How to get a Virgin Media Fibre phone
Learn how to upgrade to our new ultrafast Fibre landline service, and all about the benefits that come with it.
In this article
- What is Virgin Media’s new ultrafast Fibre network?
- Who can get the new Fibre phone line?
- How to install the Fibre network
- I've been asked to order an adapter
- I've been asked to book a technician
- I've got a Virgin Media Fibre phone and need help
- What’s the Emergency Backup Line and how can it help me?
What is Virgin Media’s new ultrafast Fibre network?
Instead of the old, traditional copper network, we’re moving our phone service on to our ultrafast Fibre network. This means that new phone lines will be delivered over the same network we use for our broadband service. The copper network is quickly becoming outdated, and we want to be ready for the future, making sure our customers always get the best possible experience. That’s why we’re investing billions to expand our network and bring our ultrafast connectivity to more people. Want superfast Fibreoptic broadband? Check out our broadband deals and get a Hub upgrade. Check out the Fibreoptic terms and conditions.
Who can get the new Fibre phone line?
For now, it’s only offered to new home phone customers and selected existing home phone customers. We’re working hard so all customers will be able to get the new service and we aim to swap all our customers over by 2025. Currently, the only exceptions are customers who live in areas without any mobile coverage. Read more about how we’re rolling out Fibre to our customers.
How to install the Fibre network
If you’ve upgraded to the new Fibre network and need help installing your new and improved phone service, simply follow these steps:
Step 1
On the day of your switchover, unplug the phone cable of your main phone (or base station if it’s a cordless phone), from the wall socket. If you have any other devices connected to this socket, or you use internal phone sockets around your home, please contact us.
Step 2
Grab the adapter we provided and plug it into the grey port at the top (labelled Port 1) on the back of the Hub.
Step 3
Plug the end of the telephone cable you unplugged from the wall socket into the adapter.
Step 4
Wait a couple of minutes for a dial tone, then make a test call. Your new services from Virgin Media are all set up and ready to use.
I've been asked to order an adapter
You’ll need an adapter to get your fibre landline service up and running. All you need to do is plug your adapter into the Hub, then plug your phone into the adapter and you’re ready to go. Just make sure you plug in on the go-live dates, which you can find in the letter we sent you. To order an adapter, simply click Ready to switch in the email or text we sent, or reply to the text with Confirm.
I've been asked to book a technician
If you’ve been asked to book a technician, it’ll be for one the following reasons: • You rely on your landline for accessibility reasons and need an Emergency Back Up Line, so you’re always able to call the emergency services. • You use services such as a monitored burglar alarm, telecare, or have other phones connected to extension sockets. If you use any kind of service that requires a phone line, you should contact your provider and let them know about the switch to make sure they’re compatible with a fibre service. • You can’t place your phone near the Hub.
I've got a Virgin Media Fibre phone and need help
If you’re having problems getting your new Virgin Media Fibre Phone up and running, check out technical help and advice below.
First, check the switchover date on the letter we sent you. Your Fibre landline service won’t go live until this date. If you installed your Fibre phone yourself, make sure you have plugged in the adapter, as described above .
If you’ve installed your adapter and have reached your switchover date (or if an engineer set up your service for you) there might be a problem with your Virgin Media WiFi connection. Since your Fibre phone uses your Fibre broadband to make and receive calls, rather than the old copper phone line, problems with the Hub or your broadband connection can affect calls.
If everything seems okay with your connection, check out our Fibre phone user guide for troubleshooting tips.
If you can’t receive calls on your new Fibre phone service, check out our Fibre phone user guide. It’s full of troubleshooting help that should get you up and running in no time.
Your new Hub will come with a factory generated WiFi name and passcode, so you’ll have to reconnect your devices. Or, you can change the WiFi network name to mirror your current one – just ask the technician about this when they come to visit.
If you plug in your adapter before the switchover date, your new service won’t be active. That means you won’t be able to make calls using your Fibre phone just yet.
When you do reach your switchover date, you should set up your Fibre phone right away. We’ll disconnect your old phone line on this date, so you won’t be able to make any calls until you plug your phone into the new Fibre line.
Need help setting up your Fibre phone? Check out the instructions above.
When your Fibre phone line is set up and ready to go:
• There’ll be a green phone icon or a white light ring displayed on your Hub
• There’ll be a dial tone on the phone when plugged in
• You’ll be able to make and receive calls
What’s the Emergency Backup Line and how can it help me?
As our fibre phone line runs over our broadband network, it doesn’t have its own back-up power source. This means if there’s a local power cut or network outage, the fibre phone line will stop working and you won’t be able to make calls. If you have accessibility needs or don't have a mobile phone, we’ll give you an Emergency Backup Line at no extra cost. This lets you call 999/112 emergency services during a power cut or network outage.
The Emergency Backup Line is a small box that connects the fibre phone line from the Hub to your home phone handset. It won’t change the way you use your home phone but if there’s ever a power cut or network outage, it’ll automatically connect to the mobile network so you can still call emergency services.
One of our technicians will pop by and install it for you. Just make sure you keep the Emergency Backup Line connected to the mains power so its rechargeable battery is always fully charged and ready to use.
Customers with accessibility needs and customers without access to a mobile phone can get our Emergency Backup Line, at no extra cost.
The Emergency Backup Line connects to any available mobile network, which means the device will work wherever there’s mobile coverage.
However, in areas where there’s no mobile coverage, our Emergency Backup Line won’t work. We want to make sure that you’re always safe and can contact emergency services which is why we won’t offer our fibre phone line to customers who live in areas without mobile coverage.
If you need an Emergency Backup Line, get in touch and we’ll arrange a time for one of our technicians to install it for you.
Our technician will install it for you and make sure that it’s working. You can read more about the Emergency Backup Line in our home phone guide.
Yes, so please keep the Emergency Backup Line and Hub plugged in all the time. It’s important not to turn them off at night or at any other time as they need to be turned on to charge. If there’s ever a power cut or network outage the Emergency Backup Line device will recharge as soon as the power comes back on.
The Emergency Backup Line device is designed to provide around 8 hours of standby and 1 hour of talk time if it’s disconnected from the mains supply. Just make sure the Emergency Backup Line is connected to the mains supply so the battery can keep itself charged.
The Hub needs to stay plugged into the mains at all times or you can't make and receive calls. If you do switch it off, make sure you have an alternative way to make emergency calls like a mobile phone. It takes a few minutes for the Hub to work after restarting.
The Emergency Backup Line only lets you call 999 and 112 numbers. You can’t call non-emergency numbers.
It’s important to us that we treat all our customers fairly and support those who need a little extra help. If you have any specific needs or requirements, visit our accessibility page to learn about the extra support we can offer.
If you need any of the services you see on our accessibility page, including the Emergency Backup Line, please let us know and we’ll help sort it for you.
No worries. Just get in touch and we can arrange a return.