What is the Virgin Media digital voice switchover?
The digital voice switchover is a nationwide upgrade that’s available to all existing Virgin Media customers. It involves switching you over from our traditional copper landline wires to our digital fibre network. In other words, we’ll be supplying your home phone service through our broadband network.
Why? Because the way things work currently is becoming less reliable and harder to maintain. Moving to newer technology is the only way we'll be able to offer reliable services in future.
If you’re already on our fibre phone line, meaning your phone line is already connected to your WiFi Hub, then you’re up and running on our new network and there’s nothing for you to do.
Unsure whether you’ve switched? Don’t worry, this page is here to answer your questions.
Do I need to do anything?
We’ve done our best to ensure the switchover process is an easy transition, with no added costs or changing of phone numbers – these will remain as they are.
As mentioned above, if your phone line is connected to your WiFi Hub then you’re already connected to our fibre network and there’s nothing you need to do. If this is not the case however, then you can expect us to be in touch.
When it’s time for you to switch, we’ll send you an adapter to connect your home phone to the WiFi Hub on your switchover date with some step-by-step instructions to get you set up.
Home phone only customer? Don’t worry, you won’t be required to add broadband or TV to your package. We’ll simply install the Hub without changing the services you get with us – you'll just need to book an engineer. You can do this by going to your My Virgin Media account.
When to get in touch
Some customers might need extra support during the switchover, so please let us know as soon as possible if any of the following apply to you:
You have a telehealth device connected to your home phone (like a care alarm, fall alarm or fall pendant)
You, or anyone in your household is over the age of 75
You live in an area without mobile signal
You don’t have access to a mobile phone
Your home phone isn’t next to the Hub, and you need cabling to extend your phone line
Anyone in your household is disabled, has an impairment, or has other accessibility needs
Telling us about your personal circumstances means we can make sure you get the extra support you need.
Getting set up with your fibre phone service
When we send you the adapter to connect your home phone to the WiFi Hub, you’ll also receive some step-by-step instructions to get you set up.
Please read all the information carefully and remember – you can only make the switch on the day specified in the text, letter or email we’ve sent you. If you have any issues installing the adaptor, please contact us for more help.
Can’t find your instructions? No problem, we’ve included them for you below.
Step-by-step instructions
On the day of your switchover, unplug the phone line cable of your home 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 call us so we can make sure these remain connected.Grab the adaptor we provided and plug it into the top grey port (Port 1) on the back of the Hub – see image.
Now, plug the end of the home phone cable you unplugged from the wall socket into the adaptor.
Wait a couple of minutes for the dial tone, then make a test call. Your new fibre home phone service will then be set up and ready to use.
Important: If you have home phone features activated such as call divert, reminder call, call waiting, anonymous caller rejection, 3-way calling or quick-dial – you’ll need to reset these up once you’ve switched. More on how to do this further down the page.
Help and advice after switching
Can’t make calls? Here are a few easy fixes:
Remember your new phone service won’t work until the day of your switchover – so don't plug in the adaptor until the date we confirmed by text message.
Make sure the phone cable and adaptor are all connected securely.
Hub 3: If you’ve got a Hub 3, a green phone icon should flash showing the phone’s all setup. If the light’s red or not showing, check the connections to the Hub, reboot by turning off then on at the back and try again.
Hub 4 or 5: If you’ve got a Hub 4 or Hub 5 and the Hub’s light ring flashes red for a couple of minutes, check the connections to the Hub, reboot by turning off then on at the back and try again.
Not receiving calls? Try this:
Check if you have Anonymous Call Reject switched on – this might be stopping you from receiving calls from withheld numbers. You can find out more information about this in our phone guide.
If it’s still not working, please run a test on your broadband service.
Alternatively, you can call us on 150 from a Virgin Media home phone or 0345 454 1111 from any other phone.
If you were sent a new WiFi Hub, it should have come with a handy set of installation instructions. You can also view these online on our how to set up a new Hub page.
If you had an engineer installation, then your Hub should be all set up for you.
Your new WiFi Hub will come with a factory generated WiFi name, so you’ll have to reconnect your devices using the network name and password on the back or bottom of the Hub.
Want to mirror your previous name and password?
You’ll know the switch has happened and that your phone line is working as...
There will be a dial tone on the phone when plugged in
You’ll be able to make and receive calls
If you have a WiFi Hub 3 (you can check which Hub you have by checking the sticker on the bottom of your Hub) a green phone icon will be displayed
If you have a friend or relative who needs support with their Virgin Media account, you can call on their behalf as a third-party contact. Please just make sure you have their account details to hand.
Emergency Backup Line
A fibre phone line runs over our broadband network, so it doesn't have its own back-up 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.
This is where the Emergency Backup Line comes in – it lets you call 999/112 emergency services even during a power cut or network outage. For customers with a long-term illness, accessibility needs or who simply don’t have a mobile phone, this is available at no extra cost.
To get an Emergency Backup Line, contact us on 150 from a Virgin Media home phone or 0345 454 1111 from any other phone.
The Emergency Backup Line is a small box that connects the fibre phone line from the WiFi Hub to your home phone. It won’t change the way you use your 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 the emergency services.
If you’ve been in touch to let us know you’re eligible for one, then one of our engineers will pop by to 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.
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, at all times, so the battery can charge.
The Hub needs to stay plugged into the mains at all times or you won’t be able to 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.
In addition to emergency calls (999 or 112), subject to your location and O2 network availability, the Emergency Back Up Line will allow you to make direct-dialled calls at no extra cost during a power or network outage to:
Freephone numbers;
UK local and national geographic landline numbers starting 01, 02, 03; and
UK mobile networks starting 07 (excluding Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man mobile numbers)
For more information including fair use policy, see our call costs.
No worries. Just get in touch and we can arrange a return. Contact us on 150 from a Virgin Media home phone or 0345 454 1111 from any other phone.
Text relay
If you have a legacy text relay service, you need to let us know as soon as possible. In the event of a power cut or network outage, devices connected to your phone line (like some older text relay systems) won’t work.
The majority of people who use text relay have the next generation text relay (NGTR) service, which relies on mobile phones or tablets. If these devices have their own SIM card, then their use will not be impacted by the switchover.
If you still rely on a legacy text relay service, then you may wish to upgrade to NGTR or download the Relay UK app. Alternatively you can get a separate phone line from another provider.
If you or anyone in your household are using one of these devices and need more support, just contact us on Textphone via a text relay call on 150 from a Virgin Media home phone or 0345 454 1111 from any other phone and we’ll discuss your next steps.
Reactivating, or adding new home phone features
24 hours following your digital phone switchover, you’ll be able to get the following features for no extra cost:
Call Divert: Divert incoming calls to another phone number (you’ll only get this if your phone doesn’t have a voicemail service)
Reminder Call: Set up an automatic call to ring you at a specified time
Call Waiting: Queue incoming calls if you’re currently taking another call
If you’ve switched on a Friday, these will become available from the following Monday.
You’ll also now be able to access Anonymous Caller Rejection to block withheld numbers from calling you – just give us a ring to set this up. Or for more options, see our landline calling features.
Additional features include our 3-Way Calling (chat to two callers at once) or Quick Dial features (save numbers to dial with a few taps). Depending on availability, these can also be added by the team at no extra cost – a benefit we’re giving to our customers for switching to our digital fibre network.
Already have these features? The settings for these will reset when the switch happens, and you’ll need to set them up again. Don’t worry if you currently pay for any of these features, the cost will be removed from your account when you switch. Unfortunately, the service Ring Back When Free will no longer be available.
FAQs
When you switch over to our fibre phone line, you’ll make your calls over the broadband network – similar to how you do on WhatsApp or Zoom. Digital calling like this has the potential to provide much clearer phone calls compared to the copper line, especially when calling long distances.
As the fibre home phone service is provided over our broadband network, your phone will need to be plugged directly into the Hub. This means it needs the electricity supplied to your home in order to work, unlike a copper phone line.
All our landline customers will eventually be on our fibre network. When it’s your time to switch, it’s important that you follow the steps to ensure your home phone services aren’t disrupted. If you do nothing, your home phone service and anything connected to it will no longer work.
Your new fibre phone line will cost the same as your current home phone service – you won’t be charged anything extra.
No, your number will stay the same. A small portion of customers may need to change their number or product in very limited circumstances – but we’ll let you know if this is the case.
No, you can keep using the same phone handset you’ve always used. The new fibre phone line is designed to work with the same phones as the old copper line.
When you switch, you’ll be provided with an adaptor, which you can use to plug your phone into the WiFi Hub – that’s all there is to it. You’ll then be able to use your same old phone to make your calls.
If you have an older version of our Hub or you don’t currently take broadband services from us, we'll install a new Hub at no extra cost.
If you have an older version of our WiFi Hub (Super Hub 1, Super Hub 2 or Super Hub 2ac), we’ll need to replace it with a newer version of our Hub so that you can make and receive calls over the fibre network. Don’t worry, this won’t cost you anything extra, the installation of a new Hub is on us.
To upgrade your Hub, contact us on 150 from a Virgin Media home phone, or 0345 454 1111 from any other phone. Please have your account information to hand when you call, as we’ll need this to verify you.
Your home phone will not work if our WiFi Hub is switched off. However, if you switch the Hub to modem-only mode, your phone will work. Make sure you don’t reboot or reset the Hub while a call is in progress as this will end the call.
In the unlikely event there’s a power cut or a network disruption, you won’t be able to make or receive calls on your home phone. Most devices connected to your phone line (like healthcare alarms or telecare devices) will be affected until the power or network is restored, unless they have their own backup. It’s important to let us know if you have any of these devices, and you should also speak to your device provider to make sure the service is compatible with the new phone line.
Please wait for the Hub to reconnect following a power cut or network outage, it can take a few minutes for it to get back up and running again. If you’re still experiencing issues after that, feel free to get in touch.
If you have connected devices (including healthcare alarms or telecare devices) that use your phone line, you’ll need to check with your device provider to make sure they’re compatible with our fibre network phone line. We recommend your devices have their own battery and network backup service.
Yes. If you have a call blocking device, it should continue to work.
If you have a separate call blocking machine connected to your home phone, simply disconnect the call blocking machine’s cable from the phone service wall socket and instead plug it in to the Hub via the adapter.
Let us know so we can arrange for an engineer to move the WiFi Hub and phone closer together. Don’t worry, this won’t cost you anything extra.
If you have a base station which controls several handsets wirelessly, only the base station needs to be connected to the Hub.
The other cordless handsets should then be able to work around the home. If you have different cordless phones connected to different base stations around the home, with wiring running back from each base station to the telephone socket, you’ll need to book an engineer appointment.
No, the WiFi Hub we give you will only provide your home phone line. It won’t interfere with your existing broadband service.
As the fibre phone service works a little differently from our old home phone service, we have updated our Terms & Conditions.