Cable Forum - View Single Post - Do Virgin do a Call Sign service? Or second phone line info...

DaggaDagga · 22-12-2008, 14:45

I'm going to start working from home next year, and want to get a second phone number for business use. I'm currently working out the options...

I already have Virgin 2Mb broadband and a phone line for Â£20 per month.

I know VoIP is the cheapest option. However, I have tried Vonage and Sipgate in the past and found the call quality and reliability were not good enough. I'm happy to pay a premium for a "proper" phone line.

BT did a service called "Call Sign", which allows you to have two phone numbers on one line, with different ring tones. This would be perfectly fine for my needs, but I have read that they no longer do it for new customers...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=784105

Do Virgin offer Call Sign? This would be the perfect solution, but I suspect the answer will be a No (we don't even get Caller ID on our existing line).

So it looks like a second physical line is the only option. I read that this now costs Â£11 per month...

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/pdf/...pdf?december08

Wasn't a second line much cheaper in the past? I seem to remember it was about a fiver a month in the past. Would Virgin be able to offer any discounts or bundles to reduce this cost?

Will the second line already be cabled? We have the usual plastic box outside the house (installed 4 years ago), with a single round black cable going to the phone socket. Will the second line be already cabled to the outside box, or even to the existing phone socket? The cable from the outside box to the street is now two feet under the garden, so adding another cable might be tricky.

Alternatively, I know BT do provide a VoIP line with their broadband Home Hub. Does anyone know whether they do prioritise the VoIP data through their network to give better sound quality? I always found it ropey through NTL's broadband, but if BT is providing the VoIP service and the network then perhaps it may work better. If so then switching both phone and broadband to BT might be the answer.

All answers, ideas and help gratefully received. Hopefully this thread may be useful for the many others with a similar requirement. Thank you.

22-12-2008, 14:45	#1
DaggaDagga Inactive Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hampshire Services: Royal Mail snail mail. No telly. Wind-up gramophone. Posts: 125,837.56 Posts: 385	Do Virgin do a Call Sign service? Or second phone line info... I'm going to start working from home next year, and want to get a second phone number for business use. I'm currently working out the options... I already have Virgin 2Mb broadband and a phone line for Â£20 per month. I know VoIP is the cheapest option. However, I have tried Vonage and Sipgate in the past and found the call quality and reliability were not good enough. I'm happy to pay a premium for a "proper" phone line. BT did a service called "Call Sign", which allows you to have two phone numbers on one line, with different ring tones. This would be perfectly fine for my needs, but I have read that they no longer do it for new customers... http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=784105 Do Virgin offer Call Sign? This would be the perfect solution, but I suspect the answer will be a No (we don't even get Caller ID on our existing line). So it looks like a second physical line is the only option. I read that this now costs Â£11 per month... http://allyours.virginmedia.com/pdf/...pdf?december08 Wasn't a second line much cheaper in the past? I seem to remember it was about a fiver a month in the past. Would Virgin be able to offer any discounts or bundles to reduce this cost? Will the second line already be cabled? We have the usual plastic box outside the house (installed 4 years ago), with a single round black cable going to the phone socket. Will the second line be already cabled to the outside box, or even to the existing phone socket? The cable from the outside box to the street is now two feet under the garden, so adding another cable might be tricky. Alternatively, I know BT do provide a VoIP line with their broadband Home Hub. Does anyone know whether they do prioritise the VoIP data through their network to give better sound quality? I always found it ropey through NTL's broadband, but if BT is providing the VoIP service and the network then perhaps it may work better. If so then switching both phone and broadband to BT might be the answer. All answers, ideas and help gratefully received. Hopefully this thread may be useful for the many others with a similar requirement. Thank you.