Tim FitzGerald

MS Office vs. Google Workspace

Two office productivity suites reign supreme: Google Workspace (Google Docs) and Microsoft Office. But which one is the best tool for you?

Microsoft Office and Google Workspace/Docs have the same three core applications.

For word processing and text documents, you get Microsoft Word and Google Docs—the Docs name is often used when talking about all of Google’s office apps.
For presentations, you get Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides.
For spreadsheets are handled by Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

You can access the web Office apps from onedrive.live.com, and Google’s apps can be used from drive.google.com. The mobile Office apps are bundled in one Microsoft 365 app for iPhone and Android. Google’s mobile apps for Docs, Sheets, Slides, and other tools are individual downloads on iPhone and Android.

The core functionality and interface between the office suites are mostly the same, especially since Microsoft has updated its Office apps over time to behave more like Google’s apps. For example, Word and Docs have a similar design, many of the same keyboard shortcuts, similar spell-check and grammar correction tools, and similar collaborative editing features.

Microsoft and Google both have desktop and mobile versions of all their office apps, so you can get work done from a desktop, tablet, laptop, phone, or anything else with a web browser. However, Microsoft also has native desktop applications for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, available on Windows and Mac computers. The desktop applications predate the online Office apps, and they have more features than the web versions.

Microsoft’s Office apps are generally more feature-packed than Google’s apps, mostly because Microsoft had a massive head start and has continued to improve and add more functionality since then— Word’s first release was in 1983, and Google Docs first arrived in 2006. For example, some people prefer using Excel over Sheets because the latter is missing some math functions and the ability to install plugins that run locally on the computer. Google Workspace and Microsoft Office have the same core feature set, but Microsoft’s apps are undeniably more versatile.

There are a few other tools that are part of the core Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace packages. You get Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive for cloud storage. Both services also have a feature for creating online forms that dump results into a spreadsheet.

There are some differences, though. Google doesn’t have an alternative to Microsoft OneNote, the desktop and mobile note-taking software—Google Keep is close, but it isn’t nearly as feature-packed as OneNote. The Google Drawings application for creating diagrams and charts doesn’t have a direct alternative in Microsoft’s app suite. The Outlook email client is usually considered part of Microsoft 365, but Google only has the web-based Gmail, which isn’t quite the same thing.

Microsoft and Google also have all the typical cloud productivity services, including email hosting, calendars, and contacts. If we were comparing the entire cloud ecosystems of Google and Microsoft, we’d be here all day, so we’re just sticking to the office suites.

What You Get for Free

The free version of Microsoft 365 gives you access to the web and mobile apps for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and Outlook. There’s also 5GB of included cloud storage. You just need a free Microsoft account, and you’re ready.

The main catch is that you can’t create or edit documents on phones and small tablets (“devices with a screen size smaller than 25.5 cms,” according to Microsoft) unless you pay for a subscription. If you don’t pay up, you’re stuck with just viewing documents on mobile. Google’s apps don’t have this limitation.

Free Google accounts get access to all the Workspace apps and 15GB of cloud storage, shared across Drive, Photos, and Gmail. There are no limits on opening, editing, or creating documents on any device.

The Premium Pricing

There are two ways to buy the Microsoft Office apps. The best option for most people is a Microsoft 365 subscription, which starts at $69.99/year or $6.99/month (as of August 2024). The individual plan unlocks access to native desktop applications for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and unlocks premium features in Outlook, Editor, and a few other apps. You also get 1TB of cloud storage. A family plan is available for up to six people with more storage.

The other option is buying Microsoft Office 2021 (or Office 2024, when that arrives). It’s a one-time purchase that costs £150 (or less) and only includes the native desktop applications for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The apps do not receive feature updates like the subscription version, and the one-time purchase doesn’t unlock editing abilities in the mobile apps.

Google has a few different paid plans, which are mostly for adding more cloud storage, rather than unlocking features in the Workspace apps. The base plan bumps your cloud storage to 100GB for £2/month (as of August 2024), and additional plans are available for 2TB storage and access to Gemini AI features in Workspace apps.

You Can Use Both

Microsoft’s Office apps are packed with features, and desktop applications are more reliable in certain circumstances than any web app (especially when handling large files). However, the collaborative editing features aren’t as robust as Google Workspace, and you have to pay to unlock editing on mobile devices. The native desktop apps are also only available for Windows and Mac—sorry, Linux fans.

Google’s Workspace applications don’t offer native desktop applications, but the web apps work on all desktop platforms, and there are no viewing or editing restrictions in the mobile apps. The ability for multiple people to edit and collaborate on Docs, Sheets, and Slides is also still unmatched—Microsoft’s apps come close but still aren’t as good with live editing.

The good news is that it’s not too difficult to switch between office suites or use both for different projects. You can import Microsoft Office documents into Sheets, Docs, or Slides, and Google’s apps can export to Microsoft Office format. If you’re working on a group project, you can do the live collaborative editing in Google’s apps, then (if you want) move it to a Microsoft app for final edits. You can lose some formatting when converting formats, though.

There’s also a third option: LibreOffice.
The free and open-source office suite is cross-platform, with native apps available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and other operating systems. It can process Microsoft Office documents—either files created by Office apps or files exported from Google Workspace apps and other apps.

Both Google Workspace and Microsoft Office have free versions available, so you can try them out and see which tools work the best for you.

https://www.howtogeek.com/microsoft-office-vs-google-docs-sheets-slides

FTTP in Camberley

The internet network provider Openreach announced in May 2024 that the area served by the Camberley telephone exchange will be upgraded to support fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) by the end of 2026.

FTTP will provide Gigabit internet service to both domestic and business users and provide users an alternative to toob and VirginMedia. Until now, Openreach has only offered VDSL broadband to homes in the Camberley area. VDSL is capable of delivering speeds of up to 80 Mbps, though many homes get rather less.

Openreach’s announcement comes late in the roll-out of Gigabit, whose goal is to provide Gigabit internet services to 85% of homes and businesses in the UK. FTTP offers higher reliability and much faster access to new digital services such as cloud file storage, TV streaming to multiple 4K screens and online gaming.

There are 3 network providers in the Camberley area.

Openreach (or BT) with services to every household and business in the area.
VirginMedia has offered cable or fibre internet services for many years. It has a fairly good coverage of the area.
Toob is a relative newcomer. Again it has fairly good coverage of the area but is still growing its network.

Neither of the newer providers offer services to every address in the area and many households need to rely on Openreach for internet connection.

Openreach sells its internet services via ISPs such as BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Zen, etc. In the future, you’ll be able to order gigabit-capable internet services from your choice of ISP and pricing is likely to be more competitive. The change to FTTP is not an automatic upgrade, although some ISPs are doing free automatic upgrades as older copper-based services and lines are slowly withdrawn.

Typical prices are £35 pm for 500 Mbps.

Ispreview.co.uk

Openreach

The future of Satellite TV

TV Broadcasters are pushing towards an online-only (IPTV) future
Satellites used to carry Sky and Freesat service reach end of life at the end of the decade (by 2030)
Sky and Freesat gear up to migrate viewers to IPTV platforms

Satellites have a limited lifespan

Three satellites currently provide TV and radio services available on Sky and Freesat in the UK and Ireland. They are Astra 2E, 2F and 2G
The satellites were built with a lifespan of 15 years of service and are operated by Luxembourg-based SES
Astra 2E, 2F and 2G are the second generation of satellites to supply digital satellite TV services to audiences here
Astra 2E, 2F and 2G were launched between 2012 and 2014 and they are due to go out of service by 2029

Could Sky really migrate all of its subscribers away from satellite in just five years?

It’s been done before. Sky previously moved viewers from its analogue to digital satellite service in just a three year period between 1998 and 2001. That required new equipment and new dishes for each of its subscribers.

Sky Q users can expect their TV service to continue in its current form for a few more years. However, Sky is introducing new features to its latest receivers only, although Sky Q remains well supported for existing customers. Already, a lot of Sky Q’s extra functionality relies on an internet connection.

Sky does not sell SkyQ to new customers but offers Sky Glass or Sky Stream. However, Sky has signed a satellite deal lasting to the end of the twenties. This would indicate Sky will support Sky Q customers until then.

Sky offers the Sky Stream puck which will connect to a household’s existing internet connection. It can be used in conjunction with any Internet Service Provider. Viewers also have the option of getting a Sky Glass TV, with Sky’s internet based TV service built in.

Could Freesat really migrate all of its users before satellite TV switch-off?

Later in 2024, Freely will begin to replace Freesat. All new receivers will be a hybrid that can receive traditional broadcast services and IP-delivered online services. The receiver can be programmed to automatically default to an IP-stream of a channel in place of the satellite signal. Therefore, once satellite services expire, Freely receivers will seamlessly continue receiving services online.

Unlike Sky Glass and Sky Stream, Freely receivers won’t have the initial problem of viewers missing channels they could receive on satellite. Freely receivers with satellite capability will continue to receive satellite-only services as well as IP-streaming channels.

Existing Freesat receivers will gradually receive fewer and fewer services until the final services eventually leave satellite. But this won’t happen until at least the end of the decade.

https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/how-soon-is-satellite-tv-switch-off/

March 2024

TV Streaming

Back in September 2023, the UK’s biggest free-to-air Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 – announced a new smart TV streaming service that will allow users to watch live TV via the internet (IPTV) for free. The platform, called Freely, is expected to arrive soon in Q2 2024. More news here.

Freely is designed to bridge the gap between conventional terrestrial television and online entertainment by offering live free-to-air TV without the need for an aerial.

Freely will compliment iPlayer, ITVX, More4 and My5 and allow users to watch live IPTV from these PSBs through a simgle application, without having to swap between apps when they swap from channel to channel. It will initially be available on new smart TV sets, but it is thought to become available later on other devices, like Fire TV and Roku sticks. Ideally, Freely will be available on all devices that run Freeview.

Review in Mirror

Future of TV distribution

WiFi-5, WiFi-6, WiFi-7

There is a lot of chatter about WiFi-5, WiFi-6 and the new WiFi-7

I found this simple chart to outline the technology standards

https://www.truecable.com/blogs/cable-academy/wifi-7-vs-wifi-6-whats-the-difference

The peak speed and the actual speed obtained are very different measures. WiFi-6 should deliver gigabit speeds for faster applications. The higher frequency bands (5 and 6 GHz) don’t pass through brick walls easily.

For an explanation of some of the terms used – click here

Mobile phone options

Many people pay over the odds for their mobile phone service. They may go to the mobile phone shop in the high street and seek advice there. The staff in these shops are obliged to sell just one brand and often at the best margin for the shop.

The strategy I have used for many years is to buy a mobile phone and to use Sim-only pay-monthly deals from a supplier of choice. This is usually the cheapest deal I can find but I don’t make too many changes of supplier if I can avoid it. I expect the phone to last me 2-4 years.

Mobile Phone Hardware

My approach has been to buy a mobile phone model which is about 18 months old and is now much cheaper than it was when new. This phone should have the attributes of a new phone – current software features, fast processor, enough memory, etc. I usually buy from Amazon or eBay and look for good condition, A, new or renewed products from a reputable seller. Android phones with a reputable name (Samsung) would be my choice. Those folk with an Apple addiction may have to satisfy their cravings from the iPhone range. Details of products and prices are available on GSMArena.com

Having acquired the phone hardware you need to determine which network operator to use.

Which Network?

Mobile Network Operators – MNO
There are 4 Mobile Network Operators (EE, O2, Three, Vodaphone) in the UK and your choice of MNO will determine whether you have a good signal where you regularly use your mobile phone; at home, work or play. This is possibly the most important decision you need to make for getting a good mobile phone experience.

Before choosing an MNO, ask around at work or where you use your phone, as to what MNO your friends and acquaintances are using. Ask your neighbours at home what mobile network they use and see if their MNO is giving them a good signal.

Cellmapper.net shows where all mobile masts are located and maps users’ experience. But it is not easy to use Cellmapper without experience.

You can now select the MNO using the information gained from work colleagues, neighbours, etc. But don’t just go to the EE, O2, Three or Vodaphone shop in the High Street for the SIM card.

There are many Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) from whom you can get a SIM card – eg:- Giffgaff, Lyca, Sky, Smarty, Lebara, Voxi and many more. The MVNOs re-sell services from the MNO and will often offer pricing which is much better than those from the MNOs. However, you should look at their T&Cs carefully and look at user experiences (on Trustpilot) to see if you are getting good value.

A view of functionality is available here.
A list of MVNOs is available here.
Another view of MVNOs is here.

These lists show which MNO each MVNO uses. I suggest you develop a short list of the MNOs and MVNOs you might consider.

Other things to consider

How much data do I need?
Before getting a SIM, you need to determine how much data you’ll need. 5GB each month may well be sufficient, particularly if you have internet access at home and work. If you watch films or YouTube on your phone you will probably need much more data each month.

How many calls do I make?
Most MNOs and MVNOs offer unlimited phone calls to mobiles and landlines within the UK and a limited amount of data each month. The more data the higher the cost. You should be able to upgrade the amount of data at any time.
If you make many calls abroad then you may wish to look at the overseas call costs.

Voicemail
If you use voicemail a lot, you may wish to consider the functionality of the voicemail offering of the various providers.

Roaming options
If you travel abroad regularly you may want to consider the cost of roaming (using your phone abroad). There are specialised offerings for those who travel regularly.

Contract length
I would advise against entering into a long-term (eg: 12-month) contract with any provider. A 1-month (30-day) – pay monthly is normally suitable. Avoid pay-as-you-go PAYG terms, unless your usage is irregular.

Are you still in contract with your existing supplier?
Before making any SIM purchase, check if you are contracted to your current supplier. Often it is difficult or expensive to terminate an existing contract. If you are in contract, the timing of any change needs to be considered carefully.

Armed with the estimate of how much data you’ll need each month and assuming you want unlimited calls, go to the websites of the MVOs and MVNOs on your shortlist and see what they charge for the SIM-only deal you want.

Uswitch and MSE
The popular website USWITCH has a section on Mobiles. You may wish to look there as well. Bargain SIM-only deals are often listed on Uswitch.
MSE offers something similar. Also hotukdeals.com

Typical prices from MVNOs

Smarty – 5GB – £6.00
GiffGaff – 5GB – £8.00
Lebara – 5GB – £5.00
Lyca – 5 GB – £5.00

Typical prices from MVOs

O2 – 5GB – £23.00
EE – 5GB – £20.00
Three – 5GB – £19.00
Vodaphone – 6GB – £29.00

You will notice the MVOs charge much higher prices than the MVNOs. Three and its associated MVNOs, usually charge less, particularly for larger data SIMs.

Time to Make the Decision

You should now have a list of possible suppliers and their prices and terms.
A choice of supplier can now be made.
Order the SIM card and set up payment.

Making the Change of Provider

Swapping your phone number to the new provider
When the SIM arrives you’ll probably want to swap your phone number to the new provider. There is a procedure for doing this. I use this guide. This procedure – called porting – needs to be followed carefully. It can take a day or two to complete; during which time you may have to use a temporary phone number.

Once you are connected to the new provider check out and set up the Voice-Mail system. Become familiar with their mobile phone app which may well be the best interface to the provider for information, help and queries.

If you are unhappy with your new provider then contact them and explain the issue. You should not be tied to a long contract and you can dump them and choose from the others on your shortlist.

Cost Summary

I spend (say) £200 on the mobile phone and it lasts (say) 3 years. £75 pa
I get a pay-monthly SIM at £6.00 per month. £72 pa
The costs are about £150.00 per year or less than £13.00 per month.
You may want to consider mobile phone insurance.

Mobile phone providers ranked by customer satisfaction, according to Which?

Toob Outages

In September 2023, I noted that the Toob internet service was down. I first noted this at 08:40 in the morning.

I have used toob since May 2022 and this was the first daytime or evening outage I had noticed. There have been a couple of middle-of-the-night outages for a few minutes – probably routine maintenance.

I phoned Toob at 09:30 to see if there was an outage in the area. I was not at home at the time and was unable to check in detail. Toob said that other subscribers in the area were OK and that Toob was not aware of any issues. They noted they could not see light coming from the ONT on my premises.

I was puzzled as to what might have caused this. Could it be a power failure in my house? Will the food in my fridge and freezer be damaged? If I return home after dark, as was planned, will I be met with a dark house with no power and no dinner? I decided to return home to investigate in daylight hours.

On returning home I noted the power was still on. Upon investigation, I found the ONT had a red light on (Green – Red – Green). Red light means trouble. I called the Toob customer services number again at about 13:30. I re-powered the ONT and router, at his request, and he noted the problem had not changed. He dispatched an engineer to visit the same day.

At 15:00 the Toob engineers re-terminated a fibre cable in the termination box outside the house and my internet service was working again by 15:20.

What good service!

October 24, 2023 – I noticed a brief outage at 03:00 – 03:02 – phoned Toob.
Is this the start of the outage as a few weeks ago?
Same symptoms – brief overnight outages.

February 2024 – I noticed 2 outages about a week apart. These were both due to equipment failure in a data centre. The system was out for several hours right across the toob network and affected most customers. As a result, toob has introduced Status Page on their network.

April 15 2024 – I noticed a severe throttling of the throughput to some websites on the evening of April 15, 2024. Notably, the websites hosted by Zen, but also others, including toob’s own website. The next morning throughput was so slow that it would not load.

Thruput was down to MINIMAL
0.09 Mbps

However, Google seemed unaffected, perhaps a routing issue. Other ISPs indicated they had no issues. None on DownDetector. The problem persisted until 08:15 the next day (April 16) when all returned to normal.

DownDetector reported many users were having issues. It’s a pity toob’s customer service was closed; because as soon as it opened, they became aware of the issue and all was resolved.

Toob’s status page was not updated until some time later, and any sign of the outage was removed from the status page by late afternoon.

August 9, 2024 – Toob service went down just before 18:00 – the router light was red – the ONT had 3 green lights.

Downdetector reported issues.

Toob’s website and network status page were either not available or reporting issues.

Service was restored by 20:30
Reported in ISPReview

October 25, 2024 – Experienced a brief (10-minute) outage. By the time I had noticed and investigated the service had returned to normal.
Toob emailed customers to advise them of the outage. How widespread? Exact duration? Cause? Not mentioned in the email

October 28, 2024 – Experience a brief routing issue, some sites were accessible and some not. I connected via a VPN and everything seemed OK. Unable to diagnose further.

Telecare and the PSTN shutdown

I looked at several leading telecare providers – Dec 23

LifeConnect24

Lifeline Personal Alarm – landline
Lifeline Fall Detector – landline
Lifeline SmartLife Personal Alarm – digital

CareLine

Careline Pendant Alarm – landline
Careline Fall Alarm – landline
Careline SmartLife Personal Alarm – digital

Age UK

Classic Personal Alarm – landline
Digital Fall Alarm – digital
Taking Care Anywhere – digital

Taking Care

Several types of Alarm

Summary

Each are offering different services, at different prices, but all offer very much the same range of devices for communication.
Each provider was still selling landline connected devices.
Each provider offered a device that was capable of digital communications. This device was marketed for connection via the mobile data network, but I understand that the device in question is capable of connection via the internet.
Most did not address the landline shutdown issue on their websites or specified that any devices were capable of digital communications via the internet.
The exception was Taking Care which says its alarms have been tested. It has a section of its website devote to the Digital Switchover
None addressed the 3G mobile network shutdown issue

There are 1.7 million users of telecare alarms in the UK.

Suppliers
A major UK supplier of telecare products is Tunstall. This company is now (in March 2023) selling a digital (internet-connected) device for its alarm system.

TSA – Trade body for Telecare Providers

There is a good paper on theis trade body’s website discussing the issues of the PSTN shutdown
Digital Shift

Silver Voices has concerns over BT’s plans

Guardian article (Dec 23) – issues with older telecare kit

Telegraph article (Dec 23) – Telecare providers not doing enough

OpenReach may continue to provide analogue services

The Daily Telegraph

ISPreview

The Great British Switch-Off

Taken from zen.co.uk

If you haven’t heard about the Great British Switch-Off yet, you need to know that 2023 will be the year it really swings into full gear. Here’s how home broadband and telephone services will change forever.

The big switch off

In 2025, the copper telephone network, provided by BT’s Openreach division, will be switched off completely. You might know it as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) network or just that socket on the wall that your phone and router plug into.

The old copper network has been around for more than a hundred years, and it’s beginning to show its age. It is becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain, repair and keep up-to-date and – frankly – it is no longer able to adequately cope with our ever-increasing demand for faster broadband connections. We’ve managed to squeeze just about the maximum level of performance out of it. If you’re using a copper or Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) broadband service, think about how much faster it is today than 20 years ago, but it has just about reached its practical limits. Squeezing extra performance is more expensive and restrictive than the full fibre alternative.

Who is affected

The PSTN provided by Openreach is going away, to be replaced by something better. There are various internet service providers (ISPs) that use the Openreach network. These include BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, EE, Vodafone and others. Users of these ISPs are likely to be affected by the switch-off .

Over recent years a number of alternative network providers (Alt-Nets) have been installing high-speed full-fibre internet service in many areas. Users of these altnets are not affected by the PSTN switch-off. If you get your internet and home phone service from VirginMedia, then this change may also affect you. Users of Openreach FTTP full-fibre services will have already made the necessary changes.

Why 2023

But if the switch-off is happening in 2025, why is 2023 such a big deal? That’s all about proper planning and preparation. Imagine if one day in late 2025, your telephone and broadband connection didn’t work anymore. There would be havoc as millions of people across the country were no longer able to communicate, work – or do whatever else they do with their phone connections.

That’s why, two years out from the big event Openreach is to stop selling PSTN. Such a “stop-sell” will make the transition much smoother. It’s already started in fact, but 2023 is the year where the stop-sell will gather real momentum. More and more local exchanges throughout the UK will have their copper services withdrawn from sale. If you’re connected to one of those exchanges, that means you’ll no longer be able to purchase a copper or fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband connection, or a phone line. It’s not just new purchases that will be affected; upgrades, regrades and even repairs will also become increasingly scarce.

Better broadband

As those connections go away, if you haven’t upgraded already, you’ll need a different way to connect to the internet. But as one door closes, another invariably opens. And in the case of copper and FTTC broadband that means more modern alternatives – known as full-fibre or Fibre to the Premises, or (FTTP) and SOGEA (which stands for Single Order Generic Ethernet Access – quite the mouthful).

As the full-fibre rollout continues across the UK, more and more homes will have access to this newer broadband technology that promises greater speeds than the older alternatives – and better reliability to boot. That’s because it doesn’t use the old copper network at all, but rather, fibre optic cables to carry all your data.

In those places where full fibre isn’t available, users won’t be left with no internet service. Instead, they’ll be able to connect to the internet using a SOGEA service which, without going into too much detail, is similar to an FTTC service but without the phone line. It will provide similar levels of performance, so if you’re not able to get a full-fibre connection, SOGEA can keep you connected. And though the telephone network is being switched off, the copper network infrastructure that exists today will keep those SOGEA connections moving.

No phone

When the PSTN network is switched off, if you don’t already have an alternative set up, you won’t be able to make and receive calls at home. Thankfully, we’re already prepared for the transition. Over the course of this year – if you haven’t already – you should be contacted by your ISP regarding your future telephone needs.

Many of the nearly 30 million Openreach home phone users will simply stop using their home phone and use mobile phone services instead. However, many people, particularly those in rural areas, cannot rely on their mobile phone to work when they need it and depend on their home phone. Small businesses also rely on their office phone.

As the copper telephone network is withdrawn from use, you’ll be offered an alternative Digital Voice service. That Digital Voice service will allow you to make and receive calls at home – using your broadband connection instead of traditional telephone lines. It’s a completely different type of technology (VoIP) but as far as the user is concerned, the only difference will come in where the telephone is plugged (into the router instead of the master socket).

A little more

That’s all there is to it, for the most part. And while these changes are profound – how we connect and communicate is going to change completely – by getting ready now, the transition should be perfectly smooth for most of us.

But what if you’re using other services that rely on the copper telephone network – like home alarm systems, emergency pendants or even lift communication services? In that case, we would recommend contacting your supplier to check that they’re prepared for the switch-off. They should have plans in place for what will happen, and they should be able to communicate those plans with you.

But from April 2023 they’ll start expanding those pilots to include lower usage landline customers (those who have a full-fibre broadband connection already) in more locations:-

East Midlands & Humberside
Yorkshire
Northern Ireland

Rollout 2023-2024

However, BT said they aren’t currently switching certain groups, including:

people aged 70 and over
people with additional needs
people who only have a landline (and not broadband)
people with telecare alarms
people with no mobile signal at home.

A PODCAST about the Big Switch Off

AgeUK

The Daily Telegraph

Email Challenges when Changing ISP

with thanks to the ZZOOMM website

Internet Service Provider Email Accounts

Many broadband services come with a free email address when you sign up. This service addition can create a dilemma when it comes to switching ISPs (Internet Service Providers). Our email accounts are used not just for communication, but commonly to store important information with the companies we have a relationship with.

That means changing an ISP-provided email address can sometimes be considered a barrier to switching to a faster, better AltNet ISP (such as Zzoomm).

The good news is that it needn’t be! You don’t have to lose your email account or your data. Most broadband companies will allow you to switch and keep your email address, although some may charge you a fee for doing so and some may restrict access to it via a web client.

This section takes a look at the various ISP variations and what you need to know about the email addresses provided if you’re planning to switch ISP’s.

At the core of the matter is the question, can you keep your provider-linked email address? The short answer is yes, sometimes — but the real question is, should you?

Keeping your email address when you switch broadband providers

Not all providers will allow you to keep your email address once you switch. For example, the Post Office and Virgin Media will delete your email account once you’ve left.

However, a number of other providers allow you to retain access to your email address for a monthly fee. These fees aren’t fixed by external governing bodies so can be very expensive.

Specific Supplier Examples

Can I keep my email address if I leave BT for Zzoomm?

You can still access your BT email address for 60 days after you switch to a different broadband provider. After that, you’ll have to subscribe to BTs Premium Mail service to retain access. As the name suggests, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee, currently £5 each month for the account. Switching is relatively simple and BT will automatically move your accounts across for you.

I’m switching from Plusnet to Zzoomm, will I lose my Plusnet email account?

If you switch from Plusnet to another provider, you can take your email account with you. Like BT and others, the company will charge a monthly fee and will migrate the account and all emails for you.

Can I ditch Sky to get Zzoomming and keep my email address?

Sky has switched to Sky Yahoo! Mail, which the company claims means you have an “email for life”. It is essentially the free Yahoo! Mail but with Sky branding. That means if you switch from Sky, you’ll be able to keep your email address, and with it all the messages and data you’ve stored in your account. Sky does reserve the right to delete an account if you haven’t used it for 180 days. If Sky closes a “dormant” account, you’ll lose any associated data and content.

I want to switch to Zzoomm from TalkTalk, can I keep my TalkTalk email account?

All TalkTalk broadband customers have TalkTalk Mail included in their package. Should you leave TalkTalk, you can subscribe to TalkTalk Mail Plus and keep your email address, currently for £5 per month or £50 per year. Otherwise, you’ll see your functionality reduce 30 days after you leave, and after 5 months TalkTalk will delete it.

Can I switch from Virgin Broadband to Zzoomm and keep my email account?

Once you give notice to Virgin Media, you’ll have 90 days before your email address is cancelled. After that, Virgin Media will clear out your emails, delete all data associated with your account and shut it down.

You may be with an ISP that we haven’t listed here so the best thing for you to do is contact them directly and ask if you can keep your email address when you switch to Zzoomm.

What’s an alternative: Why not get a free email account that is not tied to a provider?

You don’t need to be tied to any broadband provider with your email account. You can make the switch to a free webmail account. While it might be a hassle in the short term, it will give you the freedom to switch pain-free for years to come.

There are a number of options available including Apple iCloud, Google’s Gmail, Microsoft Outlook (formerly Hotmail) and Yahoo! Mail. The choice you make may depend on the types of devices you have (if you’re using an iPhone versus an Android-Google phone, for example, or if you use a PC or laptop for email).

You may wish to take this opportunity to consider having several new email accounts – one for social media, one for business, one for family, one for banking and one for online shopping accounts.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the storage capacity for each may vary, although some will allow you to pay a monthly subscription to increase storage.

Moving your email to Gmail

Visit gmail.com and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you have set up your Gmail account click on the settings menu, (the cog icon in the top right corner).

Click ‘Accounts and Import’ and then ‘Import mail and contacts’.

You’ll need to enter your email address here and follow the on-screen instructions.

Don’t Lose An Address

Once your new email is set up, it’s a good idea to export your contacts from your old account, if you set up a Gmail account you can follow the instructions above. It’s also a good idea to send out an email to your main contacts to let them know you’ll be using a new address from now on.

Forward Your History

It is worth considering setting up a forwarding system in your old account while you are in transition so that new email is automatically forwarded to your new email address, which may seem a bit tricky but is usually found in your inbox settings. This means for new mail you only need to manage one mailbox.

For example, with BT Connect, you would navigate to ‘Manage Services -> Email Summary -> highlight your email address in the box -> click ‘Email Forwarding’.

Enter your new Gmail address and click ‘Save’.

Make a Clean Break

In order to keep your information secure, it is good practice to delete all your old emails. Then create a new password to ensure that the old account stays secure until it’s finally closed down. It’s best to set up your new email account with your new provider using a new password too.

Set up an auto-responder

If your email service supports this, you might also want to set up an auto-responder for your old email address that lets anyone who contacts you know that their email has been forwarded to a new address.

Update accounts linked to your old email address

Depending on how long you’ve had your email address, you may have a lot of additional services linked to this address. Be sure to update as many of your login details as possible while you still have access to your old provider-linked address as you may need to reconfirm the new details and in situations where you forget your login, the reminder email will be sent to an old address if not updated.

Here’s an example checklist of the most common things we would need to update ourselves – for instance:

Streaming services
Energy and household bill payments
Online banking
Online payments
Social media accounts
Cloud storage
Gaming accounts
Work systems
Cloud tools