Help - Convert BT home line to a business line

[leolion2177]

Hi Folks

We have slowly built up a business that started off in a small manner at home and we are now looking to push it to the next level. We have 2 home lines but always kept one seperate for a small amount of business calls - basically to ensure that the line was not engaged with personal calls.

We want to change this line to a business line and maybe eventually move it to business premises in our local village but our initial attempts to do this have been thwarted by BT who tell us it is physically impossible to change a domestic line to a commercial line.

Surely there is a way around this - can anyone help or advise.

Thanks in advance

[litesp33d]

You don't have to have a business line to run a business and you'd be crazy to do what you are proposing.

There are much better lower cost ways to acheive your objective.

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[sej7278]

if you want to be able to bill the phoneline out to your business, then you need a business line.

knowing BT i'd say they're going to ask you to cancel one of the home lines and get a business account setup - using that same physical line! meaning you're also going to lose that phone number.

i really can't see BT being able to deal with converting a home account to business account and porting the number.

[chrisbtlbnewcas]

As long as you are requesting like for like (i.e. Business PSTN line instead of Home PSTN line) then there should be no technical limitation. If you are wanting ISDN or Featureline instead of your current PSTN line, then it could be that there is no spare capacity at your serving exchange to supply this type of line. I suspect that the sales department might be looking to upgrade your line to Featureline which would be a problem if the lines off your exchange are only designed to serve a residential area.

You are right to move to a business service as you will find within the T&Cs of your residential service that you cannot use that line for business purposes (you'll find this is the case with almost every service provider). The same goes for broadband too.