FVA from PN

[#1]

Being a new fttp user I no longer have a land line in the traditional sense of a copper line that was obligatory to have in order to place ADSL on the line. I notice my OR equipment has 2 TEL ports and was wondering if PN are able to offer a voice line through the OR port or is this something I would need to go to BT for?
I have looked into a SIP offering (sipgate) which are free to register, provide a local number and you only pay call charges for but then there is the additional cost of an ATA and having to power it (plus sockets are in high demand in my house  )

[#2]

You can get a basic ATA for about £40 http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/default_ShopGroup.asp?ShopGroupID=96&Sort=3#Content
Another option would be to use a SIP softphone client. I guess since you have no landline you may well have a mobile. If it's a smartphone then there's almost certainly a softphone client you could run on that. With a softphone there's likely to be times when it's not connected, I'm not sure if the sipgate free accounts provide voicemail.

[#3]

The Cisco ATA adaptors, in "as new" or "very good" condition, go for about £15 on eBay.

[#4]

I do have a smartphone with sip software running and is configured and testing OK.
I do have a house alarm that needs a telephone connection so ATA may be the only way forward... It would be nice to not have another appliance in the house taking up room and using power 

[#5]

Hi,
At the moment we don't have any plans for FVA, we've looked at it but it's not something we can easily trial out. We've spoken to BT Retail about it and they do offer it so in theory if you need it you could get it from them, if you need a contact number to their sales/support people I can get one for you.
Otherwise another suggestion would be to look at a router that has VoIP built in. We've had some routers which have VoIP ports so you can plug in a normal phone and use it with the VoIP services the router supports. Worth checking to see if something like that would be suitable as then you wouldn't have an extra box.

[#6]

Quote

I do have a house alarm that needs a telephone connection

Is it compatible with a voip connection ? You also have a problem in power fail situations.

[#7]

Quote from: MisterW

Quote I do have a house alarm that needs a telephone connection Is it compatible with a voip connection ? You also have a problem in power fail situations.

Good point on compatibility. I suppose with an ATA there would be no issues with compatibility but the OR box does have battery backup where as an ATA would not 

[#8]

Even with an Ata there may still be problems, it depends on what signalling methods the alarm system uses.

[#9]

So PlusNet are not offering FVA, but there was a suggestion that BT do. Is it therefore possible to have PN provide the data connection over the fibre, yet have BT providing the telephone connection via FVA on that same fibre, so therefore the same as normal Broadband in that phone and data can be via different suppliers even over the same actual connection?
Presumably the FVA telephone connection does NOT use the data path? So even if there is no router etc connected, the phone will still work? I'm thinking about power cuts and emergency calls. With the ONT running from its UPS, if there was a power cut, a telephone plugged into one of the ONT's telephone ports would still work perfectly?