VOIP

[jewers]

I have Sky Talk and fibre to the cabinet broadband.  I am now coming out of contract.  I have read that new customers and those who recontract are going on to VOIP.  If I recontract is this likely to happen if fibre to the premises is not yet available in my area?  Apologies if this is an ignorant question but I would be most grateful if someone could explain this to me.  Many thanks for your help.

[Highlinder · Accepted solution]

@jewers  If nothing is changing and all that you are calling Sky about is the cost of your broadband and talk, then your set up should not change. Just make sure to listen to what you are being offered before you commit to the new contract.

[Mark39]

I agree with @Highlinder. Recontracting won't trigger a,change to Sky VOIP. Upgrading or switching to Sky as a new customer most likely would. Bear in mind, however, that all households will be using a VOIP solution by 2025/2026 if Openreach rollout continues to plan.

[jewers]

@Mark39 @Highlinder Thank you both for your replies and explaining things to me.  I have now gone ahead and recontracted.  Very pleasant and helpful lady.  She explaIned everything to me and I am very happy with the result. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@jewers wrote:

 I have read that new customers and those who recontract are going on to VOIP.

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Worth being aware that while voice call service without PSTN is technically  VOIP, it doesn't appear that way from the viewpoint of the customer.

The only significant change is that the phone handset or DECT base unit has to connect by cable to the Sky Broadband Hub, and any 'phone' sockets on walls at the address become obsolete.

[jewers]

@TimmyBGood @Thank you for your reply.  I am an elderly lady and do my best to understand new technology but sorry I don't understand what you mean.  I have super fast Sky broadband and have fibre to the cabinet and the area in which I live does not gave fibre to the premises yet.  I just wanted to know if I recontracted, which I have now done, that I will continue to plug my landline into the Openreach wall socket as before.  I explained this to Sky and, as I was making no changes, I was told things would work as before.   Am I not understanding things correctly?  I much appreciate your input and would be most grateful if you could tell me if I have got this wrong.

[TimmyBGood]

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@jewers wrote:

I explained this to Sky and, as I was making no changes, I was told things would work as before.  

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I think that's correct, and there's nothing to worry about.  As @Mark39 noted, sometime between now and late 2025 everyone is supposed to be moving to VOIP over broadband so that the national PSTN (analogue telephony) system can be switched off, but so far there's no indication how this is going to happen.

[jewers]

@TimmyBGood @Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.  I now understand.  I try to keep up-to-date with new technology but it is now taking the brain longer to absorb and understand it!

[Tony+Turtle]

OK, I will admit all these abbreviations are spinning my head.  All I want to know is - With this VOIP setup, is there a DECT phone set (base and 2x extensions) that works with Sky and why don't they offer it for sale?

[GD1]

@Tony+Turtle  Sky have never offered telephones for sale they was a legacy thing from BT days.

These days there are 100's of phones available from almost every electrical retailer.

You need something like this

[Mark39]

@Tony+Turtle any standard phone whether it's a cordless (DECT) phone or a corded handset should,work with Sky VOIP.

Oddly enough, a VOIP phone won't work.

No special equipment is required, which is why, like every other provider I know of apart from BT Sky don't sell them.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Tony+Turtle wrote:

 why don't they offer it for sale?

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ISPs don't sell phones: BT is the exception because in previous incarnations (such as the GPO) they were in the telephone handset business many, many decades before the internet was a thing.