Add Talk to Broadband?

[TimmyBGood]

@DanDanDanDanDanDa 

I believe the significant difference between the nations is that the UK is actively working towards PSTN switch-off (although the target date for completion has just slipped from December 2025 to January 2027) while Eire has no announced programme: this means UK ISPs must provide digital voice service over any new broadband connection or upgrade by default.

[DanDanDanDanDanDa]

Well guys I waited another 24 hours and turned off everything for 15 minutes and it still isn't giving me a dial tone or letting me dial any numbers. The "phone" light is still off on the router too.
I guess it is simple off either by default or permanently in Irish Sky installations. This is really annoying. I still have the old copper cable coming into the house so maybe there's a way to go back to that but it sounds messy having yet another box nailed to the skirting board.

Is there a way to get the landline number transferred to a WiFi handset connected to the router I wonder? Time for some research.

[DanDanDanDanDanDa]

Absolutely infuriating but I have to get a new phone number now. I had no choice about accepting the fibre connection and there is apparently no way I can keep my landline number and Sky will give me a new one. Imagine if it was a business number? My company would be completely screwed!
Also you can forget about the cooling off period. Doesn't matter, your old number is gone the second the fibre is installed. Didn't see that anywhere in the information letter because it isn't there. And no, there is no "Broadband plus Talk" product on the Irish website and this wouldn't have save the phone number anyway.
Furious to be honest. This will take ages to be sure everybody knows the new number.

[GD1]

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@DanDanDanDanDanDa wrote:

Absolutely infuriating but I have to get a new phone number now. I had no choice about accepting the fibre connection and there is apparently no way I can keep my landline number and Sky will give me a new one. Imagine if it was a business number? My company would be completely screwed!
Also you can forget about the cooling off period. Doesn't matter, your old number is gone the second the fibre is installed. Didn't see that anywhere in the information letter because it isn't there. And no, there is no "Broadband plus Talk" product on the Irish website and this wouldn't have save the phone number anyway.
Furious to be honest. This will take ages to be sure everybody knows the new number.

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Then you surely wouldn't be using a Domestic service for a business line use would you?

[Daniel0210]

@GD1 

And also pointed out on another thread

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Talk/Landline-phone-number-now-incorrect-after-full-fibre-installation/... 

[DanDanDanDanDanDa]

If I get a phone line from a provider it's up to me how I use it. Are you saying people don't ever do business from their home landline?
Anyway, according to the rep I spoke to you'd lose your number anyway no matter what once you went to full fibre so this isn't really a useful point at all.

[Mark39]

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@DanDanDanDanDanDa wrote:

If I get a phone line from a provider it's up to me how I use it. Are you saying people don't ever do business from their home landline?
Anyway, according to the rep I spoke to you'd lose your number anyway no matter what once you went to full fibre so this isn't really a useful point at all.

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It's not entirely up to you. Sky's terms and conditions (which you have to agree to when you sign up)  disallow business use. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@DanDanDanDanDanDa wrote:

Anyway, according to the rep I spoke to you'd lose your number anyway no matter what once you went to full fibre so this isn't really a useful point at all.

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The 'portability' of numbers is up to the national telecoms regulator (ComReg in this case, Ofcom in the UK) to define and enforce.

Ofcom says portability 'should' be available (and the assumption is a number will be maintained in most upgrades and when  switching ISP) but they do permit telcos not to facilitate it under some circumstances.

[DanDanDanDanDanDa]

But it's still irrelevant at the rep told me that going to full fibre always meant losing my phone number, which was not mentioned anywhere at all when I was informed of the (forced) upgrade. The type of service contract has nothing whatsoever to do with this.
A forced change of phone number is certainly something I would like to know before I would agree to this "upgrade".

[DanDanDanDanDanDa]

Thanks, this I can accept is the regulatory position.
What I can't really accept from Sky is that nowhere in the information I received does it say my phone number would change.
"If you have a phoneline and are moving to any of the Sky Broadband Ultrafast products, any security, care or social alarm services that are reliant on the copper phone line no longer function."
This is all it says about it, not that the number would change which is surely a big enough thing that I should have been notified.

[caesarome]

Feel free to register a complaint:

https://www.sky.com/help/complaints 

[TimmyBGood]

@DanDanDanDanDanDa 

I'd observe that Googling 'ComReg Number Portability' brings up various potentially interesting looking PDF files.

Unfortunately there just aren't enough posts in the forum from Sky subscribers in RoI for us to have any particular information on the topic.

[DanDanDanDanDanDa]

Well this has turned out quite well to be honest. The Sky agent on WhatsApp was completely wrong. I lodged a complaint and Sky Ireland contacted me, saying my old number would actually remain unallocated for 12 months before being recycled and having it reassigned to my new Fibre connection Talk service was no problem at all. From the phone call from Sky to having the phone working with my old number took under 24 hours.
Credit where it's due, Sky Ireland came through for me. I just wish their online documentation (and online tech support!) was actually relevant to Irish customers and I might have been able to avoid these headaches in the first place!
Hoping this information is useful to another Sky Ireland Talk customer.