Seperate phone line

[#1]

Hello,

I don't quite understand how the separate phone line works with a fibre account? It looks like there are available fibre + phone from Plusnet by why is it separate. What does this mean?

Thanks,

              Nevica

[#2]

@nevica 

You cannot order a tradional copper phone line / service now. Assuming FTTC, lines are gradually being transferred onto an OpenReach product which is inernet only. The copper line from the Exchange to the cabinet becomes redundant. Slightly different for ADSL lines.

Any new phone service provided now is VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).

Brian

[#3]

nevica

Because it is not Fibre to the Home, only to a cabinet. However even this phone service is due to be removed by Plusnet and replaced by Single Order Generic Access, with broadband copper from the cabinet unless they provide Fibre to the Home. Either way "Land Line" telephone will only be available through a 3rd party Voice Over Internet Protocol.

[#4]

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@nevica wrote:

I don't quite understand how the separate phone line works with a fibre account?

---

One of the confusing things is that there are two different types of "fibre" accounts.

FTTC or fibre to the cabinet uses the old copper wires from the cabinet to provide the analogue phone line and the broadband. The analogue phone service, PSTN, is no longer available for new customers, but anyone with it can continue to use it for now - but it will go away in a year, or when the customer changes the broadband they have.

FTTP or fibre to the premises brings the fibre optic cable all the way to your home. It no longer uses the copper wires or the street cabinets. It has no analogue phone service, but a digital phone service or VoIP (BT call theirs DigitalVoice) is available from some ISPs or third party companies. 

However, Plusnet do not offer VoIP, so can't provide any phone service at all with FTTP. So nobody can have a new phone service from Plusnet now. Third party VoIP providers can be used with Plusnet broadband, but Plusnet won't help with that.

[#5]

Actually @nevica and @corringham it's probably better to think that there are currently three types of "fibre" accounts with PlusNet:

1. "Old-school" Fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) which uses the copper cable from the cabinet to your house to carry both "traditional" phone and broadband. No longer available to purchase AFAIK. The cabinet is supplied from the exchange by both fibre (for broadband) and copper for "POTS" phone (Plain Old Telephone Service). (I was on this until about a year ago)

2. Modern "SOGEA" FTTC which uses the copper cable from the cabinet to your house to supply broadband and fibre from cabinet to exchange. NO  POTS TELEPHONE. And no telephone service from PlusNet. (I'm on this now)

3. FTTP - Fibre To The Premises. Broadband only, no telephone service from PlusNet. (Not available in my area)

Any type of broadband (even #1) can be used to supply VOIP "landline" services, but PlusNet don't do them.

[#6]

@HPsauce, I was really talking about the differences in the broadband technology rather than the way Plusnet administer accounts, but now you mention it actually there is probably another account case - where the land line is operated by another provider and Plusnet just provides the broadband. These are old accounts as there hasn't been an option for a new account of this kind for years - however, they still exist and cause havoc when either the phone or broadband contract is modified as changing one often cancels the other, with no prospect of reinstating the land line and sometimes not the broadband either.

[#7]

@corringham You're right and in fact I was "Case 4" so had to be extremely careful in my migration.

(I had a BT POTS landline and PN ADSL over it and chose in the end to install a totally new SOGEA line alongside and manage the migration myself step by step 😎 )