Now Broadband FTTC to Sky FTTP - rejected

[Yowch]

I think this gets asked quite a lot but a reply from Sky has me flummoxed.

I'm trying to switch from Now FTTC + Landline to Sky FTTP + VOIP and keep my existing landline number. However, when I tried to sign up Sky said they cannot port Now numbers because it's deemed that Now and Sky are the same carrier. The Sky rep on the phone said there was no alternative but to get a new phone number - which I'd rather not do.

I then said that I'd just port my number out to a third-party Voip supplier (A&A or Sipgate or something) and use them for my "landline". I was told that this was not possible either because when I signed up to Sky for broadband they'd delete my existing number. That doesn't sound right does it? If my number is not effectively with NowTV on the day I switch to Sky they can't get at it can they?

Just wondering if anyone has actually managed to migrate from Now to Sky and kept their number?

[jamesn123]

@Yowch 

Its not possible I dont think. Sky cant port numbers from NOW and vice versa so you are buggered there.

As for porting the number away to a 3rd party, theoretically it should be possible but I am not sure whether NOW would release your number to someone else while you are still in an active service. With that being said as soon as your service from NOW ends they put your number back into the pool for someone else to get it assigned to them so its a catch22.

This article from SIPGate makes interesting reading https://teamhelp.sipgate.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/204128432-Porting-my-existing-telephone-number-to-s...

IMO your only way to keep the number is to move to a different ISP 

[Yowch · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the quick answer @jamesn123 - sounds like I'm going to have to take the plunge and go with someone else than Sky/Nowsky for the first time in 15 years!😟.

There do seem to be increasing options for getting better internet (currently 5 to 8mb/s download). As well as all the Openreach "re-sellers" there's something called Quantum/Upp that's been putting some "pink cable" in the road - and their flyers are saying they can transfer my number - in a few months time.