Do I need a phone line to activate Sky HD

TCollins

I already have sky+ with no phone line in the house and am thinking of buying a hd box off of ebay. Can anyone tell me if i need a phone line to activate hd? or can i just call sky and tell them to activate it?

steveon

Yes you will need to do a callback before sky will enable it to work with your hd box

TCollins

Thanks for the info.
I guess that rules out sky HD for me then.
Not getting a phone line installed for the sake of 1 call.

watty

With a self install and "upgrade" of a Sky+ account you might manage. The info is by satellite. They just like you to have a phone line. They only 100% enforce it with Sky supplied boxes, rather than DIY.

Offically you need a phone, but are Sky really going to ignore the 31% of households that now don't have a phone line?

if you can't for now, the SkyHD box will work as a Sky+, you need to get them to pair the card for any premium channels.

So perhaps a ploy is to swap box, get card re-paired and then later ask to upgrade to HD.

The BBC HD added manually should work.

gsxr1

only the regular sky digitalbox works with out a line. Sky+ and HD need the line. Quote from sky .

TCollins

watty wrote:

With a self install and "upgrade" of a Sky+ account you might manage. The info is by satellite. They just like you to have a phone line. They only 100% enforce it with Sky supplied boxes, rather than DIY.

Offically you need a phone, but are Sky really going to ignore the 31% of households that now don't have a phone line?

if you can't for now, the SkyHD box will work as a Sky+, you need to get them to pair the card for any premium channels.

So perhaps a ploy is to swap box, get card re-paired and then later ask to upgrade to HD.

The BBC HD added manually should work.

Thanks for the info watty
I've had sky+ without a phone line for 3 years now, since i moved house and we never got a phone line in the new house.
I dont really want to risk paying a few hundred for the hd box and then find its useless because sky wont activate it for me. Too much of a risk.

I also wanted to get multi room for the last 3 years but cant because of the lack of a phone line.

I would love to upgrade and give them my money, but if they dont want it thats their problem. I have several friends in the very same situation. More and more people i know are ditching there phoneline these days.

Marty_

watty wrote:

With a self install and "upgrade" of a Sky+ account you might manage. The info is by satellite. They just like you to have a phone line. They only 100% enforce it with Sky supplied boxes, rather than DIY.

Offically you need a phone, but are Sky really going to ignore the 31% of households that now don't have a phone line?

if you can't for now, the SkyHD box will work as a Sky+, you need to get them to pair the card for any premium channels.

So perhaps a ploy is to swap box, get card re-paired and then later ask to upgrade to HD.

The BBC HD added manually should work.

OMG now its 31%, Watty if you haven't got your HD sorted out by now drop me a mail, I don't except PM's from this site, do a Google search you'll fine me.

mustang68

I ordered a HD box off an online supplier, I don't have a phone line. First call to sky and they refused to set me up. So I ran a cable into the neighbours phone line (I asked first!), rang sky again and they didn't ask me about the phone line and it was never used to set me up! I think it depends on who you talk to in sky, if you have a newbie, they'll follow the script, anyone else will give you a bit of latitiude.

thos

I took my SkyHD box down to my parents place, plugged it into their satelite+phone line, activated it, and then took it back to my gaff, where's it been for 12months without a phone line.

denis1501

The answer to the original question is yes. A phone line is needed in order to perform the 'callback' to Sky. Sky staff are told not to activate a HD sub until a callback is carried out. There's always a chance of a sky agent not doing his/her job properly (mustang68's case) but thats the chance you take. The OP only needs to activate this callback from a m8's house, no need to get a phone line specially installed. The HD contract states the box must be connected to a working phone line for 12 months but this is not being enforced.
regards
D.

Tony

denis1501 wrote:

There's always a chance of a sky agent not doing his/her job properly (mustang68's case) but thats the chance you take.
D.

What do you mean by this, mustang bought his box online?

denis1501

I mean Mustang found an agent who didn't to his job properly and activated a HD sub without Mustangs box doing the 'callback'.
regards
D.

Tony

You are referring to the person at sky ?, this could easily be misunderstood as to mean a sky agent IE the retailer who sold the box to him.

byte

I took it that he was referring to the Sky CS agent.

Care to verify, Denis?

Tony

byte wrote:

I took it that he was referring to the Sky CS agent.

Care to verify, Denis?

I think so too but others may think in terms of ASA ie Authorised Sky agent.

denis1501

Yes, Sky CS agent.
Sorry for confusion.
regards
D.

Tony

denis1501 wrote:

Yes, Sky CS agent.
Sorry for confusion.
regards
D.

No problem Denis