Broadband Without A Working Telephone Line

[mikey4444]

I have had the phone "off the hook" for over a year now, because it seemed the only way to stop being bombarded by nuisance calls. I have tried the Telephone Preference Service but its worst than useless. Everybody who knows me now contacts me by text, Mobile or email, an easy task when you have an Iphone !

I just don't use the landline at all, but I need it to provide my BT Internet connection, with which I am very happy. Or do I ? Can I get that broadband connection without having a working telephone line ! I did try to find out from the BT website but give up after going around in circles for half an hour?

I don't want to use a dongle.

[snags]

''Can I get that broadband connection without having a working telephone line''

Yes. I have broadband through Virgin via fibre optic cable. We don't have a landline.

[Zacs-Master]

I'm a bit confused by your title Q and the follow up. Just because you've disconnected your phone doesn't mean your phone line isn't working and could be used to provide Internet services.

[mikey4444]

Thanks but I don't have an optic cable and it is likely to be a long time before Virgin puts one into my housing estate.

I want to keep my BR internet connection as it never given me any trouble over the last 18 years and I am getting pretty good speeds.

[Zacs-Master]

So what does your phone have to do with it?

[mikey4444]

Sorry zacs....maybe I'm not making myself clear. I appear to be paying for a telephone service which I don't need. Any outgoing calls that I need to make I can do for free on my iphone, as my monthly allowance is very generous and very cheap, now that I have ignored the siren calls from 02 to upgrade my phone !

[Zacs-Master]

Ah right, as you've already experienced, the 'boffins' (should that be 'buffoons'?) at BT will not be able to comprehend this but I'm afraid it's the only way to keep your Internet and do away with the phone services.

[snags]

''I appear to be paying for a telephone service which I don't need''

Buy you do need it: you need the line to get your Broadband...

[mikey4444]

Thanks everybody. I don't pay very much for my BT service, so perhaps I can't save any more money !

[Zacs-Master]

I was assuming mikey meant peripherals such as caller ID / 1571 etc.

[Old_Geezer]

Look at it this way, they provide the local link for your broadband and they sling the telephone facility in as part of the package. I suspect that, were they willing to remove that facility they'd realise they were still stuck covering the same fixed costs, and so would charge you the same anyway to cover them. You can ask them if you can get a deal and telephone removed but I think your best option is to accept the situation.

[boxtops]

slightly off question, mikey, but we subscribe to the Call Prevention Registry rather than the TPS - it costs us £45 a year but we get no nuisance calls at all on our BT landline. We then have BT Infinity Broadband - no problems with it at all. Like you, we hardly use our landline phone at all, but it's all costed in the Infinity package.

[dzug2]

= =I have tried the Telephone Preference Service but its worse than useless.= =

Not sure why you should be so unfortunate.

I've found it has reduced calls to one a week at most - that's hardly 'bombarded'

[KJN]

Virgin use fibre optic no phone line required.check it out.

[hc4361]

If you live in the right area this might be a solution - as fast, if not faster, than many home broadbands

http://shop.ee.co.uk/huawei-e392-mbb-stick/pay-monthly/mobile-tariffs/

[Gizmonster]

I'm with dzug2 on this - We used to get nuisance calls and so we registered with the TPS. We're unlucky now if we get 1 a month.
If anyone does call, simply ask them where they got your number from and you are registered with the TPS and they shouldn't be calling you as they can be fined.
Just a quick question - when you first registered with the TPS, did you allow for the 30 days that it takes to kick in, or did you give up after a week or 2 ??

[Old_Geezer]

Some folk are just lucky I guess. If I have a day off work I can almost be sure of at least one of those call types.

[thumper93]

tps does not include calls from overseas ie: india which a lot of uk firms now employ to get to you on the phone then your call is then transferred through to the uk. very crafty but it not covered by tps

[pixie373]

Mikey, i also pay line rental, although i don't have a phone plugged in. Would be interested to see if it's necessary too.

[Gizmonster]

@thumper93 .... I'm fairly sure that the TPS does cover calls from abroad - it's where the company is based that matters ..... so you shouldn't be getting calls from a call centre in India, representing Barclays for example.
If someone rings and you're with the TPS, simply ask them how they got your number and they shouldn't be phoning you, as they can be prosecuted for it ..... watch how quickly they hang up !!!!

[Gizmonster]

Here you go, click on the 8th link down - "Does registration with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) stop calls from overseas?"

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/contactfaq.php