue but the broadband will be cancelled).

---

No that is wrong.

If you do nothing you will lose both your broadband AND phone service !

as

If Plusnet end your ADSL account, then you will also lose your BT phone service.

or

If BT end your phone service, then your Plusnet account will cease (including email, webspace etc if not migrated to Greenby).

You only have a few options.

1. IF you can upgrade to FTTP or SoGEA then doing so will save your broadband from disappearing, but your phone service will instantly cease - however the number is held 'in quarantine' for 30 days - during which you can port the number to a third party VoIP provider.
2. IF you can't get anything other than ADSL, then you will have to change ISP to one who supports SoADSL, but again you will lose your phone service and will need to port the number to a VoIP provider. Note that using a VoIP phone on a SOADSL might prove to be challenging - due to the low data rates !.
3. Consider moving your broadband to Starlink, or an AltNet FTTP network (if there are any in your postcode area), and the same procedure as before with the phone service.

[#5]

Agreed it does sound a little strange, thinking about it, @Townman , but both numbers say 'welcome to BT' although I didn't listen to the second numbers message.

Would be interesting to see the full header from the email?

[#6]

@ExForce9 

The statement could be true in circumstances where FTTC and FTTP are not available.

EO lines are a niche issue...

For Exchange-Only (EO) lines that bypass the standard street cabinets and connect directly to the telephone exchange, Openreach's immediate strategy relies on interim transitional products to ensure continuous service while they work toward a long-term Full Fibre (FTTP) upgrade. [1, 2]

Because the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is being retired, properties on EO lines with no FTTC or FTTP alternative are being handled through the following specific plans: [1]

1. The Short-to-Medium Term: SOTAP Migration

For lines with zero access to fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC), Openreach cannot use its standard transitional product (SoGEA). Instead, they use a product called SOTAP (Single Order Transitional Access Product). [1, 2, 3]

• How it works: SOTAP delivers a digital voice connection and basic ADSL broadband over your existing copper wire directly from the exchange, but without requiring an active legacy analogue phone service. [1, 2]

• The Exchange Kit: Openreach is deploying specialized analogue-to-digital kit directly inside local telephone exchanges. This routes your existing copper EO line onto the modern digital network so that your home landline or basic internet continues to work seamlessly past the PSTN switch-off. [1, 2]

2. The Long-Term Goal: Phased FTTP "Mop-Up"

Openreach’s ultimate goal is to completely retire the copper network. EO lines present a major engineering challenge because there is no street cabinet to use as a stepping stone. Their long-term strategy includes: [1, 2, 3]

• The Commercial Rollout: Openreach continues to expand its FTTP footprint incrementally. Even after primary area targets are hit, "mopping up" operations are deployed to handle complex, left-behind infrastructures like EO lines and blocked underground ducts. [1, 2]

• Project Gigabit & Subsidies: Many properties stuck on EO lines fall into rural or commercially unviable pockets. Openreach targets these premises via public funding contracts (like the UK Government's Project Gigabit) to subsidize the high cost of laying brand-new fibre lines directly from the exchange to your street. [1, 2]

3. Alternative Solutions if Openreach is Stalled

If an EO line is deemed too complex or expensive for an immediate commercial upgrade, alternative solutions fill the gap: [1, 2]

• Fibre Community Partnerships (FCP): Jointly funded initiatives between Openreach and local communities to bring FTTP to left-behind pockets. [1]

• AltNets: Independent fibre networks (such as CityFibre or regional rural providers) often build underground infrastructure completely separate from Openreach's footprint. [1, 2]

• Fixed Wireless & Satellite: Under Ofcom guidance, communication providers can use 4G/5G home broadband routers or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite setups (like Starlink) to serve areas where physical copper replacement is heavily delayed. [1, 2]

[#7]

if I do nothing (The BT phone line will continue but the broadband will be cancelled).


The plan is for the BT landline phones service to finish by end of Jan 2017, the Plusnet ADSL service would also be ceased.

i.e. do nothing and face loss of everything, including after 30 days the ability to Port the phone number to VoIP / Digital Voice.

[#8]

@Townman 

Those SOTAP products are only intended for lines which are landline phone only, and don't already have ANY type of broadband service.

SOTAP uses ADSL signalling to emulate an analogue phone system, and would have to involve a second SoADSL line being installed so that the existing line could be used for broadband purposes - which previously Openreach said they weren't going to do.

[#9]

@steed 

To check what your upgrade options are, visit the BT Broadband Availability Checker website

enter your details, and get to the subsequent results screen.

Take a screenshot of from the top of the purple table (below your phone number or address), down to the bottom of the page.

Then come back here and post the image in your reply, so we can advise further.

Be careful to not reveal your phone number or address in your screenshot !.

[#10]

@ExForce9 

There are a good few things which BT said they were not going to do ... and have found the need to do (or were told to do).  I changed the Google question slightly.  For the benefit of others...

For Exchange Only (EO) lines—which connect directly from a property to the local telephone exchange without passing through a green street cabinet—the roadmap for broadband and voice services operates as follows: [1, 2]

Broadband Services Transition to SOTAP / SOADSL

Because there is no street cabinet to facilitate FTTC, and no fiber infrastructure for FTTP yet, standard broadband must still utilize the legacy exchange equipment. [1]

• The Solution: Providers will transition EO line customers to SOTAP (Single Order Transition Access Product) or SOADSL (Single Order ADSL). [1, 2]

• What this means: This is essentially "naked ADSL"—a data-only broadband connection running over your existing copper line that does not require or include an analogue phone service. [1, 2]

• Speeds: Broadband performance will remain exactly the same as your current ADSL speeds, as the underlying physical distance to the exchange dictates the limitation. [1, 2]

And there is this which BT said they would not do...

1. SOTAP Analogue (The Primary Fallback for Vulnerable Customers)

For premises without fibre infrastructure that only require a traditional telephone service (no broadband), Openreach launched a dedicated product called SOTAP Analogue (Single Order Transition Access Product). [1, 2]

• How it works: SOTAP Analogue allows customers to keep a traditional, non-broadband phone service. Openreach terminates the copper line onto modern, IP-based equipment directly inside the local telephone exchange. [1, 2, 3]

• The user experience: From the customer's perspective, the phone continues to plug directly into the standard copper wall socket exactly as it does now. No home internet router or broadband subscription is required. [1, 2]

• Target Audience: This is specifically intended as a fallback path for vulnerable users, edge-case customers, and those heavily reliant on legacy telecare or health-alarm systems that cannot easily use standard digital voice lines. [1]

Somewhere along the way, I read that in extreme cases users will need an second line installing as ADSL might not be adequate for Digital Voice / VoIP, requiring both SOADSL and SOTAP Analogue.

Whatever the BT FTTC and FTTP not spots options are confusing and limited if there are no Altnets via physical line, 4G/5G or satellite link.

[#11]

@steed 

If you need help with identifying if ANY AltNet (non-Openreach) FTTP networks are in your area,

then let us know your postcode and I'll take a look for you.

[#12]

Thanks for all the replies.

We received a postal letter from BT around February 2026 stating that from 31st January 2027 you can no longer have broadband with a different provider for telephone.

This was followed up weeks later with a telephone call from BT detailing about the switch and telling me that if I choose to do nothing then the telephone would take priority, and come January 2027 the broadband would be cancelled but the telephone service would be kept. On the call he said that no further communication would be sent about this issue.

Not received any further information from BT.

Received a telephone call in March 2026 from someone working on behalf of Plusnet although given the impression it was Plusnet themselves, it was outsourced from the telephone number they called on and posted in the Plusnet Community Forum. Basically saying similar to the BT call. This call generated an email with details that we discussed, but on viewing it, it had some other persons details, and not mine.

From Plusnet received an email in July about the digital switchover.

Not received any further telephone calls (no messages left on the landline answerphone either). And certainly no postal letters from Plusnet.

My current line runs through a green street cabinet and is not directly from a property to the local telephone exchange.

When I looked into things several months ago I wasn't on a fibre priority exchange, but checking tonight I can now see I am.

So it looks like it will be FTTP, and it's a 1 Stage install process.

Just been waiting for the email and webspace to migrate to Greenby so I have options other than Plusnet.

The email will probably be legit, even though it screams scam warning signs on several fronts.

But I don't get what the temporarily stop on the broadband within the next 5 days for 7 days is about.

[#13]

That explains a lot - it suggests your phone is with BT Retail whilst your broadband is with Plusnet.

If BT messes with the phone service, your broadband will be lost.

Plusnet modifying the broadband service will (under BT OR rules) now cease the telephone.

[#14]

@Townman 

Is there a reliable way that @steed can use to find out when their transfer date of email and webspace to Greenby is ?

.

[#15]

I received an email the 26 August 2026 to say that "We will begin transferring mailboxes from 26-09-2026." but no actual date,  or welcome email from from Greenby yet (this is for ic24 mailbox / webspace).