Cable Forum - 1000M Hub 4 / Telephone

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Hub 4 / Telephone

Does anybody know whether or not I should have been sent a phone cable to plug my analogue phone (VM contract) into the Hub 4? Or are there some gotchas?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

The Hub 4 doesn't change the Telephone type you've got. So if you've got a separate line you'll keep that until Virgin Media offer an option to move across to the Hub based line.

Only if you're joining now for the first time will you automatically get a Hub based line - and you'd get the appropriate adapter.

There is an exception to this where some areas are having their standalone (called TDM) lines switched off, and migrated across to the Hub based lines. But they've had specific letters about that so it's now something you'd miss.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Clear enough, thanks.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr (Post 36023952)

What would be the advantage of a hub based phone ? Seems to me best to keep the phone separate in case the hub goes down - not great in an emergency.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr K (Post 36023960)

What would be the advantage of a hub based phone ? Seems to me best to keep the phone separate in case the hub goes down - not great in an emergency.

Or if the Internet goes down

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

That's when your mobile phone comes in handy...

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr K (Post 36023960)

What would be the advantage of a hub based phone ? Seems to me best to keep the phone separate in case the hub goes down - not great in an emergency.

There isn't really an advantage of one over the other as such at present

However for full FTTP addresses it's the only way to get a fixed line as there is no metal cable to the address, and even in some HFC areas new connections are only now cabled with coax rather than the twin coax and telco cable.

The key long term advantage is that it will allow Virgin to offer better services on the Hub based lines - some of the kit running the existing telco network is many many years old and can't be updated to new features and services.

---------- Post added at 17:20 ---------- Previous post was at 17:19 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken W (Post 36023965)

Or if the Internet goes down

The Hub based phone lines are on separate network with in the Hub. So it will be possible for there to be a Virgin Fibre fault that doesn't affect the phone line or vice versa.

---------- Post added at 17:21 ---------- Previous post was at 17:20 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh (Post 36023968)

That's when your mobile phone comes in handy...

And for anyone that doesn't have one, Virgin will currently provide an emergency backup unit that will allow a call to 999 from a connected wired landline handset.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr (Post 36023969)

<SNIP>
The Hub based phone lines are on separate network with in the Hub. So it will be possible for there to be a Virgin Fibre fault that doesn't affect the phone line or vice versa.

<SNIP>

That's the bit I don't understand. I can see how the phone service would be on its own frequency but that'll be over the same glass.
Or will it? Can you please explain more?

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36023974)

That's the bit I don't understand. I can see how the phone service would be on its own frequency but that'll be over the same glass.
Or will it? Can you please explain more?

If the fibre is broken you'll lose both, but there are other types of fault that may only affect one them.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant (Post 36023982)

If the fibre is broken you'll lose both, but there are other types of fault that may only affect one them.

Of course I understand that. Ben was explicit about a "fibre fault".

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

The only advantage I can see is for Virgin Media. Only one line to install/maintain. For the customer, it's 'all your eggs in one basket/hub' !

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36023983)

Of course I understand that. Ben was explicit about a "fibre fault".

With a capital F. It's the trendy new name for VM broadband.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

But copper broadband is Fibre, Hybrid Coax is Fibre, Fibre is Fibre, a bowl of Muesli is probably fricking Fibre with Ooomph.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36023983)

Of course I understand that. Ben was explicit about a "fibre fault".

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant (Post 36023992)

With a capital F. It's the trendy new name for VM broadband.

Yes, sorry for any confusion there.

Re: Hub 4 / Telephone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr K (Post 36023991)

The only advantage I can see is for Virgin Media. Only one line to install/maintain. For the customer, it's 'all your eggs in one basket/hub' !

Cost should be much lower as there's no physical line to maintain. Realistically, it's now a VoIP trunk which are cheap cheap and better quality, too.

But the price we pay for line rental is vastly inflated over the actual cost of those so I don't expect that saving to really impact customers.

It's something that would have been better 10 or 20 years ago but these days, mobile phones are everywhere and a better alternative to Landlines.