Switching to UPC Fibre 15 Anytime

Champ

Hi,
I've been put in charge of switching from Eircom to UPC Fibre 15 Anytime
http://www.upc.ie/phoneandbroadband/fibre15anytime/

Current Setup:
Eircom
-8 MB Broadband, Phone, Line Rental

UPC
-Cable TV

Theoretical Future Setup:
Eircom
-

UPC
-Cable TV, Phone, 15 MB Broadband

We want to keep our existing number so porting seems to be in order:
http://www.upc.ie/pdf/Number_porting_form_150310.pdf

Alright hopefully a few others have been down this road and can give some feedback for the following please:):
-My understanding is that when you port a number the old line and all its services will be canceled by your new provider(line rental, phone, broadband) so I shouldn't need to be chasing up the Eircom billing department in some painful saga(BT experience) or even need to contact Eircom period
-Whats the optimal time to do the porting? I want to order online to get the free connection fee but not sure if you can specify this at the same time? Also will we end up with 2 numbers on the one line once it's done? Our original Eircom one and the UPC one?

pizzahead77

You should order the UPC broadband & phone etc and once its installed organise for UPC to port over your old Eircom number.

I believe that once the porting happens then your eircom line will cease including broadband.

You should have a temporary number with UPC until the eircom number is ported over - I should think that you'll then loose the UPC number.

Karmafaerie

It takes about 2-3 weeks form the time you fill the form out.
Once it goes you loose the temporary UPC number and the old eircom automatically comes back on your UPC line.

As you said the porting form gives UPC permission to close the Eircom line, so if you don't want to, you never need to contact Eircom.

VERYinterested

Quite right and the worst thing you can do is get on to Eircom, they'll only be too delighted to cancel your number and it's very inconvenient to get it back. Leave it up to UPC to contact them and it should all fall in to place.

lambchops

One important thing is you will have to call and cancel the broadband. Basically the steps should be
1. Order from UPC
2. Once installed cancel the eircom broadband only and fill in the porting number form.
3. Sit back and wait for your number to port.

Champ

Thanks guys.

@lambchops
The porting form specifically advises one not to cancel the old broadband ahead of the porting process?

Karmafaerie

Nope, the porting form says to not cancel the phone line, but you can cancel the Broadband.

You used to have to cancel broadband or the port would fail, but Comreg stoped this about 6 months ago.

You can leave Broadband on the line, and it won't cause a problem, but it does mean that you're paying for it for a couple of weeks longer.

You're better off canceling the Eircom Broadband, but keep the phone line open whatever you do.

lambchops

Karmafaerie wrote: »

You used to have to cancel broadband or the port would fail, but Comreg stoped this about 6 months ago.

Wasn't aware Comreg had stopped that. But that was why I was advising it. That and not having to pay for two broadband services while waiting for a number to port over.

Champ

Thanks for clearing it up.:)

One last thing, am I correct in assuming that we'll still be able to receive mail from our old Eircom accounts?

Will there be a problem using the Eircom POP3 / SMTP servers while on the UPC network?

Sponge Bob

pop/email will continue to work but you need to change the smtp server to a upc one

Karmafaerie

smtp.upcmail.ie

VERYinterested

A word of caution regarding porting. I filled in the form and posted it with my bill on May 31. I received my modem June 2 and set it up without problem. I decided to order to extra handsets as my old eircom ones are well past it. Yesterday, June 21 I rang to see how the porting process was coming along as it's been 3 weeks and no sign of anything happening.

I was told that there was no sign of a porting request! On further investigation at their end they discovered that the order for extra handsets had cancelled the porting request on their system! How that works I don't know. Anyway, porting will now take place July 1, so be careful if ordering extra handsets during the porting period.