How Does BT’s Digital Voice Stack Up Against Phonely’s Residential VoIP?
As BT migrate their landline customers over to BT digital voice, we wanted to know whether people were getting a good deal.
With the PSTN switch-off deadline looming, telephone service providers are looking to switch over their customers. But the general public has questions including those who are currently with BT. So here at Phonely, we thought we'd attempt to answer some of those questions whilst seeing how we compare. But before we tackle the details, let's start with the basics.
Explore our non-boring guide to VoIP
Digital Voice VS Residential VoIP
A lot of companies use these two terms interchangeably, us included! But there are some differences if you want to dive into semantics.
VoIP which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol refers to technologies that enable voice communication over the Internet instead of traditional telephone lines. VoIP converts analogue voice signals into digital data packets and transmits them over IP-based networks via your router.
Digital voice services encompass VoIP and other internet-based voice and multimedia technology. Combined these technologies offer advantages such as lower costs and features such as call flexibility and scam blocking.
The Benefits of Moving Your BT Phone Number to BT Digital Voice
Having a good route around BT's website, we found that when customers are switched to BT digital voice, their package remains the same. Because we've no way of knowing what customers are already paying and what for, we had a look to see what features are available to new customers as a guide.
As you can see, BT digital voice has limited features, compared to Phonely. Many of Phonely's features are designed to ensure our customers are protected from telephone criminals. We call this service CallGuard. Along with other advanced features, customers have the ability to nominate a trusted person who can be alerted should scam words be used on a call, should the account holder need assistance during a call or should the phone go offline (in a power cut for example).
| Features | BT | Phonely |
|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | ||
| Call blocking | ||
| Auto call blocking | ||
| Nuisance/withheld number display | ||
| Caller display | ||
| Call diversion | ||
| Call waiting | ||
| 3-way calling | ||
| Call barring | ||
| Anti-fraud introduction | ||
| Call recording & transcription | ||
| Contact book | ||
| Suspicious call alerts | ||
| Keyword notifications | ||
| Trusted person capability | ||
| Offline alerts |
The Cost of Moving Your BT Phone Number to BT Digital Voice
If you're already a BT customer and they contact you to move to BT digital voice, you will continue to pay the same monthly payment as you do with your landline with no upgrade in features.
As far as your handset goes, BT is offering a free BT digital voice adapter (if your existing phone is compatible) or a discount on a new VoIP handset. The way a BT digital voice adapter works is by plugging your existing phone into the adapter and then the adapter into your router. However, it also says on their website that no additional hardware is needed, and you can plug your phone straight into your router. Very confusing!
Here is what you get for your money with BT digital voice packages and Phonely VoIP plans.
| Plan | Broadband | Calls | Features | Keep number | Contract | Cost per month | Additional costs | Keep your analogue handset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT Fibre essential | Yes. 36mb download speed | Pay as you go @ 20.9p per minute for UK landlines & UK mobiles | Nuisance call blocker. Caller display | Yes | 24 months | £33.99 | £11.99 P&P | Yes. Just plug into free BT router. (No details of the afore mentioned adapter.) |
| BT Full Fibre 100 | Yes. 150 Mb download speed | Pay as you go @ 20.9p per minute for UK landlines & UK mobiles | Nuisance call blocker. Caller display. | Yes | 24 months | £34.99 | None | Yes. Just plug into free BT router. (No details of the afore mentioned adapter.) |
| BT Full Fibre 300 | Yes. 300Mb download speed | Pay as you go @ 20.9p per minute for UK landlines & UK mobiles | Nuisance call blocker. Caller display. | Yes | 24 months | £37.99 | None | Yes. Just plug into free BT router. (No details of the afore mentioned adapter.) |
| BT Full Fibre 500 | Yes. 500Mb download speed | Pay as you go @ 20.9p per minute for UK landlines & UK mobiles | Nuisance call blocker. Caller display. | Yes | 24 months | £45.99 | £11.99 P&P | Yes. Just plug into free BT router. (No details of the afore mentioned adapter.) |
| BT Full Fibre 900 | Yes. 900Mb download speed | Pay as you go @ 20.9p per minute for UK landlines & UK mobiles | Nuisance call blocker. Caller display. | Yes | 24 months | £44.99 | £11.99 P&P | Yes. Just plug into free BT router. (No details of the afore mentioned adapter.) |
| Phonely VoIP | No | Unlimited UK home & UK mobile | Voicemail. Contact book. Call app. | Yes | 12 months | £9.97 | None | Yes, plug into a compatible adapter available to purchase in the shop. |
| Phonely with CallGuard | No | Unlimited UK home & UK mobile | Voicemail. Contact book. Call app. 8 x scam protection features | Yes | 12 months | £19.70 | None | Yes, plug into a compatible adapter available to purchase in the shop. |
| Phonely with CallGuard+ | No | Unlimited UK home & UK mobile | Voicemail. Contact book. Call app. 8 x scam protection features + 2 x premium scam protection features | Yes | 12 months | £37.00 | None | Yes, plug into a compatible adapter available to purchase in the shop. |
What If You Experience BT Digital Voice Problems
And what the customers are really saying
The good news is that BT now has all its customer service representatives based in the UK. You can call, message or speak to someone online if you have an issue. However, if their Trustpilot reviews are anything to go by, their new automated system is causing frustration to their customers who try to get through.
They have an overall Trustpilot score of 1.4 stars but with very conflicting comments. The below experiences happened on the same day.
‘We had a new fibre broadband installed in our Church last Tuesday 19/03/24 and it works fine, but I have spent over 5 hours online and even longer on the phone trying to get the phone over to digital. Keep getting shipped all around the world and different excuses spent another hour on the phone tray starting “You don't have an account” to download the app which will not give me access to our account. Absolute shambles, will also have to change our Health and Safety plan as they are cutting off the analogue line tomorrow. My advice would be to use any other provider than BT.’
At Phonely, we also have a UK-based team, it's on a smaller scale than BT but you'll always get a response from one of our experts. You can call, email, send a message via our website or start a live chat to make contact. Currently, our service lines are only open Monday to Friday, but as we grow, we will increase those hours to suit all our customer's needs.
Because we are a new company, we only have two reviews on Trustpilot, which are both 5 stars. Here's one of them:
Fantastic Customer Service 5 stars
‘What made this enquiry and the follow-up calls a success for me and my objective was the patience, understanding and insightfulness of the customer support agent to see the vision I had for which to use the product.
The company is clearly training people to have a willingness and openness to tailor a package to a customer's needs or budget. I could have been sold a more expensive service or plan, than what I actually needed. However, I have got precisely what I need, and this has nailed my expectations.’
Is BT Digital Voice Easy to Set Up?
We'd have to say that it depends on the package you choose. With all the TV options, Wi-Fi boosts and other add-ons, it could get quite complicated. And having spent a long time trawling through their website, it is still unclear whether you need a VoIP adapter or not! Maybe it depends on the router that you have. If you think you will struggle to set your technology up, you can hire a BT professional to come do it for you for £30.
At Phonely, we currently don't have the luxury of being able to send someone around to help you set up your digital voice phone. But, we 've made it super easy. We send out clear instructions with every handset or adapter, which you can also access a copy of via your account. On our website, we have handy instruction videos and of course, our knowledgeable team will happily talk you through the process if you need - at no extra cost.
So, How Does BT's Digital Voice Stack Up Against Phonely's Residential VoIP?
BT's packages clearly focus on broadband, with home phone as an afterthought. Their basic offering should be called VoIP rather than digital voice if you take into account the definition, as it's unclear how they utilize advanced technologies or pass on savings to customers.
In contrast, Phonely specialises in home phones. By not offering broadband, Phonely can keep prices low without compromising on the quality of the product or service. Incidentally, our product should be called digital voice rather than VoIP due to the features and savings we offer.
While BT excels in fast internet for households with heavy online usage, light internet users can find more affordable broadband-only deals online, starting from £19.99 per month (with some introductory deals starting at £11.99). Combining such a deal with Phonely's VoIP plan with unlimited calls can result in significant savings compared to BT's bundles.
Here's an at-a-glance summary of BT VS Phonely for you:
| BT | Phonely | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic plan cost | £33.99 | £9.97 |
| Broadband? | Yes | No |
| New hardware needed? | Not clear | Adapter |
| Call costs? | 20.9p per minute (UK landline/mobile) | Unlimited (UK landline/mobile) |
| Call features? | 2 | 3 |
| Other costs | £11.99 P&P | £0 |
| Customer reviews | Trustpilot 1.4 stars | Trustpilot 4.3 stars |
| Simple set-up? | Possibly not. £30 for in person help | Yes. Free phone assistance |
| Minimum contract | 24 months | 12 months |
| Pass on VoIP savings? | No | Yes |
As you can see that before committing, especially for BT customers, it's wise to shop around and ensure you get what you need at an affordable price. And always read the reviews - good ones and bad ones so you can get the whole picture!
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