I live in Jersey in the Channel Islands and my provider (a monopoly until very recently) is Jersey Telecom. I have been using Onetel via a router box but since they have been taken over by TalkTalk this no longer works. Apparently, the re-direction of calls is now made through a switch in the BT exchange (which of course we don't have here).

Does anyone know of another provider that uses a similar method i.e. router box that I could use instead of Onetel? Also, does anyone know whether it is possible to use systems like 18185.co.uk from here?

I have a number of friends who were using Onetel and we would really like to find an alternative to JT. Any advice very welcome.

Tim

Welcome.

Did you post in this thread over on MSE?

I can't help you I'm afraid but I don't know if anyone else can help anymore than they did on MSE.

I notice from their site www.jerseytelecom.com that they charge 3.5p a min at all times to call Uk. However they only appear to charge 3.95p peak, 1.5p evenings, 1p weekends to call 0845 numbers.So it should  be possible to reduce the cost of evening and weekend calls from Jersey via a 0845 access number. Most indirect suppliers have replaced their 0845 access numbers  with 0844 numbers.But some of the old 0845 numbers still work.EG Telestunts 0845 244 30 30 is one that works for uk calls.It will also  allow you to call some intl destinations eg  France.Portugal.Etc

Telestunts 0845 number does allow you to call USA. So what you may ask. Well if you called your destination via www.futurephone.com  USA gateway number 001 712 858 8883 your get a choice of some excellent Intl Landline Rates from the Channel Islands . ;) However line quality may be flaky as your going over 3 legs.

I would suggest that the free access numbers to 18185 and all sister companies should work.
Thus giving you UK access at 1p per min plus connection.

I asked Jersey Telecom about their charges for the numbers that cable and mobile users call and receive the following from them:

Further to my previous e mail I can confirm that numbers prefixed with 0808 are free and numbers prefixed with 02081 are charged at a national rate of
3.5 pence per minute.

Hope this information is useful and please let me know if you require anything further.

Thanks
Sherri Hunt

Home Solutions

I will see if I can use 1899 or 18185. Thanks to all those who replied to my original post.

Tim

TimInJersey wrote on Nov 2^nd, 2006 at 7:58pm:

I live in Jersey in the Channel Islands and my provider (a monopoly until very recently) is Jersey Telecom. I have been using Onetel via a router box but since they have been taken over by TalkTalk this no longer works. Apparently, the re-direction of calls is now made through a switch in the BT exchange (which of course we don't have here). Does anyone know of another provider that uses a similar method i.e. router box that I could use instead of Onetel? Also, does anyone know whether it is possible to use systems like 18185.co.uk from here? I have a number of friends who were using Onetel and we would really like to find an alternative to JT. Any advice very welcome. Tim

Try entering your details at www.uswitch.co.uk and see what it comes up with.  Make sure to detick the option to let them show you plans you can switch to with them online as that in fact means they don't show you plans you can't switch to with them online.

If you can't have CPS or WLR deals in Jersey then just ask to see the best deals from firms offering Prefix codes as this is one of the filter options.  This is the same arrangement you had with Onetel.

Also you say you are outside the UK but I believe not so in the case of the short number prefix access codes but possibly in a CPS or WLR context?  As Jersey Telecom is the incumbent monopoly operator I imagine it has to allow the short access codes as it did with Onetel.

I think your find that 1899/18866/18185 indirect access codes dont work from CI and I of M. Onetel use to provide service via freephone number i believe.

I recollect some time ago their was a post on the MSE site that 18185 etc did not allow you to register unless you have a UK Mainland or NI postcode.Perhaps things have changed.

Hopefully the op will let us know how he gets on.

Uswitch requires you to enter current landline supplier it does not recognise Jersey Telecom.

acezing wrote on Nov 4^th, 2006 at 12:54pm:

I think your find that 1899/18866/18185 indirect access codes dont work from CI and I of M. Onetel use to provide service via freephone number i believe.

Their position is extremely anomalous since they are part of the UK exchange code sequence and do use the Pound Sterling and are defended by the British armed forces.  But they have their own tax laws and local legislation on many matters.  Is there NHS cover for the citizens of Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man even?

Another option might be to use Voip telephony for outgoing calls but I see www.sipgate.co.uk doesn't offer any incoming voip numbers on the geographic exchanges for Jersey, Guernesy and Isle of Man even though they have them for everywhere else in the UK.  www.vonage.co.uk is offering all 01/02 UK calls for £7 per month and this ought to work perfectly well but of course no doubt probably doesn't include calls to other Channel Island numbers (potentially a huge snag)

I have registered with 1899 and received an e-mail accepting the registration but when I call the cable number, I get a message saying that the number I am calling from is not registered on their system. I have e-mailed 1899 to ask what the problme is but had no reply yet.

I have also looked at uswitch, but can't really register sensibly as line providers are all UK ones and JT is not listed as an alternative. I have e-mailed them to see if they can suggest anything.

I realise I could try the Skype/Voip route but I would prefer to use normal lines if possible. as I don't really want to leave my computer on all the time.

I'll post news on progress as and when I make any!

Quote:

I realise I could try the Skype/Voip route but I would prefer to use normal lines if possible. as I don't really want to leave my computer on all the time.

Vonage doesn't require you to have your computer on at all. Technically, you don't even need a computer! All you need is broadband access. They supply an analog telephone adapter (ATA) that you plug your normal phone into. Works wonderfully! ;)

TimInJersey wrote on Nov 4^th, 2006 at 3:09pm:

I have also looked at uswitch, but can't really register sensibly as line providers are all UK ones and JT is not listed as an alternative. I have e-mailed them to see if they can suggest anything.

It seems indirect access codes do exist in the Channels Islands but perhaps only for services run by other channel islands telecoms suppliers?

See www.wavetelecom.com/templates/LayoutB.aspx?id=146

Did you try accessing 1899 using the actual 1899 access prefix code to see what happened?  By the way 1899 is no longer the cheapest for various calls and you would be better off registering with their sister company www.18185.co.uk, who I believe also support the Freephone 0800 number call access route.

Strangely enough, when I try the cable number, the announcement actually says that I should register with 18866!  It is recognising the neumber I am calling from (the announcement tells you what that is) but still says it is not registered with the system. The 1899 number does not work at all.

I might have another look at Vonage but that gets a bit complicated with three phones in the house but only one (wireless) router and I was not at all impressed by the sound quality when I rang their help desk. I presume they were using Voip themselves and it rather put me off. What do others with Vonage do about multiple phones? I don't really want to have to buy three new wireless handsets.

I think you might have same problem with Vonage. In that i believe its only available UK Mainland and NI.

Does my 0845 idea not work for cheaper evening and weekend calls.

TimInJersey wrote on Nov 4^th, 2006 at 8:46pm:

Strangely enough, when I try the cable number, the announcement actually says that I should register with 18866!  It is recognising the neumber I am calling from (the announcement tells you what that is) but still says it is not registered with the system. The 1899 number does not work at all. I might have another look at Vonage but that gets a bit complicated with three phones in the house but only one (wireless) router and I was not at all impressed by the sound quality when I rang their help desk. I presume they were using Voip themselves and it rather put me off. What do others with Vonage do about multiple phones? I don't really want to have to buy three new wireless handsets.

Try registering with Call18866 then and see if that makes a difference.  I'd be surprised though as they're all run by the same company except Call18866 are the most expensive out of all of them though.  You could email Call18866 first and ask them can they be dialled from within Jersey.

As for VoIP options, if you have broadband that has download limits or imposes traffic shaping then you may find you fall foul of their t&c for broadband.

It seems to me that competition really doesn't exist in Jersey at all if you ask me.  Looking at the website in a previous post, JerseyTelecom charge a lot for linerental and still have expensive calls anyhow.

bbb_uk wrote on Nov 5^th, 2006 at 5:56pm:

It seems to me that competition really doesn't exist in Jersey at all if you ask me.  Looking at the website in a previous post, JerseyTelecom charge a lot for linerental and still have expensive calls anyhow.

And competition on line rental cost doesn't really seem to exist in the UK mainland either if you live outside a cable tv area. Basically because of what BT wholesale charges its rivals you have to pay about £140 a year to keep the copper wire to your house connected so you can they pay extra to get broadband even if you take your line rental and phone calls from a competitor and even if you never make a single phone call using the PSTN.  Compare this with gas and electricity where there are plenty of plans with no standing charge which must work fantastically for those with small beach houses or tiny country cottages only used for a few weeks each year.

There was supposed to be cheaper line rental on something called naked DSL where you just had the copper wire for broadband and no phone service if you didn't need an old fashioned phone service but good old Ofcom decided that wasn't necessary.  Another case of keeping their old mates BT in their jobs till they start drawing their comfortable pensions I fear.

If the 18185.co.uk service also has an 0808 cable access number then I would also try setting up an account with them and giving it a bash as they are now the cheapest of these three Finarea brands for UK calls.  All the 1899 or 18185 code actually does is ring the Freephone number as I understand it and uk freephone numbers do also appear to be free from Jersey, unless of course Jersey telecom is allowed to bar certain 0800 or 0808 numbers that it identifies as access numbers for rival telecoms companies.  This was long a trick of Orange when they used to provide 0800 numbers free of charge to their contract mobile phone customers.

Might be worth a call to the Jersey Telecoms regulator to discuss the whole thing with them in more detail.

Quote:

And competition on line rental cost doesn't really seem to exist in the UK mainland either if you live outside a cable tv area.

The whole philosophy behind 0870 / 0845 is to limit competition as much as possible. BT is fighting a rear guard action to maintain its monopoly for as long as it possibly can. Unfortunately, the fools who sit in Parliament can't - or more likely, won't - see it for what it is.

Was it an extra £1.5 BILLION for UK subscribers attributed to the 0870 etc scam last year?

Hmmmm....some competition! >:(

mikeinnc wrote on Nov 5^th, 2006 at 10:09pm:

The whole philosophy behind 0870 / 0845 is to limit competition as much as possible. BT is fighting a rear guard action to maintain its monopoly for as long as it possibly can. Unfortunately, the fools who sit in Parliament can't - or more likely, won't - see it for what it is.

I don't think the "fools in Parliament" have too much to be blamed for (or rather only the ministerial fools who transferred the normal Offfice of Trading Powers to Ofcom for Broadcasting and Telecoms).  The Parliamentary Select Committee have tried to give Ofcom a hard time over several of their more spectacular failures to protect the uk consumer including eg especially Patientline.

It is the poachers turned gamekeepers at Ofcom who totally refuse to do anything that might prevent them landing another well paid job at twice the salary back with the very people who they are supposed to regulate on behalf of the UK citizen consumer. ;) :o :'(

Success!!
I contacted call1899 by e-mail and they gave me a different number to ring, 0808 1 708708. The mobile number is the one on their website. I can now phone landlines in the UK in the evening for 1p per minute and mobiles for 10p per minute, each a significant saving on the published tariff from Jersey Telecom.

Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions.

Tim :)

TimInJersey wrote on Nov 7^th, 2006 at 8:07pm:

Success!! I contacted call1899 by e-mail and they gave me a different number to ring, 0808 1 708708. The mobile number is the one on their website. I can now phone landlines in the UK in the evening for 1p per minute and mobiles for 10p per minute, each a significant saving on the published tariff from Jersey Telecom. Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions. Tim :)

Congratulations.

What number were you ringing then as that is the standard number for non BT users (ie cable, etc)?

As mentioned a few times, Call18185 would be better as they are cheaper for 084x/087x and mobile calls than Call1899.  Both Call1899 and Call18185 now charge the same for calls to geographical 01/02 numbers so there is no detriment from your point of view.

More on Call18185 rates for non-BT users here but be aware that calls to mobiles during the daytime are 10p/min not 6p/min as advertised.  It appears that Call18185 updated the wrong price list (BT customer price list) instead of non-BT price list.

bbb_uk wrote on Nov 7^th, 2006 at 8:18pm:

but be aware that calls to mobiles during the daytime are 10p/min not 6p/min as advertised.  It appears that Call18185 updated the wrong price list (BT customer price list) instead of non-BT price list.

The 18185 voice announcement from my BT line today is still saying 6p per minute for mobiles although their website quotes 10p per minute.  Do customers using the 0808 number pay a much higher rate than those accessing the service through 18185 then? :-/

NGMsGhost wrote on Nov 7^th, 2006 at 8:27pm:

bbb_uk wrote on Nov 7th, 2006 at 8:18pm: but be aware that calls to mobiles during the daytime are 10p/min not 6p/min as advertised.  It appears that Call18185 updated the wrong price list (BT customer price list) instead of non-BT price list. The 18185 voice announcement from my BT line today is still saying 6p per minute for mobiles although their website quotes 10p per minute.  Do customers using the 0808 number pay a much higher rate than those accessing the service through 18185 then? :-/

They have two sets of tariffs one for 18185 access

www.18185.co.uk

and another for nonbt/cable/mobile access via 020 or 0808 numbers.

http://www.18185.co.uk/mobilerates.php

A lot of the prices differ between each,but not all of them.

TimInJersey wrote on Nov 7^th, 2006 at 8:07pm:

Success!! I contacted call1899 by e-mail and they gave me a different number to ring, 0808 1 708708. The mobile number is the one on their website. I can now phone landlines in the UK in the evening for 1p per minute and mobiles for 10p per minute, each a significant saving on the published tariff from Jersey Telecom. Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions. Tim :)

Good to hear you had a result.

What do JT charge to call 0844 numbers,cant find it on tariff sheet.
As www.discountdial.co.uk 0844 566 3 566 might be cheaper for UK Mobile Calls.

NGMsGhost wrote on Nov 7^th, 2006 at 8:27pm:

The 18185 voice announcement from my BT line today is still saying 6p per minute for mobiles although their website quotes 10p per minute.  Do customers using the 0808 number pay a much higher rate than those accessing the service through 18185 then? :-/

As mentioned by Acezing they do sometimes I assume its to do with the extra costs (ie the 0808 number) that is incurred.  Remember that Call18185, etc will end up having to pay so much per minute when people ring their 0808 number and this is probably passed on to their mobile customers.  Even due to this, they are still cheaper than the teleco's themselves except for the dial-through operators using 0844 numbers, etc.

There was some confusion over Call18185 recently as they've stated that calls to mobile from a BT landline (ie by using the 18185 prefix) are charged at 10p/min but yet no one appears to be charged this and the announcements all indicate its still 6p/min.  We therefore think they've updated the wrong section of their website and its those accessing Call18185 via their freephone 0808 number that get charged 10p/min.