Question about porting phone number from Spark to 2Talk when I move to Bigpipe ADSL

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sparky1685

88 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 20

#192341 7-Mar-2016 13:28

I've received my confirmation email that my ADSL service will transfer from Spark to Bigpipe on April 4. Following the advice here:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=158&topicid=191365&page_no=1#1483453

I rang Spark to give my 30 days' notice on the ADSL side of things, and also to ask that they leave our landline connected, so that I can port that to 2talk VOIP after the ADSL has moved over to Bigpipe.

Neither of the Spark guys I spoke with seemed to understand that I wanted to keep the phone service connected when the ADSL moves to Bigpipe. Is this still possible? I seem to remember reading about some changes to the way separate phone and ADSL services worked. Do I need to worry about losing our landline number before I have the chance to port it to 2Talk?

robjg63

4161 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1425

Subscriber

#1507457 7-Mar-2016 13:44

I was in the fortunate situation of getting UFB installed with bigpipe recently.

So got UFB installed and ADSL/Landline were still connected.

Then ported the landline number to 2talk - It seems that doing that pretty much removed the 'line' and wiped out the old ADSL service - though did have to formally call VF and cancel the ADSL/landline and ensure it was correctly closed.

The bigpipe help page (https://www.bigpipe.co.nz/faq/what-happens-to-my-landline-bigpipe ) says this:

What happens to my landline if I switch to Bigpipe?

Bigpipe is naked broadband, so you'll lose your landline when you make the switch. But you probably never use it, right? No biggie. Plus most mobile plans come with loads of minutes these days anyway. But if you really want to have a home phone, or keep your existing number, just sign up to a VOIP provider. There are heaps to choose from and they're way cheaper than a traditional landline anyway. They operate on your Bigpipe connection. Win. See our handy VOIP FAQ for how to set this up. Please tell us if you want to keep your existing number when you sign up, it's really important.

Also be aware monitored house alarms, medical alarms, fax machines, and ordering pay per view movies through your SKY box (who does that these days?) all use your phone line. Because Bigpipe is naked, you lose your line, so none of them will work. Sad times. It's up to you to check it out. If these services are important to you, then Bigpipe is not for you.

(Please note that you may get a dial tone on your landline for about a day after the switch over, as the phone system updates.)

So contact Bigpipe ASAP - NOT Spark.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

BigPipeNZ

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+1 received by user: 778

Trusted

BigPipe

#1507470 7-Mar-2016 14:06

Hi,

assuming you followed the steps here

Best way is to move the broadband first (on the same line), and ask us to leave the landline connected.

With spark, they are two separate things, so you can have a landline with Spark and broadband with Bigpipe, if you really wanted to.

Once the Broadband is moved over and all working, arrange for the number porting with your preferred VOIP service. (make sure you let Spark know what you are doing ahead of time so they don't accidentally cancel the voice service at the same time)

This will result in a few extra days paying for the landline, but probably worth it to ensure a smooth transition"

The main part of the process is at our end. For you to keep your landline we order 'broadband' from chorus. to disconnect the landline we order 'naked broadband' from chorus.

If we order 'broadband', that should cause your landline to remain intact. the call to spark is simply to verify that this will be the case and they haven't accidentally decided to disconnect the landline because they saw the BB going to bigpipe and assumed it was an error.

bigpipe.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/BigPipeNZ
https://twitter.com/BigPipeNZ

sparky1685

88 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 20

#1507801 7-Mar-2016 22:25

Yes, I followed that part of the guide, so it sounds as though things should be fine. I just got a little nervous that neither of the Spark guys I spoke with seemed to think it was possible to leave the landline with them while porting the ADSL away... I guess it isn't something that they come across very often.

Thanks!