Switch to EE

[#1]

I have received recently an email from Plusnet saying they are switching my Landline Phone and Broadband to EE as the system is going digital, we apparently have no say in the matter.

I  need a home phone (on a landline) because the Mobile Phone service here in rural Caithness is pathetic and unreliable.i.e when it rains, snows, thunderstorm or strong winds there are no bars showing and reads "No signal" or "No Service" The local

transmitter tower is faulty especially in heavy rain or wind proven by the badly affected TV reception, major flickering, stop/starts, blackouts.

If the digitalisation has to go through this transmitter tower it could seriously compromise my Computer and phone reception, very worrying as I live alone, am 87.3 yrs old and have a heart condition..

In the info sent out it says there will have to be an appointment with an engineer to do "the installation", What is that all about, what has to be installed and what happens to the phone line to my house on poles.(I have to employ very expensive 'Tree Surgeons" to maintain gaps between the trees)

Would be grateful for an explanation.

Many thanks,

Dave Bowley

I

[#2]

@captaindave2  what broadband do you have ?  ADSL or FTTC ?

[#3]

@captaindave2 If you are moved to EE, your broadband and phone (combined) do not go anywhere  near the 4/5G mast - they are still carried over the Openreach infrastructure which presently carries your existing service.

I assume you are on FTTC presently - is FTTP available?

No idea what the engineer is for, sorry - AFAIK, none is required.

[#4]

@captaindave2 

"I have received recently an email from Plusnet saying they are switching my Landline Phone and Broadband to EE as the system is going digital, we apparently have no say in the matter."

My understanding is that is not strictly 100% true. I take it your current landline phone service supplier is Plusnet?
In which case, if you want to keep a Home phone, and given Plusnet are no longer going to offer any future phone services, they are offering you an easy route to transfer your phone + Internet services to a related company, EE, who can provide both of these services to you in future - including keeping your existing landline telephone number with the new digital phone service.

However... You could move the telephone service yourself. More advice will be available should you want this.

"I need a home phone (on a landline) because the Mobile Phone service here in rural Caithness is pathetic and unreliable.i.e when it rains, snows, thunderstorm or strong winds there are no bars showing and reads "No signal" or "No Service" "

OTOH, if you already have a mobile phone, have you considered Wi-Fi calling via your Plusnet router? This is what I do after giving up my landline phone service. It would of course mean your home phone number in future would be your mobile number (there are even ways around that, I believe).

"The localtransmitter tower is faulty especially in heavy rain or wind proven by the badly affected TV reception, major flickering, stop/starts, blackouts.

With Wi-Fi calling you wouldn't need to bother with that - at least when at home. You'd always have a strong signal!

"If the digitalisation has to go through this transmitter tower it could seriously compromise my Computer and phone reception, very worrying as I live alone, am 87.3 yrs old and have a heart conditio.."

Your computer (and any digital phone) services wouldn't have anything to do with the mobile phone network.

"In the info sent out it says there will have to be an appointment with an engineer to do "the installation", What is that all about, what has to be installeded and what happens to the phone line to my house on poles.(I have to employ very expensive 'Tree Surgeons" to maintain gaps between the trees)"

Not sure. It depends... could be for the EE setup, could even be for a proposed change to full fibre (not essential for digital phone service). What are you currently on, FTTC?

Also, do you use Plusnet email? If so, have you been transferred to Greenby yet?

[#5]

@captaindave2 to add to what @jab1 says...

From Jan 2027, Openreach will no longer provide a traditional phone service over the 'copper wire'. Customers who require a 'landline' style phone service after that will have that service provided as VOIP (Voice over Internet protocol ) over a broadband connection by their ISP.

Plusnet have decided not to provide such VOIP service and so are arranging for customers who still use a landline phone to be transferred to EE (part of the same BT group as Plusnet) who will provide a combined broadband and voip service

[#6]

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@captaindave2 wrote:

...The local transmitter tower is faulty especially in heavy rain or wind proven by the badly affected TV reception, major flickering, stop/starts, blackouts.

If the digitalisation has to go through this transmitter tower it could seriously compromise my Computer and phone reception...

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 It sounds like you are talking about the TV transmitter mast. That has nothing to do with your broadband & phone, even after your phone is converted.

Does the email mention that you will have Full Fibre (FTTP ) installed? This will require an engineer visit (if you don't already have FTTP), so may be due to that?

[#7]

heavy rain or wind proven by the badly affected TV reception

This is a TV aerial defect.

[#8]

@captaindave2 

The first question is - what's available to you? Look at the following

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

Can you attach a screen image of the results after hiding your details.

Do you use PN email and how long have you left on your contract? While you must act in the near future you do have choices available to you.

Move to EE to keep phone and internet under one contract. Easiet option.

Stay with PN and move your phone number to a VOIP provider. More options but requires some work and you'll lose the phone for a few days - the move can't happen until after your internet is sorted.

Move to another ISP for both, eg Zen Internet. Would probably cost Early Termination Charges but Zen (if chosen) have a good reputation and provide a well regarded router.

Brian

[#9]

@captaindave2 I was recently pushed over to EE (last week) as I also still use a landline due to the same issues as you with poor mobile phone service, (wifi calling didn't work well either, but that could be my mobile phone service provider as my husband's usually seems fine).
EE will become your new internet service provider, and they will send you a new router. You will be able to plug your phone into the back of the router instead of the old BT socket, and it should work normally. You keep the same phne number, nothing changes. I have actually found the new EE router to be better with wifi than the old Plusnet router- it reaches parts of the house that couldn't be reached before. 
I didn't get offered an engineer to set things up, it was just a case of plugging it in in place of the old router. But before we were switched, our village  recently had fibre installed through the main street, (prior to that we also had years of issues with copper cable joints in the street becoming waterlogged during bad weather cutting our internet- we are on a private road which still has a copper cable and I am yet to investigate who is responsible for replacing that!) so I wonder if you still have that infrastucture which they plan to change, hence the visit?
Just to warn you, once you have switched, Plusnet will request that you send your old Plusnet router back to them (they will arrange collection etc) so don't bin it!

[#10]

Thanks for all the useful info on this thread. I've just discovered that my elderly parents (both approaching 90) have received an email in a similar vein. Unfortunately my dad just deleted the email and so I was not aware of this. I only found out when I was trying to find another email and came across it in my dad's deleted emails. The email from plusnet does not provide any dates for when this change will happen which is a bit worrying. Added to that I am now in hospital recovering from a severe leg break and could be in here for a while. While I am aware that this should be fairly transparent apart from new router requiring installation (can I change the SSID details of the new router to match the old one to avoid having to change all the wifi connected devices?) can anyone confirm what happens with their email which is with Plusnet (well it has transferred over to Greenby now)?

TIA, Ian

[#11]

@ianmcleod1963 

can anyone confirm what happens with their email which is with Plusnet (well it has transferred over to Greenby now)?

If the email has already transferred to Greenby ( or its transferred by the time of migration to EE) then access to the email is retained.

If an email client (as opposed to webmail) is used, You MAY have to change the outgoing(smtp) server from relay.plus.net to mail.enmail.co  and ensure the full email address (rather than <account>+<mailbox> is used to authenticate

can I change the SSID details of the new router to match the old one to avoid having to change all the wifi connected devices?

I'm sure you can but not having access to an EE Hub I dont know the detailed procedure

[#12]

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@captaindave2 wrote:

The local transmitter tower is faulty especially in heavy rain or wind proven by the badly affected TV reception, major flickering, stop/starts, blackouts.

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As has been said, the local TV mast has absolutely nothing to do with you moving to EE for your broadband and phone.

However, taking this thread way off topic, if you have poor TV reception and at least 10Mbps broadband then look at giving up your terrestrial aerial and get all your free to view programs through the free Freely service (https://www.freely.co.uk/). I use one of these in place of a TV aerial (https://manhattan-tv.com/freely/aero).

[#13]

@Baldrick1 I think - could be wrong - that @captaindave2 was talking about his local mobile, rather than TV, mast.

[#14]

Good morning ExForce9 (Grafter),

Apologies for tardy reply I am in constant excruciating pain from crushed discs in my Lumbar spine.

My system is ADSL. There is No full fibre here. I live in far North Scotland surrounded by farms! 

FYI I have had 9 replies to my original question, I thank all the members who replied but all the information was quite confusing especially about the date when all this changeover is supposed to happen and what actually happens. I suppose I will get an email from Plusnet with instructions and when I will receive the EE router.

Thanks again mate,

Dave

[#15]

G'Day John,

My system is ADSL, There is NO Full fibre here I live in far North Scotland surrounded by farms!

I have had 9 replies to my original query about being switched to EE and though I thank all the members who replied so much info was quite confusing and vague.

I guess I will have to wait for an email from Plusnet with instructions and the new EE hub?

Thanks again,

Dave