Keeping Your Home Phone in Rural Britain has become an important concern for many households as the UK’s traditional landline network is phased out. For people living in villages, on farms and in remote communities, the home phone is far more than just another way to make a call. It’s the number that’s been printed in the local directory for decades, the one neighbours know by heart, and the one family members, doctors, tradespeople and local businesses still rely on. Where mobile coverage can be unreliable or disappear altogether, a dependable home phone remains an essential part of everyday life rather than a piece of outdated technology.
That is why the UK’s nationwide landline switch-off has created understandable concern. Across the country, the old copper telephone network that has connected homes for generations is being retired and replaced with digital technology. For many rural households, this raises difficult questions. Will the phone still work during power cuts? What happens if broadband is poor? Can you keep your existing telephone number? And if mobile reception is patchy, what options are actually available?
The good news is that the end of the traditional landline does not mean the end of having a home phone. Today there are several practical alternatives, including a digital landline for rural UK homes, services that provide a home phone over 4G or home phone over 5G, and even solutions using satellite broadband, making a Starlink home phone a realistic option for some of the country’s most remote properties.
Choosing the right rural landline replacement depends on where you live, the quality of your internet or mobile signal, and how you use your phone. Whether you’re looking for a reliable home phone for rural areas, want to keep your long-standing number, or simply want reassurance that you’ll still be able to stay in touch after the landline switch-off in rural communities, there are solutions available. This guide explains what is changing, why it matters, and how to choose the best option for your home.
If you’ve heard that landlines are being switched off, the reality is much less alarming than many headlines suggest. Your home phone isn’t disappearing—it’s the old copper telephone network that’s being retired. Instead of carrying calls over copper cables, home phone services are moving to digital technology that uses your internet connection.
For most households, the change is straightforward. You can usually keep your existing phone number, continue using your current handset, and make and receive calls just as you always have. In many cases, the only noticeable difference is that your phone connects through your broadband service rather than a traditional telephone socket.
A modern rural landline replacement works across a wide range of internet connections. Whether your home has FTTP (Full Fibre), FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet), SoGEA broadband, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband, or 5G Home Broadband, there’s likely to be a reliable rural home phone solution available.
The best home phone for rural areas depends on the type of broadband or mobile connectivity you already have. The important thing to remember is that the landline switch-off in rural Britain doesn’t mean giving up your trusted home phone. It simply means your calls are carried using modern digital technology, allowing you to keep the convenience of a home phone while benefiting from a more future-proof network.
For many people, the move from traditional landlines to digital phone services is simply another technology upgrade. In rural Britain, however, it’s often much more significant. A rural home phone isn’t just a convenience—it’s a vital connection to family, neighbours, emergency services, customers and healthcare. That’s why the landline switch-off in rural areas has generated far more concern than it has in towns and cities.
One of the biggest reasons is mobile coverage. While 4G and 5G networks continue to improve, there are still thousands of villages, valleys and remote properties where mobile signal is weak, inconsistent or non-existent. It’s not uncommon for people to have to stand in a particular room, walk into the garden or even drive up the road just to make a reliable call. In these situations, a dependable home phone for rural areas remains the most practical way to stay connected.
Many rural communities also have an older population. Elderly residents often prefer the familiarity of a traditional home telephone, particularly if they’ve used the same handset and phone number for many years. The thought of losing a trusted number or learning a completely new system can understandably feel daunting. The good news is that most digital phone services allow you to keep your existing number and, in many cases, continue using your current telephone handset, making the transition much less disruptive than many people expect.
Farms, smallholdings and remote businesses also rely heavily on their home phone. Farmers are frequently outside, operating machinery or working across large areas where mobile reception can be unreliable. Orders, deliveries, veterinary appointments and customer enquiries may all come through a long-established landline number that’s been shared for years. For many, protecting that number is just as important as keeping the service itself.
The same applies to remote cottages, holiday lets and home-based businesses. Whether it’s guests making bookings, customers calling for appointments or neighbours checking in, a reliable phone remains an essential part of everyday life. Losing access to that familiar number could mean missed opportunities as well as unnecessary inconvenience.
There are also important safety considerations. Many people use personal alarm systems, telecare devices or emergency call equipment that have historically relied on the traditional telephone network. While most modern systems can be adapted or replaced to work with digital services, it’s important to check compatibility well before the switch takes place. Households should also understand that digital phone services depend on power, meaning backup solutions may be needed for vulnerable residents during prolonged power cuts.
Ultimately, the concern isn’t simply about technology—it’s about reliability, safety and continuity. Rural households want reassurance that they’ll still be able to call for help, speak to loved ones, run their businesses and keep the phone number they’ve trusted for decades. The right rural landline replacement can provide exactly that, allowing people to embrace modern technology without losing the dependable home phone service they rely on every day.
Despite the name, it’s not actually landlines that are being switched off. What’s being retired is the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) – the ageing analogue telephone system that has carried voice calls across the UK’s copper network for decades.
For over a century, a traditional home phone worked because your property was connected to the local telephone exchange using a pair of copper wires. When you picked up the handset, your voice travelled as an analogue signal along those copper cables to the exchange, where it was routed to the person you were calling.
That system has served the UK incredibly well, but it’s now becoming expensive to maintain, increasingly unreliable and difficult to repair. Many of the components used in telephone exchanges are no longer manufactured, and specialist replacement parts are becoming harder to source every year.
This is why Openreach, which operates much of the UK’s telephone network, is replacing old copper infrastructure with modern fibre wherever possible. At the same time, phone providers are moving customers away from analogue telephone lines and onto Digital Voice services, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Rather than sending your call over dedicated telephone wires, VoIP converts your voice into digital data and carries it over an internet connection instead.
Understanding why the switch is happening becomes much easier when you look at the physical infrastructure.
A traditional landline depends on copper cables running all the way to your property. Without those copper wires, an analogue telephone simply has nothing to connect to.
Modern broadband technologies work differently:
In short, once your broadband no longer relies on a traditional telephone line, your phone service has to change too. Instead of being tied to copper wiring, your home phone simply uses whichever internet connection you have available.
The move isn’t the decision of a single phone company. It’s an industry-wide programme supported by Openreach, communications providers and overseen by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator.
Rather than continuing to invest in a network that is reaching the end of its practical life, providers are moving everyone to more reliable digital technology that’s better suited to modern broadband services.
2017–2020 – Telecom providers begin introducing Digital Voice and VoIP home phone services.
2021–2024 – Millions of homes start migrating away from traditional analogue phone lines as fibre broadband expands.
2025–2026 – Most new broadband services are supplied without a traditional analogue phone line, with customers moving to digital alternatives instead.
By January 2027 – The UK’s analogue PSTN and traditional copper-based telephone network is scheduled to be retired, with virtually all home phone services operating digitally.
For rural households, this doesn’t mean giving up a trusted rural home phone. It simply means choosing a rural landline replacement that delivers calls over your broadband connection instead of the old copper telephone network. Whether that’s full fibre, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband, 5G Home Broadband, or another internet service, the phone itself can continue to work—just in a more modern way.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the UK’s landline switch-off is that people believe they’re going to lose their home phone altogether. Fortunately, that’s simply not true.
The confusion comes from the fact that people often use the word landline to describe several different things. In reality, your telephone number, telephone handset, telephone line, and phone service are all separate. Understanding the difference makes the whole switch much easier to understand.
For most households, your phone number is the most important part. It’s the number you’ve given to family and friends, printed on business cards, shared with your GP, bank, vet or customers, and perhaps used for decades.
In almost every case, you can keep your existing number when moving to a digital phone service. Your provider simply ports the number from the old network to the new one, meaning people continue calling the same number as before.
Many people also worry they’ll need to throw away their trusted home telephone.
The good news is that most existing handsets can still be used. Depending on your broadband equipment, your phone may plug into the back of your broadband router or into a small telephone adapter supplied by your provider. From your perspective, the handset still rings, you answer it in exactly the same way, and making calls feels familiar.
This is the part that is changing.
For decades, your home phone relied on a dedicated copper telephone line running back to the local exchange. That physical network is what’s being retired.
Whether your property now has FTTP, SoGEA, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband or 5G Home Broadband, there often isn’t a traditional telephone line carrying calls anymore. Instead, your internet connection becomes the pathway for voice calls.
This is what replaces the old analogue system.
Instead of travelling over the copper telephone network, your calls become digital and travel securely over your broadband connection using technologies such as Digital Voice or VoIP. To you, it still feels like having a normal home phone—you pick up the handset, hear a dial tone and make a call—but behind the scenes, the technology has changed completely.
For anyone looking for a rural landline replacement, this distinction is reassuring. You’re not giving up your rural home phone or learning an entirely new way of communicating. You’re simply replacing the ageing infrastructure that carried your calls with a modern digital service that’s compatible with today’s broadband technologies.
Once you understand that it’s the telephone line changing—not your number, your handset or your ability to have a home phone for rural areas—the move to digital becomes much less intimidating.
For most people, the answer is yes. One of the biggest concerns surrounding the landline switch-off in rural Britain is losing a phone number that’s been part of daily life for years or even decades. Thankfully, modern digital phone services are designed to let you keep your existing number in the vast majority of cases.
This process is known as number porting. Rather than issuing you with a new telephone number, your new provider transfers your existing one from your current provider onto their digital phone platform. Once the transfer is complete, friends, family, customers and organisations can continue calling exactly the same number as before.
Most rural households have what’s known as a geographic number—one that begins with an area code such as 01234, 01588 or 0191. These numbers are linked to a geographic area rather than a particular telephone line, which is why they can usually be moved between providers without changing the number itself.
Another common misconception is that your phone number has to stay with your broadband provider. In reality, your phone service and broadband don’t always have to come from the same company. Many digital phone providers specialise in supplying home phone services independently of your internet connection. This gives you the flexibility to choose the broadband that works best for your property—whether that’s FTTP, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband or 5G Home Broadband—while keeping the same trusted home phone number.
If you’re choosing a rural landline replacement, it’s always worth confirming that your provider supports number porting before you switch. As long as the transfer is handled correctly, most people can continue using the number they’ve relied on for years without interruption, making the move to a modern rural home phone far less disruptive than many expect.
In most cases, yes. One of the biggest myths surrounding the landline switch-off in rural Britain is that everyone will need to buy a brand-new telephone. Fortunately, that’s rarely the case. Most people can continue using the equipment they already own, although the way it connects may change.
If you have a standard corded home phone plugged into a wall socket today, it can often continue to be used with a VoIP adapter. This small device connects your existing telephone to your broadband router, converting the analogue signal from your handset into a digital one that travels over the internet.
For many households, it’s as simple as unplugging the phone from the old telephone socket and plugging it into the adapter instead.
Cordless phones, including popular DECT systems with multiple handsets around the home, usually work just as well after the switch. Instead of connecting the base station to the old telephone socket, it connects to your broadband router or a VoIP adapter.
Everything else stays the same. Your handsets continue to ring, you can make and receive calls as normal, and any additional handsets around the house continue working exactly as before.
A VoIP adapter is often the simplest solution for anyone who wants to keep using their existing home telephone. It’s particularly popular with rural households because there’s no need to learn a new phone or replace equipment that’s worked perfectly well for years.
Many providers, including Plexatalk, can supply pre-configured VoIP adapters that are ready to plug in, allowing you to continue using your existing landline handset with minimal setup.
Some customers choose to upgrade to an IP phone instead. Unlike a traditional telephone, an IP phone connects directly to your broadband router using an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi and doesn’t require a separate adapter.
These phones often include larger displays, better audio quality, contact directories and additional calling features, making them a popular choice for home workers or people who make frequent calls.
Whether you keep your existing handset with a VoIP adapter or move to a dedicated IP phone, the experience is much the same—you still have a reliable rural home phone, you can usually keep your existing number, and you benefit from modern digital features. Providers such as Plexatalk also include features that weren’t available on many traditional landlines, including voicemail to email, call forwarding, caller ID and plug-and-play hardware, while still allowing customers to keep their existing telephone number.
One of the biggest advantages of modern digital phone services is their flexibility. Unlike traditional landlines, which depended on a copper telephone line running to your home, a rural home phone can work over almost any internet connection. Whether your property has full fibre, wireless broadband or even satellite internet, there’s usually a suitable rural landline replacement available.
The key requirement is simply a stable internet connection. Once that’s in place, your phone calls travel digitally using Voice over IP (VoIP) or Digital Voice technology instead of the old analogue telephone network.
Here’s how each type of broadband supports a digital home phone.
If your property has FTTP (Fibre to the Premises), you’re in an excellent position for a digital home phone.
FTTP delivers broadband directly to your home using fibre optic cables, providing fast speeds, low latency and exceptional reliability. Because the connection is entirely digital, it works perfectly with VoIP services.
In fact, Full Fibre is one of the main reasons the landline network is changing. Fibre cables carry digital data using pulses of light rather than the analogue electrical signals needed by traditional telephones. As a result, analogue landlines simply cannot operate over FTTP without converting calls into digital data.
For most households, setup is straightforward. Your phone either plugs directly into your broadband router (if it has a phone port) or into a VoIP adapter supplied by your provider.
If you’re looking for a future-proof home phone for rural areas, FTTP is one of the best broadband technologies available.
FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) remains one of the UK’s most common broadband technologies, particularly in rural towns and villages.
With FTTC, fibre runs to the local street cabinet, while the final section to your home still uses existing copper cables. Although traditional landlines have continued to operate alongside FTTC, voice services are still moving away from the old analogue telephone network.
The good news is that digital home phones work perfectly over FTTC broadband. As long as your internet connection is stable enough for everyday browsing and streaming, it’s almost certainly capable of supporting high-quality voice calls as well.
For many rural households, upgrading to a digital phone service can happen without changing broadband at all.
SoGEA (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access) is becoming increasingly common as providers stop selling traditional phone lines.
Although SoGEA still uses the copper cable between your home and the cabinet, it delivers broadband only. There is no analogue telephone service included.
That’s why SoGEA is often paired with a digital VoIP provider. Instead of paying for a telephone line you no longer need, your broadband and home phone become separate services.
For many homeowners, this actually provides greater flexibility. You can choose whichever broadband provider offers the best speeds while selecting a dedicated phone provider that allows you to keep your existing number and provides the features you need.
For some of Britain’s most remote homes, Starlink has transformed what’s possible.
Many farms, isolated cottages, converted barns and remote villages have historically struggled with slow broadband speeds or unreliable telephone infrastructure. Running new fibre to these locations can be expensive or simply impractical, leaving residents with limited options.
Starlink changes that by delivering broadband directly via satellite. Instead of relying on underground telephone cables or nearby exchanges, it communicates with satellites in low Earth orbit, providing broadband almost anywhere with a clear view of the sky.
This makes a Starlink home phone an increasingly popular solution for rural households.
Once Starlink is installed, your digital phone works in exactly the same way as it would on fibre broadband. Your VoIP adapter or IP phone simply connects to the Starlink router, allowing calls to travel over the satellite internet connection.
For farms, this can provide reliable communications across properties where mobile coverage is poor. Remote cottages that have never had fast broadband can finally enjoy a dependable home phone service. Holiday lets and outbuildings with Starlink internet can also support digital voice services without needing a traditional telephone line.
Like any internet service, call quality depends on the stability of the connection, but modern satellite broadband has improved dramatically in recent years. For many rural properties, it’s now a practical and dependable rural landline replacement, particularly where fibre isn’t available.
Where fibre isn’t available, 4G Home Broadband can also support a digital home phone.
Instead of using cables, a 4G router connects to the nearest mobile mast and creates a broadband connection inside your home. Your VoIP phone or adapter then uses that internet connection to make and receive calls.
The main consideration is coverage.
Unlike making a call directly from a mobile phone, a home broadband router often uses larger antennas and can sometimes be positioned in the best location within the property for improved reception. External antennas may also be installed where necessary, making broadband considerably more reliable than handheld mobile devices in some rural locations.
If your 4G broadband delivers stable internet speeds, it will usually support excellent voice quality.
Where available, 5G Home Broadband is one of the best wireless options for a home phone over 5G.
Compared with 4G, 5G generally offers faster speeds, greater network capacity and lower latency, all of which contribute to clear, reliable voice calls.
For rural communities fortunate enough to have good 5G coverage, it provides a modern alternative to traditional broadband while supporting exactly the same digital phone services.
As 5G networks continue expanding across the UK, they’re expected to become an increasingly popular choice for both broadband and home phone services.
Some rural communities are served by Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) providers instead of Openreach infrastructure.
Rather than using fibre or mobile broadband, these services transmit internet wirelessly between a local mast and a small receiver installed on your property.
From the perspective of your digital phone, there’s virtually no difference. Once broadband reaches your router, your VoIP service works exactly as it would over fibre, Starlink or 4G.
This makes fixed wireless broadband another excellent option for rural villages where traditional fibre deployment has been slow.
The reassuring news is that almost every modern broadband technology can support a digital home phone. Whether your property uses FTTP, FTTC, SoGEA, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband, 5G Home Broadband or Fixed Wireless Broadband, the principle is exactly the same: your calls travel over your internet connection instead of the ageing copper telephone network.
That means choosing a rural landline replacement is no longer about which type of telephone line you have—it’s about selecting the phone service that best suits your home while keeping the number and reliability you depend on.
One of the most important questions surrounding the landline switch-off in rural Britain is: “What happens if there’s a power cut?” It’s a sensible concern, particularly for people living in remote areas where electricity outages can last longer than they do in towns and cities.
The answer is straightforward, but it’s important to understand the difference between the old telephone network and the new digital one.
For decades, traditional landline phones received their power directly through the copper telephone network. If you had a simple corded telephone plugged into the wall, it didn’t need mains electricity to make or receive calls. The local telephone exchange supplied enough electrical power through the copper cables for the phone to operate, even if your home’s electricity had failed.
This made traditional landlines incredibly resilient and one of the reasons they became such an important lifeline in rural communities.
A modern rural home phone works differently.
Instead of connecting directly to the telephone exchange, your phone now connects to your broadband router or a VoIP adapter. Both of these devices require mains electricity to operate.
If your home loses power, your router, broadband equipment and digital phone service will normally stop working unless they have an alternative power source.
This isn’t a fault with digital phones—it’s simply because they’re now part of your home’s internet network rather than an independently powered telephone network.
For households that rely heavily on their home phone, a battery backup or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) can provide valuable reassurance.
A UPS is a small battery unit that automatically keeps your broadband router and VoIP adapter running if the mains electricity fails. Depending on the size of the battery and the equipment connected, this can provide anywhere from around 30 minutes to several hours of phone service.
For vulnerable residents, people with health conditions or those living in particularly isolated locations, a UPS can be a worthwhile investment as part of an overall emergency plan.
Many digital phone providers also offer call forwarding, allowing incoming calls to be automatically diverted to a mobile phone if your home phone becomes unavailable.
Some providers also support smartphone apps that let you make and receive calls using your home phone number over mobile data or another internet connection. If your broadband is unavailable but mobile coverage remains usable, you can often continue receiving calls without anyone knowing you’ve switched devices.
These options provide an additional layer of resilience that wasn’t available with many traditional landlines.
The move to digital doesn’t mean your phone becomes unreliable—it simply means emergency planning becomes a little different.
If you live in an area that’s prone to prolonged power cuts, have limited mobile coverage, or rely on your home phone for rural areas because of age, health or personal circumstances, it’s worth discussing your needs with your provider before switching. They can advise on battery backup options, compatible equipment and features such as call forwarding.
Ultimately, the best rural landline replacement isn’t just one that lets you keep your number—it’s one that keeps you connected when it matters most. By understanding how digital phones work and putting sensible backup measures in place, rural households can continue to enjoy reliable communications long after the old copper network has been retired.
As the UK’s traditional telephone network is retired, there’s no shortage of misinformation about what the change means. Many rural households have heard conflicting advice from neighbours, online forums or even well-meaning friends, leaving people worried they’ll lose their home phone altogether.
Let’s separate fact from fiction.
False.
While Full Fibre (FTTP) is an excellent broadband technology, it isn’t a requirement for a digital phone service.
A rural home phone can work over almost any stable internet connection, including FTTC, SoGEA, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband, 5G Home Broadband and many fixed wireless broadband services.
If you already have broadband that reliably connects to the internet, there’s a good chance it can support a digital home phone too.
Usually false.
Your broadband and your phone service don’t have to come from the same company.
Many people assume they’re tied together because that’s how traditional landlines were sold. Today, they’re often completely separate.
That means you can keep the broadband that works best for your property while choosing a dedicated VoIP provider for your home phone.
This is particularly useful in rural areas where specialist broadband providers may offer better connectivity than the large national providers.
Not necessarily.
In many cases, your existing corded phone or cordless DECT system will continue working perfectly.
A small VoIP adapter can connect your existing handset to your broadband router, allowing you to continue using the phone you’ve always had.
Some people choose to upgrade to a dedicated IP phone for additional features, but it’s entirely optional.
Usually false.
For most households, your existing geographic telephone number can be transferred to your new provider through number porting.
Whether your number has been in the family for five years or fifty, there’s normally no reason to change it.
This is especially important for farms, small businesses and long-standing family homes where that number is widely known throughout the local community.
False.
This is one of the most common misconceptions.
Starlink provides an internet connection, and modern phone services simply use that connection to carry voice calls.
A Starlink home phone works in exactly the same way as one running over fibre broadband. Connect your VoIP adapter or IP phone to the Starlink router and your calls are carried digitally over the satellite internet connection.
For many remote farms and cottages, Starlink has actually made reliable home phone services possible where traditional infrastructure struggled.
Not true.
Voice calls use surprisingly little bandwidth.
As long as your 4G Home Broadband connection is stable, it can easily support excellent call quality.
In fact, many rural households already use 4G broadband as their primary internet connection, making it an ideal platform for a home phone over 4G. The key isn’t headline download speed—it’s having a consistent, reliable connection.
Definitely false.
BT’s Digital Voice service is probably the best-known because of its size, but it isn’t the only solution.
There are many independent VoIP providers across the UK that offer digital home phone services, often with more flexible packages, additional calling features, independent number porting and the ability to use the service alongside almost any broadband connection.
This gives rural households much greater choice than many people realise.
Not anymore.
Years ago, internet phone services developed a reputation for inconsistent call quality because broadband connections were slower and less reliable than they are today.
Modern broadband networks are very different.
Whether you’re using FTTP, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband, 5G Home Broadband or another reliable internet service, today’s VoIP technology delivers clear, stable voice calls that millions of people use every day for both home and business communications.
Like any internet-based service, reliability depends on the quality of your connection, but for most households it’s every bit as dependable as the traditional telephone network—while offering additional features such as voicemail to email, call forwarding, simultaneous ringing on mobile phones and easier number portability.
The landline switch-off in rural Britain isn’t about taking away people’s home phones. It’s about replacing ageing infrastructure with technology that’s better suited to the way broadband works today. Once you understand that, many of the myths disappear. Whether you need a home phone for rural areas, a Starlink home phone, or a home phone over 5G, there’s almost certainly a digital solution that lets you keep your existing number, continue using familiar equipment and stay connected for years to come.
Choosing the right rural landline replacement doesn’t have to be complicated. The best solution depends on the broadband connection available at your property and whether you’re happy with your current provider.
The good news is that a modern rural home phone can work over almost any internet connection. Whether your home is connected via Full Fibre, FTTC, SoGEA, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband, 5G Home Broadband or Fixed Wireless Broadband, there is usually a straightforward way to keep your existing phone number and continue using your home phone after the landline switch-off in rural Britain.
Some households will simply move their existing phone service to their broadband provider’s own Digital Voice offering, while others prefer to use an independent VoIP provider. Both approaches can work well. Broadband providers often offer the convenience of a single monthly bill, whereas an independent VoIP provider can offer greater flexibility, additional calling features and the ability to keep your phone service separate from your broadband if you ever decide to switch internet providers.
The examples below show which option is likely to suit different situations.
| Your situation | Recommended option | Why it’s a good fit |
|---|---|---|
| Remote farmhouse with limited broadband | Starlink + VoIP | Reliable broadband almost anywhere while keeping your home phone and existing number. |
| Village property with FTTC broadband | Keep your broadband and add Digital Voice or VoIP | No need to replace a reliable broadband connection. |
| Home with Full Fibre (FTTP) | Digital home phone | Fully compatible with fibre and designed for the future. |
| Home using SoGEA broadband | VoIP service | SoGEA doesn’t include a traditional phone line, making digital voice the natural choice. |
| Home using 4G broadband | VoIP over 4G | Ideal where mobile broadband is reliable but fibre isn’t available. |
| Home using 5G broadband | VoIP over 5G | Excellent call quality where 5G coverage is available. |
| Fixed Wireless Broadband customer | VoIP service | Fully compatible with wireless broadband providers. |
| Happy with your current broadband provider | Check whether they offer Digital Voice or choose an independent VoIP provider | You may be able to keep everything with one provider or keep your phone service separate for greater flexibility. |
Ultimately, there isn’t a single “best” home phone for rural areas—only the solution that’s right for your home. Whether you choose your broadband provider’s Digital Voice service or an independent VoIP provider, most rural households can keep their existing telephone number, continue using their current handset and enjoy a reliable digital home phone that’s ready for the future.
Every rural property is different, which means there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for replacing a traditional landline. The right option depends on the broadband available, the property’s location and what the household needs from its home phone. Here are four realistic examples that reflect the kinds of situations many rural homeowners face.
A family living on a working farm had struggled with slow broadband for years. Their ageing copper line was unreliable, making both internet access and phone calls frustrating. After installing Starlink, they finally had fast, dependable internet across the farmhouse.
Rather than losing their long-established farm telephone number, they simply moved it to a VoIP service. Their existing home phone continued to work via a VoIP adapter, allowing suppliers, customers and neighbours to keep using the same familiar number. It’s a setup that’s becoming increasingly common for farms and remote rural businesses where fibre isn’t yet available.
In another case, repeated faults on an ageing copper line left a rural household without a reliable broadband connection. Repairing the line would have required significant work, and the homeowner was told it wasn’t likely to be replaced in the near future.
Instead, they installed 5G Home Broadband, which provided faster internet than the old copper connection ever had. Their telephone number was ported to a digital phone service, allowing them to continue using their existing handset while avoiding further dependence on deteriorating copper infrastructure. For properties with good mobile coverage, this can be an excellent rural landline replacement.
Although FTTP isn’t yet widespread across many rural areas, some villages have benefited from recent fibre rollouts.
One homeowner upgraded to Full Fibre when it became available in their village. Rather than viewing the landline switch-off as a problem, they simply moved their phone service to Digital Voice, keeping the same number and using their existing cordless phones. Aside from plugging the base station into the router instead of the old telephone socket, very little changed in day-to-day use.
A countryside holiday lodge had no practical fibre connection but enjoyed strong 4G coverage. The owners installed 4G Home Broadband to provide internet for guests and added a digital home phone so visitors could contact them using a local geographic number.
The setup proved simple, reliable and far more flexible than relying on an ageing telephone line. It also meant the owners could take advantage of features such as call forwarding, ensuring they never missed enquiries when working elsewhere on the estate.
These examples all have one thing in common: none of the households lost their home phone. Whether they chose Starlink, 5G Home Broadband, FTTP or 4G Home Broadband, they were able to keep a reliable rural home phone by moving to a digital service. The technology may be different in each case, but the end result is the same—a familiar phone number, dependable calling and a solution that’s ready for the future after the landline switch-off in rural Britain.
If mobile coverage is unreliable, the best solution depends on how you access the internet. Many farms now use Starlink, while others rely on FTTC or fixed wireless broadband. All of these can support a digital home phone through VoIP, allowing you to keep a reliable home telephone even where mobile calls regularly fail.
Not necessarily. If your broadband can be replaced with 5G Home Broadband, Starlink or another suitable internet service, you may be able to move your phone number to a digital provider without relying on the ageing copper telephone line. For some rural households, this can provide a more reliable long-term solution than repeated repairs.
Yes. Your home phone doesn’t use mobile signal unless your broadband does. If you have fibre, Starlink or fixed wireless broadband, your calls travel over that internet connection rather than through the mobile network. Even with 4G or 5G broadband, the router is often able to achieve a much stronger and more stable connection than a handheld mobile phone.
In most cases, yes. Long-established geographic numbers can usually be ported to a digital phone provider, meaning neighbours, suppliers, customers and family can continue calling exactly the same number you’ve always used.
Not really. The right choice depends on your property and internet connection. A remote farmhouse might be best suited to Starlink, a village home may use FTTC or Full Fibre, while another property may be better served by 4G or 5G broadband. The important thing is choosing a digital phone service that’s compatible with your broadband and lets you keep the number you already know and trust.
For many rural households, the UK’s landline switch-off can sound worrying at first. If you’ve relied on the same home phone for decades, it’s natural to wonder whether you’ll lose your number, need expensive new equipment or be forced to change the way you communicate.
The reassuring news is that the landline switch-off doesn’t mean the end of home phones. It simply marks the end of the ageing copper telephone network that has served the UK for generations. Your home phone can continue to work using modern digital technology instead.
Whether your broadband is delivered through Full Fibre (FTTP), FTTC, SoGEA, Starlink, 4G Home Broadband or 5G Home Broadband, there are reliable digital home phone solutions available. In most cases, you can keep your existing telephone number, continue using the handset you’re familiar with and enjoy clearer, more flexible calling than ever before.
For rural communities, this is also an opportunity. Many homes that have struggled with ageing copper lines are now finding that alternatives such as Starlink or mobile broadband provide a more dependable foundation for both internet access and home phone services. Rather than losing a trusted means of communication, they’re gaining a solution that’s designed for the future.
The most important thing is not to leave planning until the last minute. If your provider has contacted you about moving away from the traditional landline, take the time to understand your options and choose the solution that best fits your home. Every property is different, but almost every rural household can continue enjoying a reliable home phone after the switch-off.
If you’d like to learn more about keeping your home phone after the landline switch-off, explore our Home VoIP plans to see how easy it is to keep your existing number, use your current phones and stay connected wherever you live in rural Britain.
Yes, you can keep your existing landline number when switching to giffgaff Broadband—but not by using a traditional landline service. That’s because giffgaff Broadband is a broadband-only provider and doesn’t include a home phone line or digital voice service with its packages.
The good news is that you don’t have to lose a number you’ve had for years. Instead, you can transfer (or “port”) your existing landline number to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) provider. VoIP lets you make and receive calls over your internet connection while keeping the same familiar phone number. Depending on the service you choose, you can use your existing home phone with a VoIP adapter, a dedicated IP phone, or even answer calls on your smartphone.
This approach is becoming increasingly popular as the UK moves away from the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). By pairing giffgaff Broadband with a reliable VoIP service, you can enjoy flexible, cost-effective home phone calling without giving up the landline number that friends, family, and customers already know.
In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how to keep your landline number when switching to giffgaff Broadband, how the transfer process works, and what you need to do to avoid losing your number during the switch.
No, giffgaff does not offer a landline service with its broadband packages. Unlike some broadband providers that include a Digital Voice or home phone option, giffgaff is a broadband-only provider. If you switch to giffgaff Broadband, you’ll receive a full fibre internet connection, but there isn’t an option to add a traditional landline or a digital home phone service.
This is largely because giffgaff’s broadband is built exclusively on full fibre (FTTP) technology. Full fibre connections don’t rely on the old copper telephone network, which means there’s no conventional phone line included with the service. Rather than replacing the old landline with its own Digital Voice product, giffgaff has chosen to focus solely on delivering straightforward, high-speed broadband.
For customers who still want to make and receive calls on a home phone, this doesn’t mean you have to give up your existing number. Instead, you can use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, which works over your broadband connection rather than the traditional phone network. A VoIP service provides the same functionality as a home phone while allowing you to keep your existing landline number through a simple number porting process.
If having a home phone is important, pairing giffgaff Broadband with a VoIP provider is the most practical way to enjoy full fibre broadband without losing your long-established landline number.
Yes. In most cases, you can keep your existing landline number when switching to giffgaff Broadband by transferring it to a VoIP provider. This process is known as number porting and allows you to continue using the same phone number even though your calls are no longer carried over a traditional telephone line.
Most UK landline numbers can be ported from major providers, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, EE, Vodafone, Virgin Media, and many smaller telecom providers. As long as your number is eligible for porting, there’s usually no need to change the number that friends, family, or customers already know.
The most important thing to remember is not to cancel your existing landline service before your number has been ported. Cancelling first can result in the number being disconnected permanently, making it difficult—or even impossible—to recover. Instead, arrange the port with your chosen VoIP provider, who will normally manage the transfer process on your behalf.
Once the port is complete, your existing landline number will work over your broadband connection instead of the old telephone network. You’ll still be able to make and receive calls as normal, whether you use a traditional handset connected via a VoIP adapter, an IP phone, or a mobile app.
For most households, the process is straightforward and typically completed with minimal disruption, making it easy to enjoy giffgaff’s full fibre broadband while keeping the landline number you’ve used for years.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when switching to giffgaff Broadband is porting their landline number too early. If your current broadband and phone service are provided over the same line, transferring the phone number before your new broadband is installed will usually cause your existing broadband service to be disconnected as well.
The safest approach is to arrange your giffgaff Broadband installation first. Thanks to the UK’s One Touch Switch process, changing broadband providers is now much simpler, with your new provider coordinating the switch and helping to minimise disruption. Once you have a confirmed installation date, you can then arrange to port your landline number to Plexatalk.
By giving us your scheduled broadband installation date, we can align your number port to take place at the right time. This helps ensure your old broadband remains active until your new full fibre connection is live, reducing the risk of downtime and helping you keep your existing landline number.
Another common mistake is cancelling your current broadband or phone service yourself before the switch is complete. In many cases, this can lead to your phone number being ceased, making it impossible to transfer. Instead, leave your existing service active until both your broadband installation and your number port have been successfully completed.
Planning the switch in the right order—broadband first, then your VoIP number port—is the simplest way to enjoy a smooth transition to giffgaff Broadband without losing your long-standing landline number.
Choosing an independent VoIP provider such as Plexatalk gives you far more flexibility than tying your home phone service to your broadband provider. Because your phone service is separate from your internet connection, you aren’t forced to change your phone number or calling service every time you switch broadband providers.
This means if you decide to leave giffgaff in the future, your landline number stays with Plexatalk. You simply connect your VoIP service to your new broadband connection, avoiding the hassle of transferring your number again or setting up a completely new phone service.
VoIP can also be a more cost-effective solution than traditional home phone services. Many customers benefit from lower monthly costs, competitive call rates, and flexible plans that suit both light and heavy phone users. Instead of paying for a bundled phone service you may not fully use, you only pay for the features you need.
Another advantage is the range of ways you can make and receive calls. If you’d like to keep using your existing home telephone, you can simply connect it using a VoIP adapter. Alternatively, you can use a dedicated IP phone for enhanced functionality or install the Plexatalk app on your smartphone to answer your home number wherever you are. This is particularly useful if you’re away from home but don’t want to miss important calls.
Because your service runs over your internet connection rather than the old telephone network, you’ll also be ready for the UK’s move away from traditional landlines. Whether you’re keeping a long-established family number or a business contact number, Plexatalk makes it easy to retain it while enjoying the freedom to choose whichever broadband provider offers the best deal.
Yes—in most cases, you can continue using the home phones you already own after switching to giffgaff Broadband and moving your landline number to VoIP. Many people assume they’ll need to replace all of their handsets, but that’s usually not the case.
If you have a standard cordless or corded home phone, the simplest option is to connect it to an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA). An ATA plugs into your broadband router and allows your existing telephone to work over a VoIP service, so you can carry on using familiar handsets without any major changes. At Plexatalk, we offer pre-configured ATAs for £50, so they’re ready to plug in and use with minimal setup. If you’d rather buy your own ATA elsewhere, that’s no problem—we can provide all the SIP settings you’ll need to configure it yourself.
If you have a DECT cordless phone system with multiple handsets around your home, these can also usually continue to work. Simply connect the base station to an ATA, and all of the paired handsets should operate just as they did before.
Alternatively, you may prefer to use a dedicated VoIP phone. These devices connect directly to your broadband network and often offer features such as HD voice quality, programmable buttons, call transfers, and advanced voicemail, making them ideal for home offices and small businesses.
For most households, switching to VoIP doesn’t mean replacing their existing phones. With the right equipment, you can keep using the handsets you’re familiar with while enjoying a modern, flexible home phone service over your full fibre broadband connection.
Because VoIP works over your broadband connection, it relies on both your internet service and your networking equipment being powered on. This means that if your broadband connection goes down or there’s a power cut affecting your router or VoIP equipment, your home phone service will also be unavailable until the connection is restored.
While this is different from the traditional copper phone network, which could often continue working during a power outage, it’s worth remembering that the UK’s old landline network is being switched off, and digital phone services are becoming the standard.
The good news is that there are several ways to stay connected. With Plexatalk, you can set up call forwarding so that calls to your home number are automatically diverted to your mobile phone if needed. You can also use the Plexatalk mobile app to make and receive calls using your landline number whenever you have an internet connection, whether that’s over mobile data or Wi-Fi.
For customers who want extra resilience at home, it’s also possible to use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to keep your broadband router and VoIP adapter running during short power cuts.
For most households, these options provide more than enough flexibility, ensuring you can continue receiving important calls even if your home broadband or power is temporarily unavailable.
Keeping your existing landline number when switching to giffgaff Broadband is straightforward, as long as you complete the steps in the right order.
Following these steps helps ensure a smooth switch to giffgaff Broadband while keeping your existing landline number with minimal disruption.
Yes. Although giffgaff doesn’t provide a landline or Digital Voice service, you can usually keep your existing landline number by porting it to a VoIP provider such as Plexatalk.
No. giffgaff Broadband is a broadband-only service. It doesn’t include a traditional landline or a Digital Voice product, so you’ll need a separate VoIP provider if you want to continue using a home phone.
You could if you port your number too early. If your current broadband and phone service are on the same line, transferring your number before your new broadband is installed will usually cease the existing service. Always wait until you have your giffgaff installation date before arranging your VoIP number port.
Most landline number ports are completed within a few working days once the request has been accepted. Your VoIP provider will confirm the scheduled port date, and any interruption to service is typically very brief.
Yes. Most existing corded and cordless home phones can continue to be used by connecting them to an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA). Alternatively, you can use a dedicated VoIP phone or a smartphone app.
Yes. If your number is hosted by an independent VoIP provider like Plexatalk, it remains separate from your broadband service. That means you can change broadband providers in the future without needing to move your phone number again.
Usually not. Most customers can continue using the phones they already own with an ATA. Plexatalk offers pre-configured adapters for customers who want a simple plug-and-play setup, or you can purchase your own compatible device and configure it using the settings we provide.
Even if you’re not switching to giffgaff Broadband today, the UK’s traditional landline network is being retired. By January 2027, the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and ISDN services are scheduled to be switched off, marking the end of analogue landlines across the UK.
If your home phone currently relies on a copper telephone line, you’ll eventually need to move to a digital phone service. For many people, this will happen automatically when they upgrade to full fibre broadband or when their existing provider migrates them to a Digital Voice service. Others may choose to move their number to an independent VoIP provider instead.
Using an independent VoIP provider offers greater flexibility. Rather than having your home phone tied to a particular broadband company, your landline number remains separate from your internet service. This means you can switch broadband providers whenever you like without having to move your phone number or learn a new phone system each time.
Making the switch now also gives you more control over the process. Instead of waiting until your provider requires you to migrate, you can choose when to port your number, continue using your existing home phones with an ATA, and take advantage of features such as call forwarding, voicemail, and mobile apps.
Whether you’re moving to giffgaff Broadband now or planning ahead for the UK’s landline switch off, transferring your number to a VoIP service helps future-proof your home phone while ensuring you keep the landline number you’ve relied on for years.
Switching to giffgaff Broadband doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your home phone number. While giffgaff doesn’t offer a landline or Digital Voice service, you can keep your existing number by transferring it to a VoIP provider and continue making and receiving calls over your broadband connection.
The key is to complete the switch in the right order. Arrange your new broadband first, wait for your installation date, and then organise your landline number port so everything happens at the right time. This helps avoid unnecessary downtime and protects your existing broadband service until your new connection is live.
At Plexatalk, we make the process as straightforward as possible. Whether you want to keep using your existing home phone with a pre-configured adapter or prefer to use a VoIP phone or mobile app, we’ll help you transfer your number and get everything set up with minimal disruption.
If you’re planning to switch to giffgaff Broadband and want to keep your landline number, explore our VoIP for Home plans and we’ll help you make the move as smoothly as possible.
For more than a century, the traditional UK landline has been a household essential. But that is changing rapidly. As the nationwide PSTN and ISDN switch-off continues, millions of copper phone lines are being retired and replaced with newer digital technologies. At the same time, many homeowners are moving to alternative internet services such as Starlink, 4G, 5G and fibre-only broadband connections that don’t include a traditional phone line.
The challenge is that while many people no longer need a physical landline, they still want to keep their existing home phone number. Whether it’s a number you’ve had for decades, a contact number used by family and friends, or simply a number you don’t want to lose, giving it up isn’t always an option.
The good news is that you can keep your landline without a landline. By moving your number to a VoIP service, you can retain your existing home phone number and receive calls over the internet from just £4 per month.
With Plexatalk, you can keep your existing landline number from just £4 per month, including 100 outbound minutes every month. You can then choose how you want to use it, whether that’s with a home phone handset, an app on your mobile, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or a combination of all four.
In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how to keep your landline without a landline, who needs to do it, and the different options available depending on your broadband setup and how you want to receive calls.
When people hear the phrase “keep your landline without a landline”, it can sound confusing. After all, isn’t a landline a physical phone line connected to your home?
Traditionally, yes. A landline number was tied to a copper telephone line running from your property to the local telephone exchange. That infrastructure powered both your phone service and, in many cases, your broadband connection.
However, the UK’s landline network is being retired as part of the nationwide PSTN and ISDN switch-off. This means the physical copper phone line is no longer needed to make or receive calls.
Instead, your phone number can be moved to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. Your number stays exactly the same, but calls are carried over your internet connection rather than a traditional telephone line.
From the caller’s perspective, nothing changes. Family members, friends, healthcare providers, schools, banks and businesses can continue calling the same number they’ve always used. The only difference is what happens behind the scenes.
This gives you much more flexibility. Your number is no longer tied to a specific property, allowing you to receive calls on a desk phone, mobile app, computer, or even have calls automatically forwarded to your mobile phone.
For many households, it’s the simplest and most cost-effective way to keep an existing home phone number while moving to modern broadband services such as fibre, Starlink, 4G or 5G.
| Traditional Landline | VoIP Landline |
|---|---|
| Copper phone line | Internet connection |
| Monthly line rental | No line rental |
| Fixed to one property | Can be used anywhere |
| Often expensive calling plans | Low-cost monthly plans |
| Requires physical phone service | Can work with phones, apps or call forwarding |
More people than ever are looking for ways to keep their landline without a landline. While traditional phone services once made perfect sense, changing technology and the UK’s move towards digital communications mean many households are now exploring more flexible and cost-effective alternatives.
One of the biggest reasons people switch away from traditional landlines is cost. In many cases, households end up paying for multiple services they don’t really need.
For example, if you’re moving to Starlink, a 4G or 5G broadband service, or another independent internet provider, you may find yourself paying for:
These costs can quickly add up. By moving your number to a VoIP service such as Plexatalk, you can keep your existing home phone number without paying for an unnecessary phone line. Plans start from just £4 per month, including 100 outbound minutes, making it a much more affordable way to stay connected.
Unlike a traditional landline that is tied to a specific property, a VoIP number can travel with you.
You can choose to receive calls:
Whether you’re at home, in the garden, visiting family, or even on holiday, you can stay connected to your home number wherever you have an internet connection.
Many people have had the same home phone number for years or even decades. It’s the number friends, family members, doctors, schools, banks and local businesses already know.
With a VoIP service, your number is no longer tied to your address. If you move house, switch broadband providers, or relocate to another part of the country, you can continue using the same number without interruption.
That means no lengthy update process, no missed calls, and no need to tell everyone you’ve changed your phone number.
One of the biggest reasons people are searching for ways to keep their landline without a landline is the UK’s ongoing PSTN and ISDN switch-off programme.
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) have formed the backbone of the UK’s phone network for decades. These technologies were designed long before modern internet services became the norm and rely on ageing copper infrastructure that is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.
To modernise the UK’s communications network, traditional phone services are being replaced with internet-based alternatives. Instead of calls travelling over copper telephone lines, they are now carried using digital technologies such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
As part of this transition, traditional landline services are being retired nationwide. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose your phone number, but it does mean the way your calls are delivered is changing.
Adding further pressure is Openreach’s stop-sell programme. In areas where full fibre broadband is available, providers are no longer permitted to sell many legacy copper-based services. This means customers moving home, changing providers, upgrading services, or making certain account changes may find that traditional phone products are no longer available.
The long-term goal is clear: the UK’s copper network is gradually being switched off and replaced with faster, more reliable fibre-based infrastructure. While this brings significant benefits for broadband performance and network reliability, it also means households need to think about what happens to their home phone number.
For many people, moving their number to a VoIP service is the simplest solution. It allows them to keep their existing landline number while becoming independent of the ageing copper network and future-proofing their service for years to come.
Further Reading:
The simplest way to keep your landline without a landline is by moving your existing phone number to a VoIP service.
VoIP, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, allows phone calls to be made and received over an internet connection rather than through a traditional copper telephone line. Instead of your number being tied to a physical line entering your property, it becomes a cloud-based service that can be used wherever you have access to the internet.
The process starts with a number port. This is where your existing landline number is transferred from your current provider to a VoIP provider. Once the port is complete, your number remains exactly the same. Family, friends, businesses and organisations can continue calling you on the number they’ve always used, without needing to update their records.
The difference is that calls are no longer delivered through a traditional landline. Instead, incoming and outgoing calls are routed securely over the internet.
This gives you far more flexibility than a traditional phone service ever could.
You can choose to:
Because the service operates over the internet, there’s no need for a traditional BT phone line or any other copper-based landline service. You also don’t need to purchase a Digital Voice service from your broadband provider simply to keep your home phone number.
This is particularly useful for people switching to Starlink, 4G broadband, 5G broadband, full fibre services, or any setup where a traditional phone line is no longer required.
With Plexatalk, you can transfer your existing geographic landline number and keep it active from just £4 per month, including 100 outbound minutes every month. Once your number has been moved, you can decide exactly how you want to use it, whether that’s with a traditional handset, a mobile app, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or a combination of services.
In short, VoIP allows you to keep the number you know and trust, while gaining the flexibility and convenience of a modern phone service that isn’t tied to a physical landline.
There are many reasons why homeowners choose to keep their landline without a landline. In most cases, people no longer need a traditional phone line, but they still want to keep the number they’ve had for years.
Here are some of the most common situations where moving a number to VoIP makes perfect sense.
One of the fastest-growing reasons people look for a landline alternative is because they’re switching to Starlink.
Many rural properties struggle with slow broadband speeds, unreliable copper lines, or limited fibre availability. Starlink provides a high-speed internet connection without relying on traditional phone infrastructure, making it an attractive option for homes that have been poorly served by Openreach networks.
The challenge is that Starlink doesn’t provide a traditional landline service. If you cancel your existing phone line without making arrangements for your number, you could lose it permanently.
By porting your number to Plexatalk before cancelling your landline, you can continue receiving calls exactly as before while enjoying the benefits of Starlink broadband.
Related Guide: How to Keep Your Landline Number with Starlink
Many households are replacing traditional broadband with Three Home Broadband because it can offer faster speeds, lower costs, and quicker installation.
Unlike older broadband services, 5G home broadband doesn’t require a phone socket or copper telephone line. You simply connect a router to the mobile network and access the internet wirelessly.
While this is great for broadband, it creates a problem for anyone wanting to keep their home phone number.
Rather than paying for a separate landline service, you can move your number to a VoIP platform and continue using it over your new broadband connection.
Related Guide: Keep Landline with Three Home Broadband
Three isn’t the only provider attracting customers away from traditional landlines.
EE, Vodafone and O2 all offer home broadband services that use 4G or 5G mobile networks rather than fixed phone lines. These services are often ideal for renters, rural properties, temporary accommodation, and anyone looking for a simple broadband setup.
However, like Starlink and Three, they don’t provide a traditional copper-based phone service.
Moving your number to Plexatalk allows you to keep your existing home phone number regardless of which broadband provider you choose.
Many people discover they’re paying for a landline they rarely use.
Perhaps all calls now happen on mobile phones, or maybe you’ve upgraded to full fibre broadband and no longer need a traditional phone service.
The problem is that cancelling a BT landline without first moving the number will usually result in the number being disconnected and eventually lost.
Porting the number to a VoIP service before cancelling allows you to retain ownership of the number while reducing your monthly costs significantly.
This is becoming an increasingly popular option for homeowners looking to simplify their bills while keeping an important family contact number.
Moving home has traditionally meant reviewing broadband, phone and utility services.
While it may be possible to transfer a landline to a new property, there can be restrictions depending on the location, provider and network infrastructure available at the new address.
With VoIP, your number is no longer tied to a physical property.
You can move house anywhere in the UK and continue using the same number without interruption. As soon as you have an internet connection, your phone service works exactly as before.
This eliminates the hassle of notifying everyone that you’ve changed your contact details.
Many people own holiday homes, caravans, lodges or second properties where they want a local phone number but don’t want to pay for a full landline service.
A VoIP number provides an ideal solution.
You can keep an existing local number active, receive calls wherever you are, and avoid paying for unnecessary line rental at a property that may only be occupied part of the year.
Calls can be answered on a mobile phone, through an app, or forwarded to another number when you’re away.
For many older people, a familiar landline number is important.
Friends, family members, healthcare providers and local services often already have the number saved, and changing it can cause confusion.
VoIP makes it possible to keep that familiar number while adding modern features that improve reliability and convenience.
For example, calls can ring both a home phone and a family member’s mobile phone at the same time. Voicemails can be sent directly to email, and call forwarding can ensure important calls are never missed.
This allows elderly relatives to keep the number they’ve used for years while benefiting from the flexibility of modern communications technology.
One of the biggest advantages of moving your landline number to VoIP is flexibility. Unlike a traditional landline that only works through a phone socket in your home, a VoIP number can be used in several different ways depending on your needs.
Whether you want a familiar home phone experience or prefer to manage everything from your mobile, you can choose the setup that works best for you.
If you still like having a phone on the hall table or kitchen counter, you can continue using a physical handset just as you always have.
There are two common ways to do this:
From the user’s perspective, very little changes. You continue making and receiving calls using a traditional handset while benefiting from the flexibility of internet-based calling.
This option is particularly popular with households that prefer the familiarity of a conventional home phone.
Not everyone wants a dedicated home phone.
With call forwarding, incoming calls to your landline number can automatically ring your mobile phone instead.
This means:
For many households, this is the simplest way to keep a landline number active without any additional hardware.
Voicemail has come a long way from the days of checking messages through a home answering machine.
With voicemail-to-email, any missed calls can leave a message that is automatically delivered to your email inbox as an audio file.
Benefits include:
It’s a convenient way to ensure you never miss important information.
A VoIP mobile app allows you to use your landline number directly from your smartphone.
You can:
This is an ideal solution for people who want the convenience of a mobile phone while keeping their established home number.
Why choose a single device when you can use several at once?
With VoIP, incoming calls can ring multiple devices simultaneously, including:
The first device you answer takes the call.
This feature is particularly useful for busy households, home workers, or anyone who wants maximum flexibility. Whether you’re in the office, relaxing at home, or out and about, you can make sure important calls are always answered.
As traditional landlines disappear, many broadband providers are encouraging customers to move to services such as BT Digital Voice, Sky Talk, Vodafone Digital Voice and similar internet-based phone products.
While these services can be a convenient option, many people assume they’re the only way to keep their existing landline number. In reality, that’s often not the case.
In many situations, you can port your landline number away from your broadband provider and move it to an independent VoIP service instead. Once the number has been transferred, it operates separately from your broadband connection, giving you far more freedom and flexibility.
This means you’re no longer tied to a particular broadband provider simply because you want to keep your phone number.
For example, if you decide to switch from BT to Vodafone, move from fibre to Starlink, or replace your fixed broadband with a 5G service, your phone number can stay exactly where it is. There’s no need to move your number every time you change internet provider.
There are several advantages to this approach:
For many households, separating their phone number from their broadband service is a smarter long-term solution. Rather than having their number tied to a specific provider’s Digital Voice platform, they can keep control of their number and use it however they choose.
With Plexatalk, your number becomes independent of your broadband provider, allowing you to keep your existing landline number while retaining the freedom to switch internet services whenever it suits you.
One of the biggest advantages of moving your number to VoIP is that it can cost significantly less than maintaining a traditional landline or paying for additional Digital Voice services from your broadband provider.
Plexatalk home VoIP plans start from just £4 per month and are designed specifically for residential customers who want to keep their existing landline number while benefiting from modern calling features.
The entry-level plan includes:
If you want to continue using your existing home phone handset, an optional adapter is available, allowing you to connect your current telephone to the service.
Unlike traditional phone services, there is no need to pay for a separate phone line or expensive calling package simply to keep your number active. Instead, your number works over your existing internet connection, whether that’s fibre broadband, Starlink, 4G, 5G or another internet service.
For full details of all available packages, included minutes and optional features, see our pricing page.
Moving your existing landline number to Plexatalk is straightforward and usually takes just a few simple steps.
Select the Plexatalk home VoIP package that best suits your needs. Plans start from just £4 per month and include features such as incoming calls, voicemail, call forwarding and included outbound minutes.
Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be asked whether you want to keep your existing phone number. Simply provide a few details about your current service and complete the required number porting paperwork.
If you’re unsure about anything, the Plexatalk team can help guide you through the process.
Plexatalk will arrange the transfer of your number from your current provider. In most cases, ports complete within one to two weeks, depending on the provider and whether the number has been transferred before. During this process, you’ll be kept informed of progress and any important dates.
Once the transfer is complete, your number becomes active on Plexatalk. You can then choose how you want to use it, whether that’s through a home phone handset, a mobile app, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or multiple devices at the same time.
Your number stays the same. The traditional landline disappears. And you continue receiving calls exactly as before.
Yes. By moving your number to a VoIP service such as Plexatalk, you can keep your existing landline number without needing a traditional copper phone line. Your number stays the same, but calls are delivered over the internet instead of through the old telephone network.
In most cases, yes. Before cancelling your BT landline, you should arrange to port your number to a VoIP provider. This transfers ownership of the number and prevents it from being lost when the BT service is disconnected.
It’s important not to cancel the phone service before discussing the transfer process, as this can sometimes affect number portability.
Absolutely. One of the biggest advantages of VoIP is that your landline number can ring directly on your mobile phone. You can also use a VoIP app to make and receive calls using your home phone number, wherever you are.
The traditional copper phone network is being retired and replaced with digital services. Traditional landlines will no longer operate in the way they have historically. Most households will either move to a provider’s Digital Voice service or transfer their number to an independent VoIP provider.
The good news is that you do not have to lose your existing phone number.
Yes. VoIP requires an internet connection because calls are carried over the internet rather than a traditional phone line. However, this doesn’t have to be a fixed broadband connection. VoIP can work with:
Full fibre broadband
Starlink
4G broadband
5G broadband
Mobile data connections
Yes. Many people move their landline number to Plexatalk when switching to Starlink. Once your number has been ported, you can continue receiving calls as normal while using Starlink as your internet connection.
This is one of the most popular solutions for rural properties where traditional broadband options are limited.
Yes. Three Home Broadband doesn’t provide a traditional phone line, but you can still keep your existing landline number by transferring it to a VoIP service.
Once the number has been moved, you can use it with a home phone, mobile app, call forwarding, voicemail-to-email, or a combination of these options while enjoying the flexibility of 5G broadband.
The way we make and receive calls is changing. Traditional copper landlines are being retired, Openreach stop-sell rules are affecting legacy services, and more households are moving to fibre, Starlink, 4G and 5G broadband connections that don’t support traditional phone lines.
But while the technology behind your phone service is changing, your phone number doesn’t have to.
By moving your number to VoIP, you can keep your existing landline number, continue receiving calls from family and friends, and gain access to modern features such as call forwarding, voicemail-to-email and mobile apps. Better still, your number is no longer tied to a particular property or broadband provider, giving you complete flexibility for the future.
Whether you’re switching to Starlink, moving home, cancelling your BT landline, or simply preparing for the PSTN switch-off, Plexatalk makes it easy to keep your landline without a landline.
Ready to keep your landline number without paying for a traditional phone line? Explore Plexatalk’s home VoIP plans from just £4 per month and keep the number you’ve had for years while gaining more flexibility than ever before.
Do Burglar Alarm Systems Work with VoIP? Our Real-World Test Results with a Yale Alarm System
As the UK moves towards the nationwide PSTN switch-off, millions of homes are replacing traditional analogue phone lines with modern VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services. While the change brings benefits such as lower costs and greater flexibility, it has also raised questions about how existing equipment will work once the old telephone network is retired.
One of the most common concerns we hear from homeowners is whether their burglar alarm will continue to operate when connected to a VoIP phone service. Many alarm manufacturers and installers advise that VoIP is not officially supported, leading some people to worry that their alarm monitoring could stop working altogether.
The reality is more complicated than a simple yes or no answer. Different alarm systems use different communication methods, and some are more compatible with VoIP than others.
Rather than relying solely on manufacturer guidance, Plexatalk decided to carry out real-world testing with a range of alarm systems connected to our VoIP service. In this guide, we’ll explain what we tested, what worked, what didn’t, and what homeowners should consider before switching from a traditional phone line.
The UK’s telecommunications network is undergoing one of the biggest changes in decades. Openreach and communication providers are retiring the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and ISDN services, replacing them with modern digital, internet-based alternatives. This process, commonly known as the “UK landline switch-off”, means that traditional analogue phone lines will eventually no longer be available.
For many households, the change is relatively straightforward. Telephones can usually be connected to a broadband router or VoIP service with minimal disruption. However, devices that were designed to communicate over analogue phone lines can present additional challenges.
Burglar alarms are a good example. Many alarm systems installed over the last 20 to 30 years were designed to send signals using the PSTN network. Depending on the model and configuration, they may dial a monitoring centre, send recorded voice messages, or communicate with the homeowner using analogue telephone technology.
As more homeowners migrate to VoIP services, an important question arises: will these alarm systems continue to work once the traditional landline is removed?
Unfortunately, there is no universal answer. Some older alarm systems may struggle to communicate reliably over a VoIP connection, while others continue to function perfectly well. The outcome often depends on the alarm hardware, the signalling method being used, and the quality of the VoIP service itself.
Understanding how your alarm communicates is the first step in determining whether any upgrades are required. In many cases, existing equipment can continue operating successfully, while in others, replacement communication modules or newer alarm technology may be recommended.
If you’ve researched burglar alarms and VoIP online, you’ve probably seen warnings stating that VoIP is “not supported” or “not recommended” for alarm monitoring. At first glance, this can make it seem as though switching to a VoIP phone service will automatically stop your alarm from working.
In reality, the situation is often more nuanced.
Alarm manufacturers and installers are responsible for systems that protect homes and businesses, so they naturally take a cautious approach. Because alarm systems are safety-critical, manufacturers are reluctant to guarantee compatibility unless they have thoroughly tested a particular setup.
One of the challenges is the sheer number of variables involved. There are hundreds of alarm panels, monitoring devices, routers, broadband connections and VoIP providers in use across the UK. Testing every possible combination would be extremely difficult, so many manufacturers simply state that VoIP is not officially supported unless they have specifically verified it.
There is also some historical context. Early VoIP services sometimes struggled with modem-based alarm signalling, particularly where audio compression affected the tones being transmitted. As a result, concerns about alarm compatibility became widespread throughout the industry.
However, “not supported” does not necessarily mean “won’t work”. In many cases, it simply means the manufacturer has not tested or certified every possible configuration. Real-world results can vary considerably depending on the alarm system, the signalling method being used, and the quality of the VoIP service itself.
The short answer is: in many cases, yes.
Despite the warnings often found in manufacturer documentation, many burglar alarm systems can successfully operate over a VoIP phone service. However, whether a particular system works reliably depends on several factors, including the alarm model, the way it communicates, the hardware used to connect it, and the quality of the underlying network connection.
Not all alarm systems use the same signalling methods. Some simply dial a telephone number and play a recorded message, while others use modem-based signalling to communicate with a monitoring centre. These different methods can behave very differently when connected to a VoIP service.
The equipment used is also important. A high-quality ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) can often provide a much better experience than older or lower-specification devices. Likewise, modern VoIP platforms are generally far more capable and reliable than some of the early VoIP services that contributed to concerns about alarm compatibility in the past.
That said, there is no universal answer. An alarm system that works perfectly in one property may not perform the same way in another, particularly if different hardware, broadband connections or monitoring arrangements are involved.
For this reason, the most reliable approach is to test the specific alarm system in question rather than relying solely on general guidance. That’s exactly what we set out to do with our own real-world testing.
Rather than relying solely on manufacturer guidance or online discussions, we wanted to see how a real alarm system would perform when connected to a VoIP service.
For our testing, we used a Yale alarm system connected through a Grandstream Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA). An ATA is a device that allows equipment designed for a traditional telephone line to connect to a modern VoIP service. In simple terms, the alarm system was connected to the Grandstream ATA, which was then connected to the internet and configured to use the Plexatalk VoIP platform.
We carried out a series of tests to verify whether the alarm could successfully place calls and communicate as intended. During testing, the alarm system was able to establish calls successfully using the Plexatalk service, demonstrating that this particular Yale configuration was capable of operating over a VoIP connection.
This is an important finding because it shows that traditional alarm systems are not automatically incompatible with VoIP. While some manufacturers state that VoIP is not supported, our testing confirms that at least some alarm systems can continue functioning correctly when connected through suitable hardware and a quality VoIP provider.
However, it is important to be transparent about the scope of these results. Our testing was limited to specific Yale alarm equipment, a Grandstream ATA, and the Plexatalk VoIP platform. We did not test every Yale model, nor did we evaluate systems from other manufacturers.
Different alarm panels, signalling methods, monitoring centres and VoIP providers may produce different results. For that reason, our findings should be viewed as evidence that compatibility is possible, rather than a guarantee that every alarm system will work in every VoIP environment.
The key takeaway is that the only reliable way to know how a particular alarm system will behave is to test the specific setup being used.
One of the reasons there is so much conflicting information about burglar alarms and VoIP is that compatibility depends on several different factors. Two seemingly similar alarm systems can produce very different results depending on how they are configured and what equipment is being used.
The alarm manufacturer and model play a major role. Some systems were designed with more tolerant communication methods, while others rely on signalling techniques that are more sensitive to changes in the telephone network. The age of the alarm can also be important, as older systems were developed specifically for analogue phone lines and may be less adaptable.
The signalling protocol used by the alarm is another key consideration. Systems that simply make voice calls may behave differently from those that use modem-based signalling to communicate with a monitoring station. In some cases, the monitoring provider may also have specific requirements regarding the type of connection that can be used.
The hardware connecting the alarm to the VoIP service is equally important. A quality ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter), properly configured, can significantly improve compatibility and reliability. Different ATA models may produce different results, even when used with the same alarm system.
Broadband quality and power resilience should also be considered. Unlike traditional landlines, VoIP services depend on internet connectivity and local equipment such as routers and ATAs. During a broadband outage or power cut, alarm communications may be affected unless suitable backup arrangements are in place.
Finally, the quality of the VoIP provider matters. Network design, call routing and platform reliability can all influence how successfully an alarm system communicates. This is why testing the complete setup is often more valuable than relying on general assumptions.
If you’re planning to move from a traditional landline to VoIP, a little preparation can help avoid problems and give you confidence that your alarm system will continue to operate correctly.
Start by choosing a reputable VoIP provider with a reliable network and experience supporting analogue devices. Using a quality ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter), such as a Grandstream device, can also improve compatibility and call reliability.
Before relying on the system, carry out thorough testing. Confirm that the alarm can successfully communicate with its intended destination and verify that any monitoring or notification features work as expected. It’s also worth speaking with your alarm installer or monitoring company to understand any specific requirements they may have.
Where available, consider upgrading to modern IP-based monitoring solutions, as these are designed specifically for today’s digital networks.
Finally, think about resilience. Because VoIP depends on broadband and local equipment, suitable backup arrangements for both internet connectivity and power should be considered.
If you’d like to test compatibility before fully migrating, Plexatalk’s £4 per month residential plan can be a simple way to do so. Combined with a Grandstream ATA (available from us for around £50), you can set up a separate VoIP number and test your specific alarm make and model before making any permanent changes to your existing phone service.
The UK’s landline switch-off has understandably raised concerns about whether existing burglar alarm systems will continue to work once homes move to VoIP. The good news is that alarm systems and VoIP are not necessarily incompatible.
Our own testing showed that a Yale alarm system connected via a Grandstream ATA was able to communicate successfully using the Plexatalk VoIP service. This demonstrates that at least some traditional alarm systems can operate reliably over modern digital phone services.
However, every installation is different. Alarm models, signalling methods, monitoring providers and network setups can all affect compatibility, which is why testing remains essential.
If you’re planning to migrate from a traditional landline, contact Plexatalk and we’ll be happy to discuss your setup and help you assess your options.
Possibly. Many alarm systems that currently use a traditional phone line can continue working after the switch-off, but compatibility depends on the alarm model, signalling method and the equipment used to connect it to a VoIP service. We recommend testing your specific setup before disconnecting your existing landline.
Many do, but there is no universal answer. Some alarm systems operate successfully over VoIP, while others may require additional hardware or upgrades. Factors such as the alarm manufacturer, monitoring provider, ATA device and VoIP service all affect compatibility.
Based on our own testing, a Yale alarm system successfully communicated using the Plexatalk VoIP service when connected via a Grandstream ATA. While this demonstrates that some Yale systems can work with VoIP, results may vary between models and configurations.
Alarm manufacturers take a cautious approach because alarm systems are safety-critical devices. Many have not tested every possible VoIP provider and hardware combination, so they cannot guarantee compatibility. In many cases, “not supported” means “not officially tested” rather than “will not work”.
An ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) allows devices designed for traditional phone lines to connect to a VoIP service. For alarm systems, an ATA can provide the analogue phone connection needed for the alarm to communicate over a digital network.
We have successfully tested alarm systems using Grandstream ATAs. They are widely used, reliable and offer good compatibility with VoIP services. However, the best choice can depend on the alarm system being connected.
Some monitored alarm systems work successfully over VoIP, while others may require alternative communication methods. Compatibility depends on the signalling protocol used by the alarm and the requirements of the monitoring centre.
Yes. In fact, we strongly recommend it. Testing your alarm with a VoIP service before cancelling your traditional landline is the best way to confirm compatibility and identify any issues before migration.
Unlike traditional analogue phone lines, VoIP services rely on broadband connectivity. If your broadband connection fails, alarm communications may also be affected unless suitable backup arrangements are in place.
If your alarm manufacturer offers IP-based monitoring, it may be worth considering. IP-native alarm systems are designed specifically for modern digital networks and can offer greater reliability than systems that rely on analogue telephone signalling.
OneStream is one of the UK’s fastest-growing broadband providers, offering affordable fibre and full-fibre broadband services to homes across the country. Built on major UK broadband networks, OneStream has gained popularity by combining competitive pricing with fast download speeds and simple switching processes, making it an attractive alternative to larger providers.
As more households move away from traditional copper phone lines, many customers are choosing OneStream for its value-for-money broadband packages and straightforward approach to connectivity. Whether you’re upgrading from older ADSL services or switching providers to reduce your monthly bills, OneStream aims to make the transition as seamless as possible.
However, one question often arises when customers are considering the switch: Can I keep my existing landline number?
For many households and small businesses, a long-established phone number remains important. Friends, family, customers and service providers may all rely on that number to stay in touch. While OneStream’s support documentation states that number transfers may be possible in many cases, customers occasionally discover that transferring their number is not always straightforward, particularly if they require a dedicated phone service alongside their broadband.
In this guide, we’ll explain your options for keeping your number when switching to OneStream Broadband and how VoIP services such as Plexatalk can help.
One of the most common questions people ask before switching broadband providers is: “Can I keep my number with OneStream?” The good news is that, according to OneStream’s support documentation, customers can transfer their existing phone number in most cases when moving their services to OneStream.
However, OneStream also notes that there are circumstances where a number transfer may not be possible. If this applies to your order, they state that they will contact you before proceeding. While this is reassuring, it highlights the importance of checking your number’s portability before making any changes to your current broadband or phone service.
This is particularly important because cancelling your existing provider too early could result in your landline number being disconnected. Once a number has been ceased, recovering it can be difficult or, in some cases, impossible. For households and businesses that have used the same number for years, losing it can cause significant inconvenience.
If you’re asking, “Can I keep my number with OneStream?”, the safest approach is to confirm your options before cancelling anything. And if your number cannot be transferred directly, there is another solution.
An independent VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, such as Plexatalk, allows you to move your existing number away from your broadband provider entirely. This means your phone number can remain yours regardless of which broadband company you use, providing greater flexibility, future-proofing your communications, and helping ensure you don’t lose a number that’s important to you.
While some customers are able to transfer their number directly when switching broadband providers, others prefer to separate their phone service from their internet connection altogether. This is where independent VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services have become increasingly popular.
By keeping broadband and phone services separate, your landline number is no longer tied to a specific provider. This gives you much greater flexibility when choosing broadband packages and makes it easier to switch providers in the future without worrying about losing your number or interrupting your phone service.
For example, if you move from OneStream to another provider in a year’s time, your phone number can remain exactly where it is. Rather than arranging another number transfer, updating contacts, or risking downtime, your VoIP service continues to operate independently of your broadband connection. This can be particularly valuable for small businesses, remote workers, and households that have relied on the same number for many years.
Independent VoIP services also offer features that are often unavailable with traditional landline packages. Depending on the provider, these can include voicemail-to-email, call forwarding, call recording, auto attendants, mobile and desktop apps, multiple handsets, and the ability to make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection.
For customers looking for a UK-based solution, Plexatalk provides independent VoIP services that allow you to keep your existing number while benefiting from modern calling features. Because your number is held separately from your broadband provider, future broadband switches become much simpler, helping you avoid disruption while maintaining complete control over your communications.
Although many phone numbers can be transferred between providers, there are situations where a number may not be eligible for porting. This can come as an unwelcome surprise for customers who have used the same landline number for many years.
One common reason is geographic restrictions. Some numbers are linked to specific exchanges or regions and may not be supported by every provider. There can also be provider limitations, where the gaining provider does not have an agreement or technical capability to accept certain number ranges. Older, legacy number blocks can sometimes present challenges as well, particularly if they were originally allocated many years ago under different telecommunications arrangements.
Administrative issues can also prevent a successful transfer. Incorrect account details, mismatched addresses, or discrepancies between provider records may result in a port request being rejected or delayed.
If a number cannot be ported, customers risk losing a number that may have been in use for decades. For businesses, this can have serious consequences. Customers may continue calling an old number that no longer works, leading to missed enquiries, lost sales, and damage to brand reputation. Marketing materials, websites, directories, and business stationery may also need updating.
For residential users, the impact can be equally frustrating. Family members, friends, healthcare providers, schools, banks, and other important services may all have the number on record. Changing numbers can mean contacting dozens of organisations and individuals, with the possibility that some may not receive the update.
For this reason, it’s always worth confirming your number transfer options before switching providers or cancelling an existing service.
The UK’s telecommunications network is undergoing one of the biggest changes in decades. The PSTN switch-off refers to the retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the traditional copper-based phone system that has connected homes and businesses for generations.
The current industry target is for the PSTN to be fully withdrawn by January 2027. Once this transition is complete, traditional analogue landline services will no longer operate over copper phone lines. Instead, all voice communications will move to internet-based technologies such as Digital Voice and VoIP phone services.
For customers, this means the familiar landline isn’t disappearing entirely—it’s simply changing the way it works. Rather than connecting through a physical telephone exchange, calls will be made and received using a broadband connection. This approach offers greater flexibility, improved reliability, and access to features that were difficult or impossible to provide on older telephone networks.
As broadband providers continue to roll out fibre and full-fibre services, traditional landlines are becoming increasingly outdated. Maintaining ageing copper infrastructure is costly, while modern IP-based networks can deliver both broadband and voice services more efficiently.
For OneStream customers, the shift towards Digital Voice and VoIP phone services reflects the wider direction of the UK telecoms industry. Whether a phone service is provided directly by a broadband provider or through an independent VoIP company, internet-based calling is rapidly becoming the standard.
The key takeaway is that the future of home and business telephony is digital. As the PSTN switch-off approaches, customers who want to keep their existing phone number should start considering their options now, ensuring a smooth transition to a modern VoIP phone service before traditional landlines become a thing of the past.
If you’re concerned about losing your existing phone number when switching broadband providers, Plexatalk offers a simple way to keep it. As a UK-based VoIP provider, Plexatalk enables customers to transfer their existing landline number to an independent VoIP service, allowing them to continue using the same number regardless of which broadband provider they choose.
The process begins with a number portability check to confirm that your existing number can be transferred. Plexatalk supports number porting from many major UK providers, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, Virgin Media, Vodafone, EE, and a wide range of business phone providers.
Once eligibility has been confirmed, you’ll be asked to complete a Customer Letter of Authority (CLoA). This document authorises Plexatalk to manage the transfer on your behalf and helps ensure the porting process is completed correctly. After the paperwork has been submitted, Plexatalk coordinates directly with your current provider to arrange the transfer.
In most cases, number porting takes around 7–10 working days, although timelines can vary depending on the provider and the complexity of the transfer. Throughout the process, customers are kept informed of progress and any actions required.
One of the biggest advantages of moving your number to Plexatalk is that it becomes independent of your broadband provider. This means if you switch from OneStream to another provider in the future, your phone number stays exactly where it is. There’s no need to arrange another transfer, update contacts, or risk losing a long-established number.
By separating your phone service from your broadband connection, Plexatalk gives you greater control, flexibility, and long-term ownership of the number that’s important to you.
If you decide to move your phone number to an independent VoIP service such as Plexatalk, you’ll have several ways to continue using it after switching to OneStream broadband. Whether you want to keep your existing home phone, upgrade to a modern business handset, or take calls on the move, there’s a setup to suit almost every household or business.
For many people, the simplest solution is to continue using their current telephone handset through an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA). This small device connects your existing phone to your broadband router and converts traditional phone signals into VoIP calls.
The main advantage is familiarity. You can keep the same handset, use the same buttons and features you’re used to, and avoid learning a new system. Setup is typically straightforward, requiring only a connection between the ATA, your router, and your phone.
This option is ideal for households that want a traditional landline experience while benefiting from modern VoIP technology.
For home offices and businesses, a dedicated VoIP desk phone offers a more advanced solution. These phones are designed specifically for internet-based calling and often include HD audio quality, larger displays, caller management tools, voicemail integration, call transfer features, and more.
VoIP desk phones are popular with remote workers, small businesses, and professionals who spend significant time on calls and want a reliable, purpose-built device.
Another flexible option is using your phone number through mobile or desktop applications. Popular SIP-compatible apps such as Zoiper allow you to make and receive calls using your landline number from a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
This is particularly useful for remote working, travelling, or managing business calls away from the office. Many users choose to run their number across multiple devices simultaneously, ensuring they never miss an important call whether they’re at home, in the office, or on the move.
With VoIP, your number is no longer tied to a single phone, giving you far greater flexibility than a traditional landline ever could.
As the UK moves towards a fully digital communications network, more homes and businesses are discovering the advantages of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) compared to traditional landline services.
One of the biggest benefits is cost savings. Unlike conventional phone lines, VoIP services typically don’t require separate line rental charges, helping to reduce monthly bills. Calls are often cheaper too, particularly for businesses making regular outbound calls.
VoIP also delivers significantly improved call quality. With a reliable broadband connection, users can enjoy HD voice technology, resulting in clearer conversations and better audio than many traditional landline services.
Beyond basic calling, VoIP includes a range of advanced features that would often cost extra on older telephone systems. These can include call forwarding, allowing calls to ring on another number or device, and voicemail-to-email, which sends voice messages directly to your inbox so you can listen to them wherever you are.
For businesses and professional users, features such as call recording, auto attendants, call queues, and hunt groups provide additional flexibility and control. These tools can help improve customer service, maintain compliance requirements, and support remote or hybrid working environments.
Another major advantage is scalability. Traditional phone systems often require additional hardware and installation work when adding new users or extensions. With VoIP, new numbers, users, and devices can usually be added quickly and easily, making it an ideal solution for growing businesses.
Whether you’re looking to reduce costs, improve flexibility, or prepare for the UK’s digital future, VoIP offers a modern alternative to the traditional landline.
Every customer’s situation is different, but the desire to keep an existing phone number is a common theme when switching broadband providers.
A homeowner contacted Plexatalk after deciding to leave their existing broadband provider due to increasing monthly costs. They had found a more affordable package with OneStream but were concerned about losing the landline number they had used for over a decade. By porting the number to Plexatalk before switching, they were able to move to OneStream for broadband while continuing to use the same phone number without interruption.
A home-based consultant had used the same BT landline number for many years, with clients regularly calling it for appointments and enquiries. When moving to a new broadband package, they wanted to ensure their number remained available regardless of future provider changes. Plexatalk transferred the number to an independent VoIP service, allowing calls to be answered on both a desk phone and mobile app while maintaining complete continuity for clients.
A small business had its phone number printed on vehicles, business cards, brochures, and online directories. Changing numbers would have meant updating marketing materials and potentially losing customer enquiries. By moving the number to Plexatalk, the business retained its established contact number while switching broadband providers, ensuring customers could continue reaching them without disruption.
These real-world scenarios highlight why many people choose to separate their phone number from their broadband provider, giving them greater flexibility while protecting an important business or household asset.
In many cases, yes. OneStream states that existing phone numbers can often be transferred when you switch services. However, eligibility depends on factors such as your current provider, number range, and local exchange arrangements. If keeping your number is important, it’s always best to check before cancelling your existing service.
If your number cannot be ported directly, you may risk losing it when your current service is disconnected. This can be particularly disruptive if you’ve had the number for many years or use it for business purposes. An independent VoIP provider such as Plexatalk may be able to offer alternative porting options or help you retain your number separately from your broadband service.
Yes. Many customers continue using their current home phone by connecting it through an Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA). This allows traditional handsets to work with modern VoIP services without requiring major changes to your setup.
Not necessarily. If you’re happy with your existing phone, an ATA can often provide everything you need. However, some customers choose to upgrade to a dedicated VoIP desk phone to access features such as HD audio, larger displays, and advanced call management functions.
Absolutely. In fact, full-fibre broadband is one of the best connections for VoIP services. Fast, stable internet helps deliver excellent call quality, reliable connections, and support for advanced features such as video calls and multi-device usage.
Because VoIP relies on an internet connection, phone services may be unavailable during a broadband outage. Many users address this by setting up call forwarding to a mobile number or using mobile apps that can switch to a cellular data connection when needed.
Yes. One of the biggest advantages of VoIP is flexibility. Using SIP-compatible apps such as Zoiper, you can make and receive calls using your landline number on a smartphone, tablet, or computer. This allows you to stay connected whether you’re at home, in the office, or working remotely.
If you’re switching to OneStream and want to keep your existing phone number, Plexatalk can help make the process simple and stress-free. Whether you’re a homeowner protecting a long-held family number or a business looking to maintain customer continuity, our UK-based VoIP services are designed to keep you connected.
By moving your number to Plexatalk, you gain complete independence from your broadband provider. This means you’re free to switch broadband companies whenever you like without worrying about losing your phone number or having to go through another porting process in the future.
Our services are available for both residential and business customers, with flexible options that allow you to use your existing phone, a dedicated VoIP handset, or mobile and desktop applications. You’ll also benefit from modern calling features, lower costs, and a solution that’s ready for the UK’s transition away from traditional landlines.
Most importantly, you’ll avoid the risk of losing important calls from family, friends, customers, suppliers, and essential services that already have your number on record.
Explore our solutions:
Contact the Plexatalk team today to check whether your number can be transferred and discover how easy it is to keep your number for life.
For many years, Plusnet customers have enjoyed straightforward broadband packages, competitive pricing, and reliable service. That’s why many people have been surprised to learn that Plusnet is no longer offering traditional home phone services and is encouraging customers who still want a landline to move to EE instead.
While moving to EE may be the right choice for some households, others would prefer to stay with Plusnet. Whether it’s because you’re happy with your current broadband deal, want to avoid changing providers, or simply don’t see a reason to pay more for a bundled phone package, there is another option available which is why we wrote this guide on how to stay with plusnet an dkeep your landline number.
The good news is that you can keep your Plusnet broadband and retain your existing landline number by moving it to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone service. VoIP allows you to make and receive calls over your internet connection, often at a lower cost than a traditional landline, while keeping the phone number that friends, family, and businesses already know.
In this guide, we’ll explain why Plusnet customers are being asked to move, what alternatives are available, and how you can stay with Plusnet while keeping your landline number through Plexatalk.
But first, the short answer:
Can I stay with Plusnet and keep my landline?
Yes. Plusnet customers can usually keep their broadband service and transfer their existing landline number to a VoIP provider such as Plexatalk. The safest approach is to move your broadband to SoGEA first and then transfer your number.
The UK’s traditional telephone network is undergoing one of the biggest changes in its history. By January 2027, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) — the analogue phone system that has powered home and business landlines for decades — is scheduled to be switched off across the country. As part of this nationwide upgrade, copper-based phone services are being retired and replaced with modern digital alternatives that use broadband connections instead.
Because Plusnet is part of the BT Group, it has been affected by these changes. Rather than developing its own digital home phone service, Plusnet has chosen to stop providing traditional landline services and is encouraging customers who want to keep a home phone to move to EE, another BT Group brand. EE’s Digital Voice service allows customers to make and receive calls over their broadband connection, replacing the need for a traditional phone line.
From BT Group’s perspective, this approach simplifies its product offering and allows investment to be focused on fewer brands and platforms. However, for many Plusnet customers, moving to EE may not be the most attractive option. Some customers are happy with their existing Plusnet broadband package, while others may prefer Plusnet’s pricing, customer service, or contract arrangements.
The important thing to understand is that losing your traditional landline service does not automatically mean you must move your broadband to EE. There are alternative ways to keep your existing phone number while remaining a Plusnet broadband customer. By separating your broadband service from your phone service and moving your number to a VoIP provider, you can continue enjoying Plusnet broadband while retaining the number you’ve used for years.
Yes, you can stay with Plusnet and keep your existing phone number.
Many people assume that their broadband service and home phone service have to come from the same provider, but that’s no longer the case. Thanks to modern broadband technology, it’s now possible to separate the two services and choose the best provider for each.
Your broadband can remain with Plusnet, while your phone number is moved to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) provider. VoIP is simply a digital phone service that works over your internet connection rather than a traditional copper phone line. From a user’s perspective, it still functions much like a normal home phone service—you can make and receive calls, keep your existing number, and use compatible handsets or adapters.
This approach has become increasingly common as the UK’s traditional phone network is phased out. Thousands of households have already moved their landline numbers to VoIP services while keeping their preferred broadband provider.
For Plusnet customers who are happy with their broadband package and don’t want to move to EE, transferring their number to a VoIP provider can offer the best of both worlds: keeping the broadband service they know while retaining the phone number they’ve used for years.
SoGEA stands for Single Order Generic Ethernet Access, but don’t worry too much about the technical name. In simple terms, SoGEA is a broadband-only service that delivers internet access without requiring a traditional phone line.
Historically, most UK broadband services were linked to a copper telephone line. Even if you rarely used your home phone, your broadband was still dependent on the same infrastructure that provided your landline service. This is why broadband and phone services have traditionally been bundled together.
As the UK moves towards the nationwide PSTN switch-off, providers are increasingly moving customers away from these older phone-line-based services. SoGEA was introduced to support this transition by allowing broadband to be provided independently of a traditional landline.
For Plusnet customers, migrating to SoGEA can be an important step in keeping their broadband service while moving their phone number elsewhere. Once your broadband is delivered via SoGEA, there is no traditional phone service attached to the line, making it much easier to use a separate VoIP provider for your calls and phone number.
There are several benefits to SoGEA. The service is often simpler to manage, removes reliance on ageing telephone infrastructure, and is designed for the UK’s future digital network. Because there is no traditional phone service included, customers can choose a VoIP provider that best suits their needs rather than being tied to a specific phone package.
The main difference between SoGEA and traditional broadband is that a SoGEA connection is purely for internet access. Traditional broadband services are typically linked to a copper phone line and may include or support analogue telephone services. With SoGEA, your broadband remains in place, but any phone service is handled separately through a digital VoIP provider, giving you greater flexibility and control over your services.
For many Plusnet customers, the issue isn’t that they need a new phone solution—it’s that they’re perfectly happy with their existing broadband service and don’t see a reason to switch providers.
Plusnet has built a loyal customer base by offering straightforward broadband packages and competitive pricing. If your broadband is working well, moving to a completely different provider can feel like an unnecessary change. Some customers also have concerns about potentially higher monthly costs, new contract terms, or the hassle of learning a different system and managing services through a new provider.
Another consideration is flexibility. When your phone service is tied directly to your broadband provider, changing broadband companies in the future can become more complicated. By keeping broadband and phone services separate, you have greater freedom to shop around for the best broadband deals without affecting your phone number.
Cost can also be a factor. For example, EE’s entry-level Digital Home Phone service starts at around £5.73 per month on a pay-per-call basis, while unlimited UK calling packages can cost significantly more. In comparison, dedicated VoIP services such as Plexatalk offer plans from £4 per month including 100 minutes, with unlimited UK calling available from £12.50 per month. Features such as voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, and number porting are also included as standard.
For customers who want to keep their Plusnet broadband, retain their existing number, and maintain maximum flexibility in the future, using an independent VoIP provider can be an attractive alternative to moving everything to EE.
prices correct as of 29th of May 2026 – prices taken from Plexatalk and EE
| Feature | EE Digital Home Phone | Plexatalk |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level plan | £5.73/month (Pay Per Call) | £4/month including 100 mins |
| Unlimited UK calls | ~£20.66/month | £12.50/month |
| Keep existing number | Usually yes | Free porting included |
| Existing phone support | May require compatible setup | Optional adapter available |
| Router flexibility | Primarily EE hardware | Works with most routers |
| Change broadband provider later | Phone tied to EE | Number stays independent |
| Mobile/app flexibility | Limited EE ecosystem | Wider VoIP app/device support |
| Included features | Varies by package | Voicemail, caller ID & forwarding included |
| International calling | Extra plan required | Select destinations included |
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If you’d like to stay with Plusnet but keep your existing landline number, the process is relatively straightforward. The key is making sure the timing is coordinated correctly so that your broadband remains active and disruption to your phone service is kept to a minimum.
The first step is to contact Plusnet and ask to be migrated to a SoGEA broadband service. This removes the traditional phone service from your line while allowing your broadband to continue working.
When arranging the migration, ask Plusnet to schedule the changeover date at least 7 days in the future. This gives enough time to organise the transfer of your phone number and ensure everything is prepared before the switch takes place.
Make a note of the agreed SoGEA activation date, as you’ll need this for the next step.
Once you have your confirmed SoGEA migration date, sign up with Plexatalk and submit a request to transfer your existing landline number.
During the signup process, let us know the date Plusnet has scheduled your move to SoGEA. This information is important because it allows us to plan the number transfer around the broadband migration and avoid unnecessary delays.
After receiving your port request, we’ll begin coordinating the transfer process behind the scenes.
Timing is critical because transferring a number too early could unintentionally affect the broadband service linked to the line. By knowing your planned SoGEA migration date in advance, we can prepare everything so the number transfer takes place at the appropriate time.
Our team will monitor the process and work with the relevant providers to ensure the transfer proceeds as smoothly as possible.
On the agreed date, Plusnet will move your broadband service to SoGEA.
Your broadband connection should remain active, but your traditional phone service will cease as part of the migration. At this point, your broadband and phone service are effectively separated, creating the ideal conditions for the number transfer to proceed.
In most cases, your existing phone number can be transferred to Plexatalk on the next working day after the SoGEA migration has completed.
Once the port is finished, you’ll be able to make and receive calls through your Plexatalk service while continuing to use Plusnet for your broadband. For most customers, this means only a short period without phone service—typically around one day—while the transfer is completed.
The result is the best of both worlds: you keep your Plusnet broadband, retain your long-established phone number, and gain the flexibility and cost savings of a modern VoIP service.
When transferring a landline number away from a traditional broadband and phone package, timing is one of the most important factors in the process.
This is because, on many older broadband services, the phone number and broadband connection are linked together. If a number is transferred to a new provider before the broadband service has been moved to SoGEA, the transfer can sometimes trigger the cancellation of the underlying line. In practical terms, that could mean your broadband service is unexpectedly disconnected when the phone number leaves the account.
This isn’t a problem with VoIP or number porting itself—it’s simply a consequence of how traditional broadband and telephone services have historically been delivered over the same infrastructure.
That’s why we recommend arranging your Plusnet migration to SoGEA first. Once SoGEA is active, your broadband service becomes a standalone broadband connection with no traditional phone service attached. At that point, the phone number can be transferred separately without risking the broadband connection.
By waiting until the SoGEA migration has completed and then transferring the number, the process becomes much safer and more predictable. It also helps minimise disruption, with most customers experiencing only a brief gap between the traditional phone service ending and their number becoming active on Plexatalk.
The good news is that this is a process we handle regularly. We understand the relationship between broadband migrations and number porting, and we’ll guide you through the timing requirements to help ensure everything happens in the correct order. By planning ahead and coordinating the transfer properly, you can keep your Plusnet broadband and your existing phone number with minimal hassle.
One of the most common concerns people have when moving from a traditional landline to VoIP is whether they’ll need to replace all of their existing phones. In most cases, the answer is no.
If you already have a cordless phone system or a standard home telephone that plugs into a phone socket, you can usually continue using it with a VoIP adapter. This small device connects to your broadband router and provides a traditional phone socket for your existing handsets.
For customers who want a simple plug-and-play solution, Plexatalk can supply a pre-configured Grandstream HT802 adapter for £50. The device arrives ready to use, allowing you to connect your existing phones with minimal setup required.
You’ll simply connect the adapter to your broadband router using an Ethernet cable and plug your phone into the adapter. Once connected, your calls will be handled over your internet connection rather than the old copper phone network.
Some Plusnet routers include a phone port, which can understandably lead customers to assume they can connect a phone directly. Unfortunately, these ports are typically designed for the provider’s own digital voice services and generally don’t support third-party VoIP providers such as Plexatalk.
The good news is that you don’t need to invest in expensive new equipment. For most households, an affordable VoIP adapter and your existing phones are all that’s required to continue using your home phone number.
Once your number has been successfully transferred to Plexatalk, day-to-day life is much the same as it was before—except your phone service is now running over your broadband connection rather than the old telephone network.
You’ll keep your existing landline number, so friends, family, and businesses can continue to contact you as normal. If you’re using a VoIP adapter, you can also continue using your existing home phones, meaning there’s no need to learn a new system or change the way you make and receive calls.
Many customers find that moving to VoIP can also reduce their monthly phone costs. Depending on the package you choose, you may benefit from inclusive call allowances and lower call charges compared to traditional landline services.
You’ll also gain access to modern phone features that are often included as standard. Plexatalk plans include features such as voicemail, caller ID, and call forwarding, helping you get more from your phone service without paying extra for add-ons.
Most importantly, your broadband remains with Plusnet throughout. You’ll continue using the broadband package you’ve chosen, while Plexatalk handles your phone service independently. This gives you the flexibility to keep the broadband provider you prefer while retaining complete control of your phone number.
Yes. If Plusnet moves your broadband service to SoGEA, you can usually transfer your existing landline number to Plexatalk without changing broadband provider. This allows you to keep your Plusnet broadband package while continuing to use your existing phone number.
The safest approach is to arrange your SoGEA migration with Plusnet first and then start the number porting process. Once your broadband has been moved to a broadband-only service, your phone number can be transferred to Plexatalk without risking your internet connection being cancelled.
Most number transfers are completed shortly after your SoGEA migration takes place. In many cases, customers are without their landline service for only one working day while the transfer is completed.
No. You do not need Full Fibre to use VoIP. Plexatalk works over most broadband connections, including SoGEA, FTTC fibre broadband, Full Fibre (FTTP), and many mobile broadband services. As long as you have a reliable internet connection, VoIP can be used as a replacement for a traditional landline.
Yes. Most customers can continue using their existing cordless DECT phones. By connecting a VoIP adapter to your broadband router, your existing handsets can work much like they did with a traditional landline.
For many households, VoIP can be a cost-effective alternative to EE Digital Voice. Because your broadband and phone services are separate, you have more flexibility over call plans and features while keeping your existing Plusnet broadband package.
Like EE Digital Voice and other internet-based phone services, VoIP relies on your broadband router and phone equipment having power. During a power cut, calls cannot usually be made or received unless you have a battery backup solution such as a UPS. Customers who rely on a phone line for emergencies should consider backup options before switching.
Looking to sign up to one of our VoIP packages or explore prices? See our VoIP for home page here.
EE 5G Broadband gives you fast home internet without needing a traditional phone line or engineer-installed fibre connection. Instead of using the old copper network, EE’s 5G router connects wirelessly to the mobile network, making it a popular option for homes looking for quicker setup and more flexible broadband.
But one question many people ask before switching is:
“Can you keep your landline when switching to EE 5G Broadband?”
In most cases, yes — you usually can.
While EE 5G Broadband itself doesn’t include a traditional analogue landline, you can keep your existing home phone number by using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP lets you make and receive calls over your broadband connection instead of the old telephone network.
EE does offer digital voice services in some broadband setups, particularly with Full Fibre packages, but many customers prefer using an independent VoIP provider instead. A standalone service such as Plexatalk can often be cheaper, more flexible, and easier to keep separate from your broadband provider long term.
That means if you later change broadband providers again, your landline number can usually stay exactly where it is.
You can also normally continue using your existing home phones with a simple adapter, avoiding the need to replace all your handsets.
If you’re looking for broader guidance on EE phone services and number porting, read our main guide: “Keep Your Landline When Switching to EE”.
In this guide, we’ll explain how landlines work with EE 5G Broadband, how VoIP replaces traditional phone lines, and how to keep your existing number without paying unnecessary line rental fees.
No — EE 5G Broadband does not include a traditional landline service.
Unlike older broadband connections that used a copper telephone line entering your property, EE 5G Broadband connects to the internet wirelessly using the EE mobile network. Your broadband is delivered through a 5G router rather than a phone socket, so there is no standard analogue phone line or PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) service included.
This is where some of the confusion comes from.
EE does offer a home phone service called Digital Home Phone, but this is primarily designed for EE’s fixed broadband and Full Fibre customers. Digital Home Phone uses VoIP technology to carry calls over a broadband connection and is typically connected through an EE Smart Hub router rather than a traditional wall socket.
EE 5G Broadband works differently.
With EE 5G Broadband, you’re effectively buying a wireless internet connection powered by the mobile network. The service focuses on providing fast internet access without requiring a landline, engineer visit, or fixed-line installation.
That doesn’t mean you have to give up your home phone number.
Many households moving to EE 5G Broadband choose to keep their existing landline by transferring it to a standalone VoIP provider. This allows them to continue using the same number while keeping their phone service separate from their broadband provider. In many cases, it can also be a more flexible and cost-effective solution than tying your phone service directly to a broadband package.
For customers who want the best of both worlds, EE 5G Broadband combined with an independent VoIP service can provide fast wireless internet alongside a fully functional home phone number.
Source note: This section is based on EE’s published information on Mobile Broadband, Fibre Broadband without a landline, and Digital Home Phone services, which confirms that EE’s 5G Home Broadband is a mobile broadband product rather than a traditional landline service.
Yes — in most cases, you can keep your existing landline number when switching to EE 5G Broadband.
This process is called number porting. It allows your current phone number to be transferred from your old provider onto a digital phone service, usually a VoIP provider or digital voice platform.
Landline numbers from major UK providers including BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Plusnet can normally be ported without problems, provided the transfer is handled correctly.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is cancelling their old phone line too early.
If your current broadband or phone service is fully cancelled before the number transfer completes, your landline number could potentially be lost and become unavailable to recover. That’s why it’s important to keep the service active until the port has successfully finished.
Some customers moving to EE may choose to use EE’s own Digital Home Phone or Digital Voice services where available. Availability can depend on the specific EE broadband package and hardware setup, so it’s worth checking directly with EE what phone options are supported with your service.
Others prefer using an independent VoIP provider such as Plexatalk, particularly if they want to compare pricing, keep their number separate from their broadband provider, or continue using the same phone setup even if they switch internet providers again later.
In many cases, standalone VoIP services can also provide additional flexibility such as mobile apps, call forwarding, and wider hardware compatibility.
As long as the process is handled in the correct order, keeping your existing landline number is normally straightforward.
VoIP — short for Voice over Internet Protocol — allows you to make and receive phone calls using your internet connection instead of a traditional copper telephone line.
Rather than relying on the old PSTN network, your calls are converted into digital data and carried over your broadband connection. With EE 5G Broadband, that means your phone service runs through your 5G router using the mobile network connection already powering your internet.
In practice, using VoIP often feels exactly like using a normal home phone — just with far more flexibility behind the scenes.
VoIP works well with EE 5G Broadband because the service is entirely internet-based. As long as your 5G connection is stable, your phone number can work almost anywhere.
There are several ways to use VoIP with an EE 5G setup:
For many households, the easiest option is simply connecting their current DECT cordless phones through a small adapter, allowing them to continue using familiar handsets around the home.
Independent VoIP services such as Plexatalk have also been widely tested with modern EE-compatible routers and 5G broadband hardware. Because VoIP is provider-independent, the phone service itself isn’t tied directly to EE.
That creates a more future-proof setup.
If you later change broadband providers, move house, switch to full fibre, or even use a backup internet connection, your phone number can usually remain exactly the same. Your VoIP service simply reconnects through the new internet connection.
This is one reason many people now prefer standalone VoIP over traditional bundled landline services. Instead of your number being attached to a specific broadband contract, it becomes portable, flexible, and usable across multiple devices and locations.
For households that still value their landline number, VoIP provides a modern alternative that works naturally alongside EE 5G Broadband.
For many households, EE’s own digital phone services will work perfectly well alongside their broadband package. If you prefer having broadband and phone services bundled together under one provider, EE’s setup can be a convenient option.
But it’s not the only way to keep a home phone number.
An increasing number of people now choose independent VoIP providers instead — not because EE’s service is “bad”, but because standalone VoIP can offer more flexibility and, in many cases, lower ongoing monthly costs.
The biggest difference is that independent VoIP separates your phone number from your broadband provider.
With traditional bundled services, your home phone is often closely tied to your broadband account and router setup. Independent VoIP works differently. Your number exists independently over the internet, meaning you can usually change broadband providers later without needing to move your phone number again.
For households using EE 5G Broadband, that flexibility can be particularly useful.
If you later switch to full fibre, move house, use a backup broadband connection, or change providers entirely, your VoIP service can normally continue working with minimal disruption. In most cases, you simply reconnect your adapter, app, or VoIP handset to the new internet connection.
Many standalone VoIP providers also support a wider range of hardware and features, including:
For some people, this creates a much more portable and future-proof phone setup than the traditional “landline attached to broadband” model.
Cost can also play a role.
EE phone services are generally sold as part of a broadband bundle, while independent VoIP providers often offer simpler standalone monthly pricing. Depending on the features and call usage you need, this can sometimes work out cheaper over time.
Here’s a general comparison between the two approaches:
| Feature | EE Phone Option | Independent VoIP |
|---|---|---|
| Keep existing number | Yes | Yes |
| Works independently of EE broadband | No | Yes |
| Use mobile or desktop apps | Limited | Yes |
| Easier to switch broadband later | More limited | Usually easier |
| Use existing handsets | Sometimes | Usually |
| Router flexibility | Mainly EE hardware | Wider compatibility |
| Call forwarding features | Limited | Usually included |
| Typical monthly costs | Higher bundled pricing | Often lower |
For many users, the choice simply comes down to flexibility.
If you want everything under one provider, EE’s own phone options may suit you perfectly. But if you’d rather keep your landline independent, portable, and usable across different devices and broadband providers, standalone VoIP services such as Plexatalk can offer a more adaptable long-term solution without requiring major changes to how you use your home phone day to day.
| Feature | EE Digital Home Phone | Plexatalk |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level plan | £5.73/month (Pay Per Call) | £4/month including 100 mins |
| Unlimited UK calls | ~£20.66/month | £12.50/month |
| Keep existing number | Usually yes | Free porting included |
| Existing phone support | May require compatible setup | Optional adapter available |
| Router flexibility | Primarily EE hardware | Works with most routers |
| Change broadband provider later | Phone tied to EE | Number stays independent |
| Mobile/app flexibility | Limited EE ecosystem | Wider VoIP app/device support |
| Included features | Varies by package | Voicemail, caller ID & forwarding included |
| International calling | Extra plan required | Select destinations included |
Pricing correct at time of writing.
In many cases, yes — you can usually continue using the home phones you already have with VoIP and EE 5G Broadband.
One of the biggest concerns people have when moving away from a traditional landline is whether they’ll need to replace all their existing handsets. Thankfully, most households can keep using their current setup with very little change.
Modern DECT cordless phone systems typically work well with VoIP services when connected through an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter). The adapter plugs into your EE 5G router and allows standard home phones to work over your internet connection instead of the old copper phone line.
That means your phones can continue working much as they always have:
Many corded phones can also work depending on the model and adapter being used.
For customers who want the simplest possible setup, Plexatalk offers a pre-configured plug-and-play Grandstream ATA adapter with two phone ports for £50. This allows many existing home phone systems to connect directly to VoIP without complicated configuration.
In most cases, setup simply involves connecting the adapter to your router and plugging your existing phone base station into it.
For households moving to EE 5G Broadband, this makes the transition to digital phone services feel far less disruptive. You keep the same number, continue using familiar handsets, and gain the flexibility of modern internet-based calling without having to completely replace your home phone system.
If you want to move to EE 5G Broadband without losing your existing landline number, the process is usually straightforward as long as everything is done in the right order.
The most important thing is not cancelling your old phone service too early.
Here’s how the process typically works:
Start by ordering your EE 5G Broadband service. When arranging the installation or delivery date, it’s a good idea to leave enough time for your landline number transfer to complete.
For customers using Plexatalk, number porting can sometimes take between 1–2 weeks depending on the provider and whether the number has been ported previously.
Do not cancel your current broadband or phone service manually before the transfer completes.
Your existing landline number needs to remain live during the porting process. Cancelling too early can sometimes result in the number being lost permanently.
Decide how you want to use your phone service after switching.
For example, you may want to:
Once you’ve signed up with your VoIP provider, submit your landline transfer request as early as possible.
With Plexatalk, customers are encouraged to provide their EE activation or switch date so the broadband installation and phone number transfer can be aligned as closely as possible.
It’s important to understand that port dates cannot usually be guaranteed immediately. The final transfer date normally needs to be confirmed by the losing provider and the original range holder for the number.
When your VoIP service becomes active, connect your phones, adapter, or mobile apps to your EE 5G router and internet connection.
Once the port completes, test inbound and outbound calls to ensure everything is working correctly.
In most cases, once the number transfer completes successfully, the old phone service linked to that number will automatically close with your previous provider.
Handled correctly, the switch is usually smooth and allows you to keep your long-standing home phone number while moving to EE 5G Broadband.
Yes — you can keep your existing landline number when switching to EE 5G Broadband. The number is usually transferred to EE’s digital voice or a VoIP or digital phone service using a process called number porting. The key thing is keeping your current line active until the transfer completes.
No. EE 5G Broadband is a wireless broadband service that uses the EE mobile network rather than a traditional copper telephone line. Your broadband is delivered through a 5G router, so there’s no standard PSTN landline included with the service.
Usually, yes. Most DECT cordless phones can continue working with VoIP services by using a simple ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter). This allows your existing home phone system to connect through your broadband router instead of the old wall phone socket.
In most cases, you can keep your current number by moving it to a VoIP service, allowing you to continue using your home phone over your internet connection instead of the old copper network.
For many households, independent VoIP services such as Plexatalk offer a more flexible alternative to traditional bundled phone packages. Your number stays separate from your broadband provider, making it easier to switch internet services later without needing to move your landline again.
You can also usually continue using your existing cordless phones, while benefiting from modern features such as mobile apps, call forwarding and voicemail services.
For customers looking for a more future-proof setup with lower ongoing monthly costs and greater flexibility, standalone VoIP can be a practical long-term solution alongside EE 5G Broadband.
To learn more, browse our VoIP packages or read our main guide: Keep Your Landline When Switching to EE.
You can also browse and signup to our VoIP packages for home here.
With a lot of people signing up for VoIP, one of the most frequent questions we get asked is – Do You Need Fibre for VoIP?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can work extremely well on many standard broadband connections, including FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet), standard home broadband, mobile broadband, and even some rural wireless connections. For most households, the key factor isn’t having the fastest broadband package available — it’s having a stable and reliable internet connection.
As the UK moves away from traditional copper landlines as part of the nationwide digital phone switch-off, more people are asking whether their current broadband is “good enough” for VoIP. The good news is that modern VoIP technology uses very little bandwidth. A typical voice call often requires less internet capacity than streaming music or browsing social media.
What matters most is connection consistency. A stable broadband connection with low dropouts will usually deliver far better call quality than an ultra-fast connection that suffers from interruptions or congestion.
That’s why modern home VoIP services like Plexatalk are designed to work across a wide range of broadband providers and connection types — helping customers keep reliable home phone service without needing to upgrade to expensive full fibre packages first.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. In simple terms, it’s a way of making phone calls over your internet connection instead of using traditional copper phone lines.
Rather than relying on the old analogue landline network, VoIP converts your voice into digital data and sends it securely over the internet. This is why VoIP is often referred to as a digital landline — it performs the same role as a traditional home phone service, but uses modern internet technology instead.
When you make a VoIP call, your voice is broken into tiny packets of data and transmitted almost instantly to the person you’re speaking with. Because this process is very efficient, phone calls actually use surprisingly little bandwidth.
In fact, a standard VoIP call usually uses less than 100 kbps (kilobits per second). To put that into perspective:
This means VoIP uses only a small fraction of the internet capacity most households already have available.
Because of this, VoIP does not automatically require ultrafast or full fibre broadband. Even basic broadband connections can often support excellent call quality, especially for households that mainly use the internet for everyday browsing, emails, and streaming.
Modern broadband routers are also designed to handle VoIP traffic easily. Many can prioritise voice calls automatically to help maintain clear audio quality, even while other devices are connected to the internet.
That’s why millions of homes across the UK are switching to digital landline services without needing major broadband upgrades. With the right setup and a stable connection, VoIP can work reliably on a wide range of broadband services.
Yes — VoIP can absolutely work without full fibre broadband.
While fibre broadband can improve overall internet performance, it is not a requirement for most home VoIP or digital landline services. In many cases, existing broadband connections are already more than capable of handling high-quality phone calls.
VoIP can work reliably on a wide range of internet connections, including:
This is because VoIP uses very little bandwidth compared to other online activities. A typical phone call only requires a small amount of internet capacity, meaning even older broadband connections can often support multiple calls at once without problems.
What matters far more than headline download speed is the quality and stability of the connection itself.
For example, a stable FTTC connection delivering 30–40 Mbps will usually provide excellent VoIP performance for a household. In contrast, a faster connection suffering from congestion, Wi-Fi issues, or frequent dropouts may actually produce worse call quality.
Upload speeds also play an important role, as VoIP sends your voice data in real time. Fortunately, even many basic broadband packages now provide more than enough upload bandwidth for reliable digital landline calls.
Modern routers are also much better at handling internet traffic than older equipment. Many can prioritise voice traffic automatically, helping maintain clear calls even when other devices are streaming, gaming, or downloading in the background.
For most UK households, the reality is simple: you probably do not need to upgrade to full fibre just to use VoIP.
Fibre broadband can certainly be beneficial — especially for larger households or heavy internet users — but for standard home phone usage, it is usually helpful rather than essential.
That’s why many customers are successfully moving to digital landline services like Plexatalk while keeping their existing broadband connection exactly as it is.
One of the biggest surprises for many people switching to VoIP is just how little internet speed phone calls actually require.
A typical high-quality VoIP or digital landline call usually uses around 0.1 Mbps (100 kbps) of bandwidth. That’s only a tiny fraction of what most modern broadband connections provide.
To put that into perspective, streaming a single HD Netflix programme can use 30–50 times more bandwidth than a VoIP phone call.
For most households, even standard broadband packages are easily capable of supporting everyday phone usage. The real difference comes when multiple people are using the internet heavily at the same time.
For example:
The key thing to understand is the difference between “can VoIP work?” and “what provides the best possible experience?”
In many cases, VoIP will work perfectly well without fibre broadband. However, faster and more stable connections can help if your household has lots of simultaneous internet activity.
| Usage Type | Recommended Connection |
|---|---|
| Single home phone | Standard broadband |
| Elderly relative/basic usage | ADSL or standard broadband |
| Multiple simultaneous calls | FTTC or better |
| Home working & video calls | FTTC or fibre |
| Heavy streaming/gaming household | Fibre preferred |
For the vast majority of homes, reliable broadband matters far more than chasing the highest possible speed package.
Although VoIP does not require full fibre broadband, there are situations where fibre can improve the overall experience.
The biggest advantage of fibre broadband is not simply faster phone calls — it’s better overall internet performance across the household.
For example, fibre can be particularly helpful in homes where:
In these situations, fibre broadband provides more capacity for the entire household, helping reduce congestion and maintain smooth performance during busy periods.
However, it’s important to remember that VoIP itself remains a very lightweight service. A phone call uses only a small amount of bandwidth compared to activities like 4K streaming, large downloads, or video conferencing.
That means many homes can still enjoy excellent digital landline call quality on standard broadband or FTTC connections without needing to upgrade immediately.
Think of fibre as something that improves the overall internet environment rather than something VoIP specifically depends on.
For households with lighter internet usage, existing broadband may already be more than sufficient. But for busy modern homes with lots of connected devices and heavy online activity, fibre can help deliver the smoothest and most consistent experience across everything — including VoIP calls.
Yes — in most cases, you can keep your existing landline number when switching to VoIP or a digital landline service.
This process is known as number porting. It allows your current phone number to be transferred from your old landline provider to your new VoIP provider, helping you keep the same number friends, family, and contacts already know.
For many households, this is one of the biggest concerns when moving away from traditional copper phone lines as part of the UK’s PSTN switch-off. Fortunately, modern VoIP services are specifically designed to make the transition as straightforward as possible.
You can often continue using your existing home phone handset too. By using a simple VoIP adapter, many traditional cordless phones and landline handsets can work exactly as they did before — just over your broadband connection instead of the old analogue network.
That means you still get the familiar “home phone” experience, while benefiting from modern digital calling features and future-proof technology.
Services like Plexatalk can help customers transfer their existing number, keep using their current phones, and move smoothly to digital calling without needing to completely change how they use their home phone service.
Switching from a traditional landline to VoIP can sound like a big change, so it’s completely normal for people to have questions or concerns before making the move.
The good news is that for most households, the experience is far simpler and smoother than they expect.
In most cases, no. Modern VoIP call quality is typically extremely clear — often clearer than older analogue landlines. As long as your broadband connection is stable, most users notice little to no difference when switching to a digital landline service.
Because VoIP uses modern audio technology, call quality can actually improve compared to ageing copper phone lines.
Unlike traditional landlines, VoIP depends on your internet connection, so calls will not work if broadband is completely unavailable.
However, there are several ways to stay connected. Many VoIP providers offer features such as:
For many households, forwarding calls to a mobile during an outage provides more than enough reassurance.
Usually not. Most modern VoIP systems are designed to be plug-and-play.
Many providers send preconfigured equipment that simply connects to your broadband router. In many cases, setup takes only a few minutes.
Not necessarily.
If you want to keep using your current home phone handset, a simple VoIP adapter (often called an ATA adapter) can allow your existing cordless or landline phones to continue working normally.
Of course, dedicated VoIP phones are also available, but many home users continue using the phones they already have without any issues.
For most people, switching to VoIP is far less disruptive than they initially expect — especially when supported by a provider experienced in helping customers move from traditional landlines to digital calling.
More households across the UK are now switching to VoIP and digital landline services as traditional copper phone lines are gradually being retired.
This nationwide change, often referred to as the PSTN switch-off, means older analogue landline networks are being phased out in favour of modern internet-based communication systems. As providers move customers away from copper lines, many homeowners are discovering that VoIP offers far more flexibility and value than traditional phone services ever did.
One of the biggest reasons people switch is cost. VoIP services are often significantly cheaper than traditional landlines, especially when combined with modern broadband packages. Many providers also include useful calling features that previously cost extra.
Modern digital landline services can offer features such as:
At the same time, VoIP still keeps the convenience many people want from a traditional home phone. You can usually keep your existing number, continue using familiar handsets, and make calls just as you always have — simply using your broadband connection instead of ageing phone lines.
For many households, services like Plexatalk provide a practical way to modernise home phone services without unnecessary complexity. Customers can move to digital calling, keep the reliability and familiarity of a home landline, and benefit from modern features designed around how people communicate today.
Despite what many people assume, you do not need full fibre broadband to start using VoIP or a digital landline service.
For most UK households, existing broadband connections are already more than capable of supporting high-quality phone calls. Whether you currently use ADSL, FTTC broadband, mobile broadband, or even some wireless and satellite connections, VoIP can often work perfectly well without major upgrades.
The most important factor is not having the fastest broadband package available — it’s having a stable and reliable internet connection.
Of course, fibre broadband can improve overall internet performance, especially in busy households with lots of streaming, gaming, and connected devices. But VoIP itself uses very little bandwidth, which means many homes can comfortably switch to digital calling without needing full fibre specifically.
As the UK continues moving away from traditional copper landlines through the PSTN switch-off, more people are discovering that switching to VoIP is often far simpler than expected. With the right provider and setup, you can usually keep your existing number, continue using familiar phones, and enjoy modern calling features with minimal disruption.
If you want to keep the simplicity of a home phone while preparing for the UK landline switch-off, Plexatalk’s VoIP for Home plans provide an easy way to move to digital calling without changing how you use your phone day to day.
Yes. In many cases, standard broadband is more than capable of supporting VoIP or digital landline services.
A typical VoIP call uses very little bandwidth compared to streaming TV, video calls, or gaming. As long as your internet connection is stable, even older broadband connections can often deliver excellent call quality.
Many UK households already have suitable broadband for VoIP without needing to upgrade to full fibre.
Yes, VoIP can work perfectly well over WiFi.
Most modern home VoIP setups connect through your broadband router wirelessly or via Ethernet cable. Many people use cordless phones, VoIP adapters, or mobile apps over WiFi every day without issues.
However, for the most reliable call quality, especially in larger homes, positioning your router well or using wired connections where possible can help improve stability.
Yes — fibre broadband is helpful, but it is not essential for reliable VoIP calling.
What matters most is having a stable internet connection with minimal dropouts or congestion. Many people successfully use VoIP on FTTC, ADSL, mobile broadband, and 4G or 5G connections.
In fact, some households notice better call quality after moving away from ageing copper landlines to modern digital calling.
Absolutely.
Many elderly users continue using VoIP exactly like a traditional home phone service. With the right setup, they can often keep their existing phone number and continue using familiar cordless or landline handsets.
For many families, the transition is barely noticeable day-to-day. Calls are still made and received in the normal way, just using broadband instead of the old phone network.
Features such as call forwarding, nuisance call blocking, and voicemail can also provide additional convenience and reassurance.
Usually, yes.
Many VoIP providers (including us) offer simple ATA adapters that allow traditional home phones and cordless handsets to work with digital landline services.
This means you often do not need to buy specialist VoIP phones or completely replace your existing setup.
For most users, installation is straightforward and designed to be plug-and-play.
Unlike traditional analogue landlines, VoIP services depend on both internet and power to operate.
If your router loses power, your VoIP service will usually stop working temporarily. However, there are several ways to stay connected during outages, including:
Call forwarding to a mobile phone
VoIP mobile apps over mobile data
Battery backup units (UPS)
4G or 5G backup broadband
Many households already rely heavily on mobile phones during power cuts, so having call forwarding enabled is often a simple and effective solution.
Accessing your Plexatalk voicemail is quick and simple. Whether you’re a residential customer or a business using a multi-user VoIP phone system, you can retrieve your voicemail messages in just a few steps.
To access your Plexatalk voicemail, simply:
You will then be prompted to enter your voicemail PIN if required. Once logged in, you can listen to new and saved messages, delete messages, and manage your voicemail settings.
If you’re a business customer using a multi-user VoIP system, voicemail is typically configured on a per-user or per-extension basis.
This is particularly important in shared office environments or where multiple users have access to the same phone system.
Many VoIP desk phones, including a range of Yealink models, can be configured to provide one-touch access to voicemail.
Depending on your handset, you may have:
When configured, pressing the voicemail button automatically dials your voicemail service, removing the need to manually dial *97 or 1571.
This feature is typically configured through your phone’s provisioning settings or by your IT administrator. If you’re unsure whether your handset supports one-touch voicemail access, the Plexatalk support team will be happy to help.
If you’re having trouble accessing your voicemail, need your voicemail PIN reset, or would like assistance configuring your VoIP handset for one-touch voicemail access, please contact the Plexatalk support team.
If you’ve received a Grandstream HT802 adapter from Plexatalk — or from another provider — this guide on How to Connect a Grandstream HT802 Adapter will help you get it connected and ready to make calls.
Don’t worry if you’re not technical — the steps are simple, and this guide is written for you!
Before you start, make sure you have:
If you’ve ordered your device from Plexatalk, it’s already preconfigured so you just need to plug it in.
Find the Ethernet port on your broadband router — one of the sockets labelled LAN.
Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into that port.
Then plug the other end into the “Internet” port on the back of your Grandstream HT802 (it’s the left-hand network socket in blue).
Find the power connector in the box (black), connect this to a wall outlet and then connect the small micro-USB connector into the back of the HT802 adapter.
If your phone has an RJ11 connector, this is not required. However if you’re connecting a traditional landline phone – like what you’ve had connected to your BT socket in your home/business. You’ll want to connect the supplied (if purchased through us) white BT – RJ11 adapter. HT802 models have 2 ports, if supplied by us, this can be plugged into port 1 or 2.
HT801 models only have one green port.
You should now be able to plug your phone into the white BT-RJ11 Adapter that’s plugged into the HT802 VoIP adapter. This should be the same cable that goes into your BT socket or back of your router (if you’re switching from Digital Voice)
On the HT802 Adapter. There are 4 lights, one for each phone port, power and LAN port. If the adapter is supplied by us, all should be illuminated.
The phone should now be able to dial out. If you can make calls out but calls are not coming in – this may be because the number hasn’t fully ported yet.
If you can’t call out and all the lights are lit up on the adapter, it may be an issue with the phone or connection from the phone to the adapter.
Your Grandstream HT802 is now connected and ready to use.
You can make and receive calls just like a normal phone — but over your broadband line.
If you bought your device from Plexatalk and you’re still having issues, just get in touch — we’re happy to help.
If no lights come on at all, check that the power cable is plugged in securely at both ends — into the HT802 and the mains socket. Also, make sure the wall socket is switched on.
If you see fewer than four lights (3 on HT801), it usually means the adapter isn’t fully connected to your network. Check that the Ethernet cable is plugged into the Internet port on the HT802 and into a LAN port on your broadband router. Once it’s properly connected, the lights should all come on and stay steady after 30–60 seconds.
Make sure your telephone is plugged into the white BT-style adapter, and that this adapter is connected to the Phone 1 (FXS1) port on the HT802.
If it’s in the wrong port, or not fully inserted, you won’t get a dial tone.
If your device came preconfigured (from Plexatalk or another provider), you don’t need to change anything — just plug it in. If you bought it elsewhere and it isn’t preconfigured, contact your provider to check that it has your account details set up correctly.
Usually around 30 to 60 seconds. The lights may flash for a short while, but once they all stay on steadily, your HT802 is connected and ready to use.