Any alternative to a Landline with same number?

You could port your number to a VOIP provider. When Mum got switched over to digital voice I had her number ported to Sipgate so she didn't have to go through the hassle of telling everyone a new number (she's not much of a fan of mobile phones either ;)). She's on the 'free' tier (no monthly sub) and it cost £30 to do the port and she just has to make or receive a call every 3 months and I have to remember to log into her web account so it stays active. Calls are much cheaper than ISP charges and she mostly uses it to receive calls anyway.

Of course none of this will work if your router doesn't have a FON port, or DECT capability.
 
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You could port your number to a VOIP provider. When Mum got switched over to digital voice I had her number ported to Sipgate so she didn't have to go through the hassle of telling everyone a new number (she's not much of a fan of mobile phones either ;)). She's on the 'free' tier (no monthly sub) and it cost £30 to do the port and she just has to make or receive a call every 3 months and I have to remember to log into her web account so it stays active. Calls are much cheaper than ISP charges and she mostly uses it to receive calls anyway.

Of course none of this will work if your router doesn't have a FON port, or DECT capability.
sipgate free tier is no longer available. A&A is recommended alternative at £1.44pm
 
sipgate free tier is no longer available. A&A is recommended alternative at £1.44pm
That's a shame. Lucky I got it for Mum when I did then.
Will these work with virgin media?
Depends what features your router has. I set Mum up with my old FRITZ!Box router which has both a FON port and DECT. You would need one or the other and some setting within the router to be able to add a VOIP provider.
 
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Both virgin media and still with virgin.

Separate cable for landline

Got new router today, superhub 5. Which has 2 ports labelled Tel on the back.
are they billed together under the same name? if so, getting rid of the landline won't actually make a difference to the price for virgin media.
this is unless you are getting a different broadband provider, but i doubt you will get marginally better than £15pm
 
Both virgin media and still with virgin.

Separate cable for landline

Got new router today, superhub 5. Which has 2 ports labelled Tel on the back.
Virgin has just moved us off the dedicated phone line and our telephone is plugged into the router....

No change to the bill, however!
 
Well, this is a problem that many people face over the next few years. BT are supposed to be switching the exchanges off, which will leave many old people without a phone.

BT's solution to this is - use your mobile. But of course, the same people who are going to lose out, are the same people who don't have a mobile. Meanwhile, the government ignores the situation until it becomes a panic.

ISP's are starting to supply alternatives, so the first thing I would do is contact your supplier. If VM are charging the same, then they are ripping you off! There are companies that will supply a replacement for about £10 or less a month.

I would recommend going with a system that is provided by your supplier because it will probably work better. I've found that it's still remarkably tedious setting up VOIP without any help. This is because all the equipment is American and there are some incompatibilities with the UK phone system. Best to leave that up to the ISP to resolve.

I use VoIP for incoming calls, using my old phone number, but it is less than 100% reliable for outgoing calls. Fortunately, I can use a mobile for that.
 
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