Do you need Digital Voice? Five reasons why the answer might be yes

The telephone network switch off is almost here. Services that run on the old PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) will soon become a thing of the past, but in the meantime the stop sell of those services has already happened.

That means – except in very rare cases where nothing else is available – you can no longer take out a new copper or FTTC broadband connection, or a telephone line rental service.

So if you don’t already have a home phone fitted, what happens if you decide that you want one, and would you want one anyway?

The replacement for traditional telephone line rental is Digital Voice. Digital Voice is, funnily enough, a digital voice service that runs over a broadband connection rather than traditional telephone lines. Apart from that though, it does pretty much the same thing. That is, enabling users to make and receive telephone calls at home.

So, do you need Digital Voice? Here are five reasons why you might want a home phone service.

1) Making calls

Seems like a pretty obvious place to start, doesn’t it?

If you want to make calls from home, it’s good to have a home telephone service. ‘But wait’, you may reply. ‘I already have a mobile phone for that’.

That’s a fair enough response, and for many people a mobile phone might be all they need. But what if mobile coverage isn’t great at your address? If that’s the case – and your operator doesn’t allow WiFi calling – your mobile simply may not be up to the task.

Then there’s the issue of cost. Lots of mobile phone contracts – and even some pay as you go deals – provide a high number of, or even unlimited minutes to standard UK numbers. For most outgoing calls then, using a mobile phone isn’t as expensive as it used to be. But what if you’re calling non-standard numbers, or making frequent international calls? You may find in that case that the options you have with a Digital Voice package make having a home phone more cost-effective.

Did you know that many mobile phone users would rather not use those devices to make calls? It makes sense when you think about it. Modern smartphones are much more than just telephones. They’re our always-connected, always-accessible computers. We use them for web browsing, emailing, gaming, video-watching, music-listening and more. Using them to make calls is low on the list of priorities for lots of people. What if, for example, you want to refer to something else on your phone while you’re on a call? You may want to check a map, make a reservation, or send someone a message for example… all difficult to do if you’re already using your mobile phone to make a call.

Having an extra service and handset at home makes that much easier though.

2) Receiving calls

Yes. The other side of the coin is also a good reason to keep a separate home phone.

You might not want to give your mobile number to everybody but would be happy to provide a landline number so they can contact you when you’re at home. After all, your mobile is with you everywhere and you might not want certain people being able to disturb you all the time.

That’s a good reason to keep a separate home phone. As is the fact – however niche this use case may be – that if you’re taking a call on one device, you still have another device available to make or receive another call.

3) Keep your number

If you’re thinking of getting rid of your home phone, you should think about whether you might regret losing your home telephone number. Often our home phone numbers have been with us for years and may be the only known contact details for old acquaintances and people we rarely see. Keeping that line of communication open and available might be important to you.

4) Cost

Zen’s Digital Voice service comes with 1,000 inclusive minutes for £6 per month, which represents a great deal compared to many mobile phone prices. Especially if you’re a pay as you go mobile phone user, you’ll probably find that Digital Voice works out much less expensive for making phone calls.

5) Heritage

If you’ve been around for a while, and pre-date mobile phones by a good few years, you might just feel that nothing modern can replace the feel of using an ordinary telephone for making and receiving telephone calls.

For younger readers that may feel like a strange concept, but for more established citizens, you ‘know where you are’ with a home phone. And as odd as that may sound, the heritage and legacy of home telephones is very powerful.

So, have you decided whether you need a home phone service or not? If you do – and you don’t have one already – check out our Digital Voice page for more information and let us know.