Sky tv

[dirtyharriet]

We have gone back to sky from Telewest and are getting multiroom installed.

My question is why do we need to have our phone connected to our Digibox? We will not be using any interactive services. When I asked Sky, they just said it was part of terms and conditions. We never had our phone line connected with our previous subscription (we pulled it out as soon as they left and no one said a word).
It's a bit of a nuisance as we have to buy cable and run it through the house ourselves before the guy gets here. We will pull it all out as soon as he's gone so it's a waste of money. We haven't got our main box downstairs plugged into the phone line.
I've been reading on other forums where some have said Sky regularly check whether you've got it plugged in and others say it's all rubbish and you don't need the phone plugged in.

Anyone help?

[OBonio]

We never plug our phone into our Sky box.  It stops us spending extra money accidentally on interactive services (like voting on I'm a Celeb) and ordering films.  So, no, you don't need it plugged in at all. 

[Kerplunk]

As part of the install they will make you a cable to reach the socket from the box.  Tell the engineer you will run it under the carpet at a later date then don't bother.  I had Sky+ installed and within a week the modem cable became faulty.  I rang sky and they said they would send an engineer out if I wanted.  I said I wasn't bothered if they weren't and it remains unplugged from the phone line, 1 1/2 years later.

[Impret-Sir]

I think they also use this connection to upload your viewing habits to their server, somtimes at night when the TV is off, I hear the phone giving an ocasional soft 'beep' noise, as if it is speaking to the sky box.Often when this happens I find that the digibox is turned off when I come down stairs in the morning. I guess they would do this to target junk mail and similar to your address.

[tracymort]

We had to keep it plugged in for a year apparently but i moaned as the modem in the sky box kept botching up our phone line so they let us disconnect it early.

[Mattk]

i have multiroom and have to have my phone plugged in (had several letters insisting on it !) - i have a feeling that the 12 month rule doesnt apply on multiroom

[Kerplunk]

I have multiroom to and don't have it connected?

[dirtyharriet]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies.
I think a lot of the scaremongering may come from Sky employees themselves. From what I have been reading on other forums, Sky send you threatening letters if you don't have your phone line connected , apparently they can tell.

I just wanted to get some unbiased answers here rather than a satellite forum.