Can I use my existing telephone with the Community Fibre calls package?
Most standard analogue touch-tone corded phones and DECT cordless base stations should work when connected to an analogue telephone adapter (ATA). An ATA is a device that connects compatible analogue phones to a VoIP (Voice over IP) service by converting the analogue phone signal into a digital voice connection. The phone must support tone/DTMF dialling rather than pulse dialling.
The following handset types are generally compatible, not compatible, or may require additional checks when used with an ATA:
- Generally compatible: standard analogue touch-tone corded phones adhering to British standards - these should work when connected to the ATA using a suitable telephone cable or adapter, provided they use tone/DTMF dialling.
- Generally compatible: DECT cordless phones adhering to British standards that use a traditional analogue base station should work because the ATA connects to the base station rather than the handset itself. The base station must have a standard analogue telephone (RJ11/BT) connection.
- Not compatible without a converter: rotary or pulse-dialling phones: Traditional rotary phones and very early pulse-dialling cordless phones are unlikely to dial out because ATAs are designed to work with tone/DTMF dialling rather than pulse dialling.
- Check before use: proprietary ISP handsets and non-standard legacy phones: Phones locked to another provider’s digital voice ecosystem, or older phones with non-standard wiring or hardwired plugs, may not work directly with an ATA unless they can operate as a standard analogue phone and connect via the appropriate cable or adapter.
N.B. A VoIP phone cannot normally be connected via an ATA because the ATA is designed to connect analogue telephones to a VoIP service. VoIP phones connect directly to IP-based voice services and therefore do not use the ATA. Community Fibre's Calls service uses an ATA to allow compatible analogue telephones to connect to the VoIP service.
