The indistry is in the process of "retiring" the old telephony systems of the last century. This is currently expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
After that, if you wish to keep your existing "landline" telephone number, you will have no choice but to use 21st Century VoIP technology. But why wait? You can make the transition now.
VoIP stands for Voice over IP. It basically means that your phone runs "over the top" of your broadband, rather than your broadband over the top of your phone line. You plug your phone into something called an ATA, and the ATA then plugs into your wifi router. Simples!
OLD: Phone <===> BT Wall Socket
NEW: Phone <===> ATA <===> Wifi Router
ATA stands for Analogue Terminal Adapter. It is a little box of tricks that "connects" your phone to our telephone exchange in the sky (ok, cloud!)
An excellent example of this is the HT801 from Grandstream, shown below.
Number calling information is sent to your phone, as now, so you can decide whether to answer it or not!
You decide what happens when someone calls your number. Via the customer portal, you can set it to Ring Only, Ring then Forward, Ring then Voicemail, or Forward Only.
You can keep the standard voice greeting message, or record your own. Voicemails are automatically recorded and then emailed to you, allowing you to listen to them as often as you would like and keep them for future reference too.
