Being forced to change to VOIP?

[Andaho]

I'm being told by virgin staff on the phone that we have to change to the VOIP service, or we will no longer have a phone line.

This is massively inconvenient as I have my virgin hub (which I only use as a modem) at one end of the house, and the phone line, where the phone belongs, at the other side of the house.

I also want to continue using my own router.

I also have concerns about audio quality when the internet connection is bad, and not having a working phone in the event of a power cut or when the internet goes down.

Is it correct that VOIP is being forced upon customers that don't want to change?

[Graham_A]

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@Matthat01 wrote:

I have yet to have been given the 'choice' to move to VOIP so forgive my ignorance .. does this mean that with your voice calls moving from a third parties copper network to Virgins existing network that the user 'line rental' has been reduced?  

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The change to the phone service being provided via the Hub is being rolled out gradually across the VM network.  It isn't something you can choose as an existing VM customer, until your area is completely switched over. In any case telephone via the Hub 3 router isn't VOIP and the line rental charge still applies, albeit not separately identified on the bills any more due to regulators rules.

[wares1t]

Oh? So What’s it called if not voip? well their sales and tech support call it ‘telephone via the hub’ but it’s essentially voip, voice over data...

or am I wrong again? I never can tell with virgin media. 

[Roger_Gooner]

Certainly part of the calls are over IP as there is an IP voice switch between the cabinet and PSTN (it's a TDM switch for those who have phone lines). In a sense, however, it doesn't matter whether or not it's called VoIP as the key thing is that VM is following Openreach in planning to retire its PSTN by the end of 2025, which does bring benefits but does mean amongst other things that the days of connecting an ancient handset into a wall socket and still getting a dial tone in a power cut are coming to an end.

[DJ_Shadow1966]

Hello

The system that most telephone providers are going to be using is call 21CV, all the hub does is converts the old analog signal to a separate frequency on the cable connection.

Regards Mike

[DavyCrockett]

Good afternoon, thank you for this post. I recently bought a very high-tech set of three telephone receivers. This was because the quality of the sound on my old Panasonic system became quieter and quieter. After reading Which? for Best Buy landline receivers I bought this BT system. About £150. Last week there were issues with reception on the copper landline so I called virgin and a technician arrived who very gaily told me ‘oh we can sort that out by putting you on a Wi-Fi connection you don’t have to have us investigate your copper wires” . Today the receiver stopped working so I thought there was a fault. Eventually I got through to India, as nobody in Ireland seemed able to sort out the problem. Only 50 minutes of waiting.

On the display on the home landline it says ‘line and use a call cannot be made’. India told me that I have not got the correct phone receiver and I had to change a VoIP one, at extra cost with no compensation for the phoneS I have just bought.  Also at the visit last week there was no indication that change of phone/ receivers would be necessary. I feel extremely aggrieved and let down. Now I have no landline, and my mobile does not work well in the house because of the house construction. Has anybody else please been through this excruciating journey and how did you extricate yourself? Many thanks in advance

[SCA1972]

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@DavyCrockett wrote:

Eventually I got through to India, as nobody in Ireland seemed able to sort out the problem. Only 50 minutes of waiting.

I take it from your statement quoted above that you are in Ireland.  As this is a Virgin Media UK forum then the staff here will not be able to sort out your problem either as VM Ireland is a separate company to VM UK.  You need to contact VM Ireland (again):

https://www.virginmedia.ie/contact/

______________________
Scott

My setup: VM TV box, M350 Fibre broadband with Hub 3 in modem mode connected to a Netgear R7000 router. Telewest/VM user since 2001.

[DavyCrockett]

No I am in London. But was replied by ‘Ireland’. 

what please can you tell Me about my three new receivers. Is that £150 down the drain?

tha ms  

[Andaho]

Hi Davy,

If you were switched over to the same system I was, then your existing phones will still work, you just need to plug them in to your superhub (in the telephone port).

[DavyCrockett]

Thank you for that information, they are attached to the hub to the top port on the back of the little black router. 

but I was told by a guy in India that these receivers/phones will not work because they are not Voip phones  That apparently is the reason why my phones are not working and seem to be stuck. I can neither dial out nor listen to any messages, there is no dialling tone just this constant message ‘the line is in use a call cannot be made‘ The guy in India said it is because they are BT phones. They surely can’t be true. Help please

[nodrogd]

Any standard phones should work with the RJ11 connections on the Hub. VoIP phones will only operate through the RJ45 (Ethernet) connections. VM lines only operate via the RJ11 connections as they do not use the internet.