How Does BT’s Digital Voice Stack Up Against Phonely’s Offering?
As BT migrate their landline customers over to BT digital voice, we wanted to know whether people were getting a good deal.
The PSTN switch-off is coming, and providers are getting customers ready. People, including BT customers, have questions. At Phonely, we thought we'd try to answer some of those questions and see how we measure up in the process. But first, let's cover 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
For BT customers being switched to digital voice service, you'll likely pay the same rate you already do, with no new features. You can use your current handset with a BT Smart Hub 2 or buy a new BT digital voice handset. The BT essential digital home phone starts at £39.99. These days, there’s no need for a BT digital voice adapter.
As an existing customer, if you switch to BT digital voice yourself, you may have more options, though their website can be tricky to navigate.
Along with BT’s offering, we’ve added ours as a comparison, and as you’ll see, by switching to Phonely's digital voice plan, you can save yourself considerable money!
| PLAN: BT Fibre Essential | Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Broadband Included? | Yes | Yes |
| Call Cost | PAYG: £3 per month + 28.18p per minute for calls to UK landlines & UK mobiles. | Unlimited Calls: £12 per month (minimum-some customers have been quoted £18).Calls exceeding 60 minutes will be charged at 28.18p per minute. Calls are capped at 1000 minutes per month/150 calls per month. |
| Included Features | Call Protect* & Caller ID. | Call Protect* & Caller ID. |
| Contract Term | 24 months. | 24 months. |
| Total Cost Per Month | £39.99 | £45.99 |
| Keep Your Analogue Handset? | Yes. Just plug into a free BT router. | Yes. Just plug into a free BT router. |
| Any Freebies? | Not at the time of researching. | Not at the time of researching. |
| Total Cost for Year 1 | £479.88 not including making calls. | £551.88 not including out-of-bundle calls. |
* Call Protect allows self-call blocking & blocking from a central database.
Based on being a new BT customer. Data correct on 29/08/2024
| PLAN: BT Fibre Essential | Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Broadband Included? | Yes | Yes |
| Call Cost | PAYG: £5 per month + 28.18p per minute for calls to UK landlines & UK mobiles. | Unlimited Calls: £18 per month.Calls exceeding 60 minutes will be charged at 28.18p per minute. Calls are capped at 1000 minutes per month/150 calls per month. |
| Included Features | Call Protect* & Caller ID. | Call Protect* & Caller ID. |
| Contract Term | 24 months. | 24 months. |
| Total Cost Per Month | £41.99 | £51.99 |
| Keep Your Analogue Handset? | Yes. Just plug into a free BT router. | Yes. Just plug into a free BT router. |
| Any Freebies? | Not at the time of researching. | Not at the time of researching. |
| Total Cost for Year 1 | £503.88 not including making calls. | £623.88 not including out-of-bundle calls. |
*Call Protect allows self-call blocking & blocking from a central database.
Based on being a new Phonely customer. Data correct on 29/08/2024
| PLAN: Phonely | Digital Voice | CallGuard | CallGuard+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband Included? | No* | No* | No* |
| Call Cost | Unlimited Calls: UK landline & UK mobile. ** | Unlimited Calls: UK landline & UK mobile. ** | Unlimited Calls: UK landline & UK mobile. ** |
| Included Features | Voicemail, contact book, auto call blocker*** & Call app. | As with Digital Voice plus 7 x scam protection features. | As with Digital Voice plus 9 x scam protection features. |
| Contract Term | 12 months. | 12 months. | 12 months. |
| Total Cost Per Month | £9.97 | £14.76 | £37.00 |
| Keep Your Analogue Handset? | Yes. Just plug it into a Phonely adapter. One-off cost of £49.99. | Yes. Just plug it into a Phonely adapter. One-off cost of £49.99. | Yes. Just plug it into a Phonely adapter. One-off cost of £49.99. |
| Any Freebies? | Yes, get your adapter for free if you pay for your first year up-front! | Yes, get your adapter for free if you pay for your first year up-front! | Yes, get your adapter for free if you pay for your first year up-front! |
| Total Cost for Year 1 | £119.64 Plus, one-off adapter purchase if paying monthly. | £177.12 Plus, one-off adapter purchase if paying monthly. | £444.00 Plus, one-off adapter purchase if paying monthly. |
*Phonely does not provide broadband, but you can still save considerable money. This is explained more further down the page.
**Phonely unlimited calls adheres to our fair usage policy, which you will find all providers have. You’ll find that ours is more than fair as you get 1200 minutes for UK landlines plus 1200 minutes for UK mobiles. There are no time restrictions, so you can chat for hours at a time if you like, and it's all included!
***Auto call blocker blocks scam numbers for you within an hour of reporting.
BT Call Protect vs Phonely Auto Call Blocking
In the fight against phone crime, who offers the most effective FREE protection?
As technology moves forward, so do the scammers, which is why it’s so important that telecom providers offer safety features to their customers. For BT it's Call Protect and for us here at Phonely it’s auto call blocking. Here’s how both compare:
BT Call Protect
- Method: Relies on customer reports & analysis of call patterns.
- Updates: May have delays in updating the blocked number list, especially for new or rapidly changing scams.
- Effectiveness: Can be effective but may not be as timely in blocking the latest scams.
Phonely's Auto Call Blocking
- Method: Uses a real-time database updated by customer reports & a dedicated who called me website.
- Updates: Quickly adds new scam numbers to the blocked list, often within an hour of reporting.
- Effectiveness: Offers more immediate protection against the latest scams due to its rapid update system.
As you can see Phonely's auto call-blocking system offers a more effective and timely technology for protecting customers from unwanted calls. Our near real-time updates and customer-driven approach ensure that our customers are always protected against the latest scams.
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 don’t have as many Trustpilot reviews as BT, but here’s an example:
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. 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 Offering?
BT's packages clearly focus on broadband, with the digital landline as an afterthought. Its website makes it impossible to see what you’d pay without selecting a broadband plan and then clicking through 4 pages of upgrades to reach the home phone section.
In contrast, Phonely specialises in digital landlines and real-time scam protection. By not offering broadband, Phonely can keep prices low without compromising on the quality of our product or service. Our website is easy to navigate, with simple and transparent information on what you get for your money.
While BT excels in fast internet for households with heavy online usage, light internet users can find more affordable broadband-only deals elsewhere, starting from as little as £11.99 for an introductory offer. Combining such a deal with Phonely's Digital Voice plan with unlimited calls could save you £288.36 a year!* That’s more than half the price of your BT bill!
*Based on existing customers on BT Fibre Essentials unlimited calls vs Phonely digital voice paid annually + £11.99 broadband costs. Data correct 29/08/2024.
Here's an at-a-glance summary of BT VS Phonely for you:
| BT | Phonely | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic plan cost | £39.99 | £9.97 |
| Broadband? | Yes | No |
| Is New Hardware needed? | No | Adapter |
| Call costs? | 28.18p per minute (UK landline/mobile) | Unlimited (UK landline/mobile) |
| Call features? | 2 | 4 |
| Other costs | £0 | Adapter: £49.99 -FREE with annual payment. |
| Customer reviews | Trustpilot 1.4 stars. | Trustpilot 4.7 stars. |
| Simple set-up? | Not clear. £30 for in-person help. | Yes. FREE phone assistance if you need it. |
| Minimum contract | 24 months | 12 months |
| Yearly cost | £479.99 + calls. | £119.64 + Broadband. |
Before committing to anything with BT, it's wise to shop around and ensure you’re getting the best price for what you need. And always read the reviews – good ones and bad ones so you can get the whole picture, especially when it comes to customer service!
