Closure of Vodafone landline network and transfer to Fibre

Forums › One NZ (including Farmside) › Closure of Vodafone landline network and transfer to Fibre

pmilne29

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#299050 6-Aug-2022 12:39

Vodafone has its own copper landline network in the Wellington/ Kapiti area. Vodafone has now announced it is shutting down this network on 14 November 2022 and is inviting customers on this network to shift phone service to voice calling over broadband via its HFC broadband service (which I have) or wireless broadband. Customers who originally transferred to this network (then branded 'Saturn') had to be allocated new phone numbers in the '9' range at the time.

Nearly 2 years ago I took up Chorus's offer to have fibre installed but so far have not transferred the existing Vodafone services to it. However as Vodafone is withdrawing copper which would force me to rearrange wiring I now intend to transfer to Spark or another provider for fibre. I have started investigating the process and conclude so far:

1. I can sign up for a suitable Spark plan (with 'landline' phone) on Spark's web site and name a commencement date.

2. I need to give Vodafone a months notice.

3. Phone is provided via an outlet on the ONT - I can arrange integrated wiring myself (to avoid paying $148 for a technician visit).

4. Spark seems to want to sell me a modem for $106.

There are some questions I cannot resolve from information available. These are:

1. Can I port the '9' phone number to Spark or is it necessary to be allocated a new '4' number. A friend with a '4' phone number recently transferred from Vodafone (via Chorus copper) to Spark but Spark could not 'grab' that number so allocated my friend with a fresh '4' number. Even if I can keep the '9' number is there any advantage to transferring to a '4' number?

2. Would Vodafone let me keep the existing Vodafone modem (recent model) and if so would it work with the Chorus ONT. At present it plugs into Vodafone's coaxial cable box via an Ethernet cable.

3. I assume on the appointed day Spark will provision the fibre connection. I also understand that plugging a phone into the ONT will complete phone provisioning and complete the transfer from Vodafone. Or is some other action needed?

4. Are there any things I need to be careful with or pitfalls I should avoid so I can get a clean and tidy changeover with minimal service break.

Has anyone else had experience with doing this sort of transfer and so can share useful tips?

nztim

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#2951315 6-Aug-2022 14:31

I thought Vodafone shutdown their DMS100 a year ago with the HFC upgrades? @Sansom any details on this?

You can port any number to any provider in the same LICA area, using the Vodafone modem on another RSP means changing settings and depends on if those settings are locked down or not.

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antoniosk

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#2951358 6-Aug-2022 17:40

>> landlines should be easily portable within the area code these days, but it may be you were caught on older equipment within Spark, and of course even if everything is being phased out its still in service (barely).

>> If the number is that important to you, i would port it to a voip provider and take it out of the hands of someone else to cock things up, then port it back when things are stable at your place.

2. Would Vodafone let me keep the existing Vodafone modem (recent model) and if so would it work with the Chorus ONT. At present it plugs into Vodafone's coaxial cable box via an Ethernet cable.

>> do you mean, could you use the vodafone modem as an analogue telephone adaptor (ATA) on a non-vodafone service? Answer is almost certainly no, because the configuration in the voda modem is voda supplied services. Modems connect to the service provider and should download a phone profile. I dont believe you can get the admin user/passwords for the voda modems, unlock it and ask your new service provider to support it (why would they?).

>> anyone else care to comment?

>> in principle that's what the powerpoint flowchart says. in practise the steps are:

- connect outside fibre to your house, broadly where you want it

- do the inside work to position and screw ONT to wall, then connect fibre.

- replace the master socket for the telephone wiring with a new one suitable for taking a connection from the ONT port. Note I believe only Spark offers ONT based voice support directly, the others work via their own router device (which goes ONT -> ISP Model -> phone wire to master socket replacement).

4. Are there any things I need to be careful with or pitfalls I should avoid so I can get a clean and tidy changeover with minimal service break.

- Think about where all the current services are now (esp the master telephone socket), where you want the ONT, and the work the technician will have to do to hook everything up. If your master is by the front door, but the ONT needs to go behind the TV (which is the classic install plan).... two parts of the house, with wiring needing to go inbetween.

- if there's under the house work on an old house, the hours required go up and the interest will go down

- voice and internet are separately provisioned services, and the big guys are'nt great at analogue voice these days. There's a lot of automated systems. you WILL lose service for a period.

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Antoniosk

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#2951360 6-Aug-2022 17:41

nztim: I thought Vodafone shutdown their DMS100 a year ago with the HFC upgrades? @Sansom any details on this?

You can port any number to any provider in the same LICA area, using the Vodafone modem on another RSP means changing settings and depends on if those settings are locked down or not.

Actually there were 5 dms's.... 3 from clear (akld/wlg/chc business areas) and 2 from saturn (wlgkapiti/chc). You wouldnt spend money moving things around in the centre for no good reason, so i suspect they have just been left to deteriorate quietly....

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#2951363 6-Aug-2022 17:49

Signup and notice period are economic questions for you to decide.

Sparks's fibre ONT has 2 phone line outputs. Order a landline, plug an analog phone into line socket 1, and you're done. It may take a day, Spark says they rely on the fibre network provider (Chorus, Enable) to activate the connection, and after that may have some remote config to do. Anything will probably take at least a day, because the telcos need to lodge jobs with the line companies, which schedule jobs for next day.

You can order a landline from Spark without Vodafone knowing about it, unless you need/want to take your number. I'm under the impression that number portability is legally guaranteed (to facilitate competition), which doesn't of course have to stop the telcos from trying it on anyway, or giving their frontline staff incomplete information. If you need to take your number you're at the mercy of both. Neither Spark nor Vodafone customer service are all that competent.

The Vodafone ONT has no phone line sockets and you need the Vodafone "hub" thing to connect to their ONT. Some of the phone settings may be displayed, but can't be changed, and they don't make the phone settings available so you have to use their router - at a solid monthly fee. Ka'ching! Vodafone keeps the master password, but you can plug in your own storage and use it as your media etc server - go ahead if you dare. I don't find telco admin'ed routers or telco access to my LAN acceptable by any stretch, thank you very much and [kindly go away].

You don't have the Vodafone hub's master password, and it's rented, so you have to return it. Why would you want that Vodafone consumer junk anyway? Buy something professional and don't let the telco fiddle with it.

You can sort out and prepare the Spark things on your end beforehand. The analog line source is their ONT, what structured cabling you do after that is up to you. The Internet comes out of the ONT too, strictly speaking you should not need a router. There is no modem involved, the modem is in the ONT. I'm sure the Spark connection details are online, or phone them up. It's a good idea to get yourself your own router/firewall though (heard of pfsense?). I'd be annoyed if they forced me to buy their router.

There's something about a non-advertised $30/m Vodafone discount and free 2h national landline calling for very long-time customers, like from Paradise times. Check prices.

nztim

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#2951368 6-Aug-2022 18:27

antoniosk:
nztim: I thought Vodafone shutdown their DMS100 a year ago with the HFC upgrades? @Sansom any details on this?

You can port any number to any provider in the same LICA area, using the Vodafone modem on another RSP means changing settings and depends on if those settings are locked down or not.

so i suspect they have just been left to deteriorate quietly....

Which is why I am surprised there are still copper phone lines, I thought they were been scrapped with the HFC update last year

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

MaxineN

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#2951369 6-Aug-2022 18:49

nztim:

Which is why I am surprised there are still copper phone lines, I thought they were been scrapped with the HFC update last year

They're still being used but we are migrating customers off to VOIP in the same fashion as the NEAX.

Now as far as answering some of the questions in this thread to the best of my knowledge.

2. You can keep the modem just not the HFC TC4400. Ultra Hub is locked down to only IPoE/DHCP connections but the DN8245s are not locked down, however I imagine that Spark has the same "we can't really support 3rd party modems but their own"(which by the way I own one and would be happy to sell for a small penny if you'd like one).

3. If you did switch and we did become the LSP, Spark will provision everything on the ONT providing their side goes smoothly(also providing that you've given Spark the things they require to make the port request). Since the ONT uses the same RJ11 ports as our modems do for VOIP LL, you can integrate whatever internal wiring into it if you wanted to stay with us or if again we did become the LSP, the internal wiring can also be done on the ONT as well.

Ramblings from a mysterious lady who's into tech. Warning I may often create zingers.

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nztim

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#2951372 6-Aug-2022 19:36

MaxineN:
nztim:

Which is why I am surprised there are still copper phone lines, I thought they were been scrapped with the HFC update last year

They're still being used but we are migrating customers off to VOIP in the same fashion as the NEAX.

Now as far as answering some of the questions in this thread to the best of my knowledge.

2. You can keep the modem just not the HFC TC4400. Ultra Hub is locked down to only IPoE/DHCP connections but the DN8245s are not locked down, however I imagine that Spark has the same "we can't really support 3rd party modems but their own"(which by the way I own one and would be happy to sell for a small penny if you'd like one).

3. If you did switch and we did become the LSP, Spark will provision everything on the ONT providing their side goes smoothly(also providing that you've given Spark the things they require to make the port request). Since the ONT uses the same RJ11 ports as our modems do for VOIP LL, you can integrate whatever internal wiring into it if you wanted to stay with us or if again we did become the LSP, the internal wiring can also be done on the ONT as well.

@MaxineN when did you start working at Voda? Thanks for clarifying they are actually still in use, I was under the impression Voda had completed their migration last year.

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

MaxineN

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#2951375 6-Aug-2022 19:57

nztim

@MaxineN when did you start working at Voda? Thanks for clarifying they are actually still in use, I was under the impression Voda had completed their migration last year.

Since April but I've been pretty quiet about it(although a few already knew ;) ) + have helped here and there on GZ with a few people in my own time. Still learning the ropes and still slowly figuring out my way of things :)

Ramblings from a mysterious lady who's into tech. Warning I may often create zingers.

nztim

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#2951459 6-Aug-2022 21:31

MaxineN:
nztim

@MaxineN when did you start working at Voda? Thanks for clarifying they are actually still in use, I was under the impression Voda had completed their migration last year.

Since April but I've been pretty quiet about it(although a few already knew ;) ) + have helped here and there on GZ with a few people in my own time. Still learning the ropes and still slowly figuring out my way of things :)

Thanks awsome :)

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

NickR1

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#2951608 7-Aug-2022 12:16

pmilne29:

4. Are there any things I need to be careful with or pitfalls I should avoid so I can get a clean and tidy changeover with minimal service break.

Because you're transferring service types there should be zero interruptions to your internet.

For the smoothest transition, ensure the LL port completes before your VF account is closed.

If you want the VF TC4400 and any exposed coaxial removed you'll need to explicitly request this when contacting us.