Can anyone remember the BT service that allowed you to operate 2 phone numbers from 1 line?

You got a different ringing tone, depending which number was dialed, so you could identify the number dialed to make your phone ring.

The service was aimed at the home worker and was ideal if you only received calls.

Do BT still provide this service?

Yes BT still do this service, called Call Sign, and it costs £4.46 per quarter, plus VAT.

Thanks for your help

It can be ordered as part of a calling features pack, so if you have something like Call Waiting and Call Diversion (@3.50 per month) it won't cost you any extra.

Pack details are as follows:

Choose 1 service £1.75
Choose 2-4 services £3.50
Choose 5 services or more £5.00

Shame though as features such as choose to refuse and Anon Call Rejection aren't included!

We used to have this, kept getting calls to the "new" number from some bloke wanting to know if I still have greyhound puppies available (I dont and never had).

Must have got someones old phone number
that they never told anyone it had been changed

I've had a few call sign numbers, many do get wrong number calls quite often!

Thats a good service.

Telewest is trialling this service in the Yorkshire area and I find that Telewest always allocates good numbers, ones which are easy to remember.

When they give you a new number, is it the same area code as your original one?

Yes .. ..

Can you add features to that number? For reasons I can't go into on here (although I can PM if you need to know!) I want to set up a recorded 1571 message on the new number rather than the standard BT one, but don't want the same message on my 1st number.

No, that you can't the new number simply points to the same line.

What you could do is get a free 01 or 02 number from www.Sipgate.co.uk and set up voicemail on there. I use one of these numbers for voicemail only, so people have the choice whether or not they are happy to pay to leave a message. You don't need broadband if you are only using it as voicemail drop number. If you do have broadband you could get a fairly cheap ATA and connect up a regular phone. With Sipgate there are no monthly fees, so is ideal as an incoming number or a PAYG service.

Thanks, trouble is I'd like the same area code as I have now. If I have enhanced 1571, so I can record a message, would both of the numbers on Call Sign go to this if there's no answer or just the main number? I could record a message which would cover my needs then. I know this might not make much sense, but I have to be conscious of who might be reading this!

Yes it is but it doesn't necessaily fall into the same 'exchange code'.

E.g. 'Exchange codes' for Solihull are (0121) 703, 704, 705, 709, 711, you could have your regular number on 704 but be issued a 711 call sign number.


You can get a number from Sipgate with any UK area code.

A call sign number works as an overlay to your regular number. You can't present it as outbound caller id information, calls to it go to your regular 1571 and calls appear on regular 1471, it invokes features like call diversion and call waiting just as if a caller had dialed your regular number.
Last edited by OllieOnline : 02-03-2007 at 17:28

You can get the same area code. You might not have the same exchange code like mentioned above or if no exchange code then slightly different first couple of digits, but then again as said above there is no guarentee BT would give you the same exchange code, also cable phone would have different exchange codes too. All that matters really is the area code, people aren\'t going to worry too much about the digits after the area code.

For example Birmingham is area code (0121)

Sipgate issue numbers (0121) 314
Coms issue (0121) 268
Connect issue (0121) 660
VirginMedia issue (0121) 243 (plus several others)
BT issue many (0121) 704 (for example)

All the same area code and all these numbers could be in the same street, could be at the same address.