Keeping in Touch in London
London has a highly developed communication infrastructure, and expats will have no problem taking advantage of the latest and greatest technology in order to keep in touch with those back home as well as to cultivate new relationships.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty comes in researching the most effective and economical package for your communication needs, and then making yourself available for installation amidst an often erratic expat schedule.
BT is the national company for telephone lines and runs the telephone network. You may not want a landline if you are planning on only using your mobile phone. However, you will have to have a landline if you would like ADSL Broadband, so you will still need to go through the motions of setting your landline up.
An engineer will have to come out to your property to install a landline if it is a new build or reactivate the landline if there is already a BT line installed. BT will give you a time slot of between 8am to 5pm on the day of the installation. Someone will need to be waiting in your property during this period. Sometimes it’s not necessary for the engineer to attend your property and BT can reactivate your landline from their control centre. There are other providers that have good telephone packages available depending on your requirements, but you will still have to go through BT in the first instance because they run the network.
There are many providers supplying cheap phone calls abroad to suit your requirements. For example you can set up a www.1899.com account which can be used from your BT phone line.
Setting up Broadband can be a slow and frustrating business, it is often necessary to deal with several departments of the relevant Broadband provider to organise set-up. If you need immediate Broadband during the set-up process you can reduce the inconvenience by:
ADSL Broadband is by far the most popular choice of UK Broadband. However, this type of broadband uses your existing telephone line. Therefore if you do not already have your telephone line set up and active, you will have to organise this before your Broadband can be set up.
For example, you need to have a BT phone line installed before you are able to have O2 or Tiscali Broadband.
First you must check that Cable is available in your area/property by phoning Virgin Media on 0845 840 7777. Cable Broadband uses a special cable connection which needs to be installed into your home. If the property is not already connected to cable the engineer usually drills a small hole through a window frame so the cables can enter your property. The engineer will then attach a small white box to the wall by the window so that the cables can run from it. It is important if you are renting to get your landlord’s permission in writing before this installation takes place. As the damage to the window frame will be noted in your Check out Inventory, your landlord may charge money off your deposit.
Cable (Virgin Media)
The advantage of having a Virgin Media package is that the Virgin engineer will install your telephone line, Broadband and TV package all in one day. They are able to do this as Virgin have their own phone lines so do not have to use BT phone lines. It is also possible to get Sky Movie and Sky Sports channels with your Virgin Media package. Virgin Media will give you a time slot of between 8.00 – 17.00 on the day of the installation. Someone will need to be waiting in your property during this period. It is important that your TV is in full working order so that the Virgin engineer can make sure that your TV package is working correctly and show you how to work the controls etc. Virgin offers a wide range of packages to suit different requirements.
BT
You will need to have your telephone line installed or reactivated before your broadband can be set up. BT also supplies BT Vision TV packages which work through your TV aerial.
Sky
Sky supplies the most popular TV packages in the UK. They also supply broadband and telephone line packages. Sky is not able to install your telephone line, Broadband and TV Package in one day, as Sky uses BT telephone lines. So first you have to have your BT telephone line installed/reactivated before your TV package and Broadband can be installed. Therefore, you will need to set up an installation date for the BT engineer to install your Sky phone line followed by another installation date for the Sky engineer to install your Sky TV package.
Both the BT appointment and Sky appointment will be between 8am to 5pm and you will need to make sure that someone is waiting in your property during this period on both of the installation dates. It is important that your TV is in full working order so that the Sky engineer can make sure that your TV package is working correctly and show you how to work the controls etc. Sky offers a wide range of packages to suit different requirements.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty comes in researching the most effective and economical package for your communication needs, and then making yourself available for installation amidst an often erratic expat schedule.
Telephone Line
BT is the national company for telephone lines and runs the telephone network. You may not want a landline if you are planning on only using your mobile phone. However, you will have to have a landline if you would like ADSL Broadband, so you will still need to go through the motions of setting your landline up.
An engineer will have to come out to your property to install a landline if it is a new build or reactivate the landline if there is already a BT line installed. BT will give you a time slot of between 8am to 5pm on the day of the installation. Someone will need to be waiting in your property during this period. Sometimes it’s not necessary for the engineer to attend your property and BT can reactivate your landline from their control centre. There are other providers that have good telephone packages available depending on your requirements, but you will still have to go through BT in the first instance because they run the network.
Cheap phone calls abroad
There are many providers supplying cheap phone calls abroad to suit your requirements. For example you can set up a www.1899.com account which can be used from your BT phone line.
Broadband
Setting up Broadband can be a slow and frustrating business, it is often necessary to deal with several departments of the relevant Broadband provider to organise set-up. If you need immediate Broadband during the set-up process you can reduce the inconvenience by:
- Purchasing a “Mobile Broadband Dongle - Pay as you go”, which you should be able to buy from most mobile phone shops.
- Set-up all of your communication accounts at once - telephone, Broadband and television.
ADSL Broadband
ADSL Broadband is by far the most popular choice of UK Broadband. However, this type of broadband uses your existing telephone line. Therefore if you do not already have your telephone line set up and active, you will have to organise this before your Broadband can be set up.
For example, you need to have a BT phone line installed before you are able to have O2 or Tiscali Broadband.
Cable Broadband (Virgin Media)
First you must check that Cable is available in your area/property by phoning Virgin Media on 0845 840 7777. Cable Broadband uses a special cable connection which needs to be installed into your home. If the property is not already connected to cable the engineer usually drills a small hole through a window frame so the cables can enter your property. The engineer will then attach a small white box to the wall by the window so that the cables can run from it. It is important if you are renting to get your landlord’s permission in writing before this installation takes place. As the damage to the window frame will be noted in your Check out Inventory, your landlord may charge money off your deposit.
Satellite TV Packages including Broadband and Telephone line
Cable (Virgin Media)
The advantage of having a Virgin Media package is that the Virgin engineer will install your telephone line, Broadband and TV package all in one day. They are able to do this as Virgin have their own phone lines so do not have to use BT phone lines. It is also possible to get Sky Movie and Sky Sports channels with your Virgin Media package. Virgin Media will give you a time slot of between 8.00 – 17.00 on the day of the installation. Someone will need to be waiting in your property during this period. It is important that your TV is in full working order so that the Virgin engineer can make sure that your TV package is working correctly and show you how to work the controls etc. Virgin offers a wide range of packages to suit different requirements.
BT
You will need to have your telephone line installed or reactivated before your broadband can be set up. BT also supplies BT Vision TV packages which work through your TV aerial.
Sky
Sky supplies the most popular TV packages in the UK. They also supply broadband and telephone line packages. Sky is not able to install your telephone line, Broadband and TV Package in one day, as Sky uses BT telephone lines. So first you have to have your BT telephone line installed/reactivated before your TV package and Broadband can be installed. Therefore, you will need to set up an installation date for the BT engineer to install your Sky phone line followed by another installation date for the Sky engineer to install your Sky TV package.
Both the BT appointment and Sky appointment will be between 8am to 5pm and you will need to make sure that someone is waiting in your property during this period on both of the installation dates. It is important that your TV is in full working order so that the Sky engineer can make sure that your TV package is working correctly and show you how to work the controls etc. Sky offers a wide range of packages to suit different requirements.
