Can I Keep My Landline Number When Switching Broadband Provider?
Yes, in most cases you can keep your existing landline number when switching broadband provider. Instead of losing the number when you leave your current provider, you can transfer — or “port” — it to another phone service.
Importantly, your new broadband provider doesn’t need to provide your landline service at all.
This is becoming increasingly useful as broadband and home phone services move apart. Some broadband providers no longer offer a traditional home phone service, while you might choose an internet-only option such as full fibre, 4G/5G broadband or satellite broadband.
With Plexatalk, you can port your existing landline number to an independent VoIP phone service. Your number then works over your internet connection rather than being tied to your broadband company.
That means you’re free to choose the broadband service that gives you the best speed, coverage or price at your address, while continuing to use the landline number that friends, family and other contacts already know.
What Happens to My Landline When I Change Broadband Provider?
Changing broadband provider can be a little more confusing than it used to be because broadband and home phone services no longer necessarily come together.
Traditionally, many households bought broadband and a landline as one package. The same provider supplied your internet connection, telephone service and landline number, so changing broadband often meant moving everything to a new provider at once.
That is increasingly no longer the case. Modern broadband connections such as full fibre (FTTP), 4G/5G home broadband and satellite broadband are primarily internet connections and don’t inherently provide a traditional telephone line. Some broadband providers offer a digital phone service alongside them, while others focus on broadband only.
Home phone services are also moving from the old analogue telephone network to digital or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services. Instead of your telephone calls travelling over a traditional phone line, VoIP uses your internet connection to make and receive calls.
The useful part is that your VoIP provider and broadband provider do not have to be the same company. You can have broadband from one provider and move your existing landline number to an independent VoIP provider such as Plexatalk, allowing you to keep the two services separate.
Why Do Some Broadband Providers No Longer Offer a Landline?
Not every broadband provider offers a home phone service anymore. Increasingly, broadband is sold as an internet-only service, particularly as the UK moves towards full fibre and other modern ways of getting online.
You might encounter this when considering a provider such as Plusnet, or when moving away from a conventional fixed-line broadband provider altogether. Depending on where you live, Starlink, 4G or 5G home broadband might give you better speeds, availability or pricing than the fixed broadband services available at your address.
The problem for many households is simple: “I want that broadband, but I don’t want to lose my home phone number.”
Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between the two.
Your landline number can be moved to an independent VoIP provider such as Plexatalk instead of being supplied by your new broadband company. VoIP carries your calls over an internet connection, which means it can work with many different types of broadband.
For example, Plexatalk’s home VoIP service can work over FTTP full fibre, 4G/5G broadband and satellite internet such as Starlink.
This separates your home phone from your internet provider. You can choose the broadband connection that works best for your household while keeping the existing landline number that people already use to contact you. If you change broadband again later, your phone number can remain with Plexatalk rather than having to move with your broadband each time.
Can I Keep My Landline Number Without Taking a Landline From My Broadband Provider?
Yes. You can keep your existing landline number without taking a phone service from your new broadband provider. Your broadband and home phone can be supplied by two completely different companies.
Instead of looking for a broadband package that includes a landline, you can choose whichever broadband provider gives you the best connection, speed, availability or price at your address. Your existing telephone number can then be transferred to an independent VoIP provider such as Plexatalk.
With Plexatalk, your existing number is ported to our VoIP service and your calls are carried over your internet connection. This means your phone service can work independently of the company supplying that connection.
There is another advantage to separating the two services: your landline number no longer needs to move every time you change broadband provider.
Once your number is with Plexatalk, you could change from one fibre provider to another, move to 4G or 5G broadband, or use another suitable internet connection without having to port your landline number again. Your broadband can change while your home phone service and familiar number stay with Plexatalk.
For many households, this makes choosing broadband much simpler: pick your internet for the connection you want and your phone provider for the number and phone service you want.
Switching to Plusnet, Starlink, 5G or Broadband Without a Phone Service
There are several situations where you might find the broadband service you want doesn’t come with the home phone service you want. That doesn’t mean you have to give up your existing landline number.
Switching to broadband without a phone service: You may find a broadband-only package that gives you the speed or price you want, including when considering providers such as Plusnet. Rather than ruling it out because you want to keep your home number, you can have your broadband from one company and your phone service from Plexatalk.
Moving to Starlink: In some rural or poorly served areas, you might choose Starlink because the fixed broadband available at your property isn’t fast or reliable enough. Starlink provides the internet connection, while Plexatalk can provide your VoIP phone service over that connection.
Using 4G or 5G home broadband: Mobile broadband can sometimes provide a better or more flexible alternative to a fixed connection. Again, you don’t need a traditional telephone line from the broadband provider. Plexatalk VoIP can operate over a suitable 4G or 5G internet connection.
Moving onto full fibre: You may also be upgrading to FTTP but find that your chosen package doesn’t include a suitable home-phone option. Your existing number can instead be ported to Plexatalk and used as a digital landline over your new connection.
In each case, the principle is the same: your broadband provides the internet connection, while Plexatalk independently provides your home phone service and keeps your existing number.
How to Switch Broadband and Keep Your Existing Landline Number
If you want to change broadband provider without losing the landline number you already use, the order in which you switch is important. In particular, don’t cancel your existing phone service before the number transfer has been arranged.
1. Choose and order your new broadband
Start by choosing the broadband service you want. This could be full fibre from another provider, broadband without a phone service, 4G/5G home broadband, Starlink or another suitable internet connection.
Your new broadband provider does not need to provide your home phone service.
2. Keep your existing phone service active
Don’t prematurely cancel your existing landline or digital phone service.
Your number needs to remain available while the transfer to Plexatalk is arranged. Cancelling first can make keeping the number more difficult, so ideally wait until Plexatalk confirms that the port has completed successfully.
3. Sign up to Plexatalk and request number porting
Choose your Plexatalk home VoIP package and tell us that you want to keep your existing landline number. Number porting is available with Plexatalk’s residential VoIP plans.
4. Provide your existing phone details
We’ll collect the information required to request the transfer. Make sure the details you provide match those held by your current phone provider, as incorrect information can delay the port.
5. Get your new broadband working
Ideally, have your new internet connection up and running before you start relying on it for your Plexatalk phone service. Once installed, check that your broadband and router are working correctly.
6. Transfer your number to Plexatalk
Plexatalk will arrange the transfer of your existing landline number. Keep your old phone service active until we confirm that the number port has completed successfully.
7. Connect your phone and test it
Once transferred, connect your VoIP adapter or compatible VoIP phone, or configure your chosen app. Test both incoming and outgoing calls.
Your broadband provider has changed, but your familiar home phone number stays with you — and is now independent of your broadband provider.
Don’t Cancel Your Existing Landline Before Moving the Number
If there’s one thing to remember when switching broadband and keeping your landline number, it’s this:
Don’t cancel your existing phone service before the number transfer has been arranged and completed.
Many people assume they can simply cancel their broadband and phone package, then ask for the number to be moved later. Unfortunately, that can put the number at risk. Once a service has been disconnected, recovering or transferring the number can become much more difficult and, in some cases, impossible.
Instead, the safest approach is to coordinate the switch. Order your new broadband, arrange for Plexatalk to port your existing number, and keep your current phone service active while the transfer takes place.
Plexatalk will advise you when the port has completed successfully. Only then should you consider cancelling any remaining services that you no longer need. This is the same approach we recommend for customers leaving providers such as Virgin Media, as it helps protect the number throughout the switching process.
A little planning can make the difference between keeping the number you’ve had for years and accidentally losing it during the switch.
How Long Does It Take to Transfer My Landline Number?
Transferring your existing landline number to Plexatalk will typically take around one week if the number has never been ported before, or around two weeks if it has previously been transferred between providers.
These times aren’t guaranteed, as number ports can occasionally be delayed or rejected if the details supplied don’t match those held by your existing provider. If this happens, the port may need to be corrected and submitted again.
We can also schedule your number transfer for a future date, which can be useful when you’re changing broadband provider and already know when your new connection is due to go live.
The important thing is to keep your existing phone service active until the transfer has completed successfully. Once Plexatalk confirms that your number has moved across, you can start using it through your Plexatalk VoIP service over your new broadband connection.
Can I Still Use My Existing Landline Phone?
Yes. In many cases, you can continue using the landline phone or DECT cordless phones you already have, even though your phone service has moved to VoIP.
Traditional home phones aren’t designed to plug directly into most modern broadband routers. Instead, you can use a small device called an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) or VoIP adapter. This converts your existing phone so that it can make and receive calls using your internet connection.
With Plexatalk, the setup can be as simple as:
Existing landline or DECT phone → VoIP adapter → broadband router/internet → Plexatalk
Plexatalk can supply a preconfigured Grandstream HT802 VoIP adapter for £50. You connect the adapter to your broadband router and plug your existing telephone equipment into the adapter. Because it arrives configured for your Plexatalk service, there’s no need to replace perfectly usable home phones just because you’ve changed how your calls are delivered.
Alternatively, you can use a compatible VoIP phone or a suitable smartphone or softphone app.
Whichever option you choose, calls to your ported landline number continue to reach you through Plexatalk — while your broadband can come from a completely separate provider.
What Happens When I Change Broadband Again in Future?
Once you’ve separated your broadband and home phone services, changing broadband provider again becomes much simpler.
Your landline number stays with Plexatalk rather than being tied to whichever company currently provides your internet connection. If you find a better broadband deal, upgrade to faster full fibre, move to 4G/5G broadband or change to another suitable internet service, you don’t need to transfer your telephone number each time.
Instead, you simply get your replacement broadband working and then connect your Plexatalk phone service through the new internet connection. Your existing number and Plexatalk service remain the same.
This gives you much more freedom when comparing broadband in the future. You can choose broadband based on speed, reliability, availability and price without having to worry about whether the provider also offers the home phone service you need.
Your broadband can change as often as you need it to; your familiar landline number can stay with you.
How Much Does It Cost to Keep My Landline Number?
Plexatalk’s residential VoIP plans currently start from £4 per month, making it possible to keep your home phone number without paying for a landline package from your broadband provider.
Our current home packages include:
- Micro – £4/month: 100 UK landline and mobile minutes
- Basic – £6/month: 250 UK landline and mobile minutes
- Standard – £10/month: 500 UK landline and mobile minutes
- Unlimited – £12.50/month: unlimited UK landline and mobile calls, subject to fair usage
The Micro and Basic packages currently have a one-off £15 connection and activation fee, while Standard and Unlimited include connection.
There is no additional charge for porting your existing landline number to or from Plexatalk.
If you want to continue using your existing analogue or DECT home phone, we can also supply a preconfigured Grandstream HT802 VoIP adapter for £50.
This means you can choose your broadband separately while keeping your familiar landline number and home phone service with Plexatalk.
Keep Your Landline Number and Choose Any Broadband Provider
Keeping your landline number doesn’t mean you have to stay with your current broadband provider or choose a broadband package that includes a phone service.
If another provider can give you faster broadband, better coverage or a better price at your address, you should be able to choose that connection without leaving your familiar home number behind.
With Plexatalk, you can port your existing landline number to our independent VoIP service and use it over your chosen internet connection. Your broadband and home phone are then separate, giving you much more freedom when choosing providers now and in the future.
Plexatalk residential VoIP plans currently start from £4 per month, with free number porting included.
Ready to keep your number and choose your broadband independently? View our residential VoIP plans or contact Plexatalk and we’ll help you get your existing landline number moved across.