Tech News Oxford – Updates & Insights

Virgin Email Is Discontinued

vedgupt@wiseserve.net — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:13:35 +0000

Virgin Email Is Discontinued:
What @virginmedia, @ntlworld, @blueyonder and @virgin.net Users Need to Do Now

Virgin Media is closing its remaining email service. If you still use an address ending in @virginmedia.com, @ntlworld.com, @blueyonder.co.uk or @virgin.net, you need to act. After the deadline, the mailbox can be shut and the contents deleted.

Virgin Media stopped giving new email addresses to broadband customers in 2022. In September 2026 it confirmed the next step: the remaining Virgin email accounts are being closed and moved off Virgin’s own platform.

This matters if that address is how you receive bank statements, HMRC mail, supplier invoices, password resets or customer contact. An ISP email address was never a long-term business tool. This shutdown is why.

What Virgin Media has announced

Virgin Media is ending its own email platform and offering a transfer to Junara, a cloud email service run by Australian provider Atmail.

Affected addresses:

@virginmedia.com
@ntlworld.com
@blueyonder.co.uk
@virgin.net

Customers are being contacted in phases. From that first notice you typically have at least 45 days to:

Move the mailbox to Junara and keep the same address, or
Export your mail and switch to another provider, or
Do nothing and let the account close

There is a further recovery window after that (reported as up to 120 extra days in some coverage). After the full period, the account can be permanently deleted.

Current Virgin Media broadband customers who move to Junara are being offered a free first year (some reports mention a small transfer fee). After that, keeping the old address is expected to become a paid service. Former Virgin customers who already left broadband generally need a paid Junara plan if they want to keep the same address.

Virgin Media’s stated reason is that it wants to focus on connectivity, not running mailboxes.

Why this is a problem for homes and businesses

A Virgin, NTL or Blueyonder address often looks “fine” until the day it stops.

Typical risks we see when ISP email is retired:

Invoices and payment reminders bounce
Password resets never arrive
Staff keep sending from an address that is about to die
Years of mail, attachments and contacts sit only on Virgin’s servers
Phishing emails pretend to be “Virgin email closing — click here to keep your account”
Outlook, phones and multifunction printers still point at old Virgin IMAP/SMTP settings

If that address is printed on invoices, your website, Companies House filings or old customer records, changing it is not just “set up Gmail.” You need a planned cutover.

Do not click the first email you receive

Fake “your Virgin mailbox will close” messages have circulated for years. A real migration notice can sit next to a scam that looks almost identical.

Safe approach:

Do not click links in unexpected emails
Sign in through Virgin Media’s official account pages, or use the details in a letter you expected
Never give your password to a random “email upgrade” page
If an email creates panic and asks you to “verify now,” treat it as suspicious

If you are unsure whether a message is genuine, stop and get it checked before you log in.

Your three options

1. Keep the old address via Junara

This is the least disruption if banks, suppliers and customers already know that address. You keep @virginmedia.com / @ntlworld.com / @blueyonder.co.uk / @virgin.net, but the mail is no longer hosted by Virgin.

Good if you cannot change printed stationery yet.
Less good if you want a professional domain you control, or you do not want another paid mailbox later.

2. Move to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace

This is the better option for most businesses and many households who want the problem finished properly.

You get:

An address on your own domain (for example enquiries@yourcompany.co.uk)
Shared mailboxes, calendars and proper admin control
Backup and security options an ISP mailbox never had
No dependency on a broadband brand

You can often keep receiving the old Virgin address for a short overlap while you tell contacts the new one.

3. Move to free Gmail or Outlook.com

Fine for personal use. Weak for a business that needs ownership, staff accounts, retention and support.

What you should do this week

Export the mailbox — download mail, folders, contacts and attachments. Do not assume Virgin or Junara will keep them forever.
List every place the address is used — banks, HMRC, Companies House, suppliers, website contact forms, accounts software, printers, phones, Outlook profiles.
Choose the destination — keep the old address, or move to Microsoft 365 / Google with your own domain.
Set forwarding while both sides still work.
Update devices — laptops, phones, tablets and any office copier that sends scans by email.
Tell people once the new address is stable. Do not announce a change and then lose access mid-move.

If several people share one old NTL or Virgin address, treat it as a business mailbox. Decide who owns it after the move.

How Wiseserve can help

Wiseserve is an Oxford-based managed IT support provider. We help homes and businesses leave dying ISP mailboxes without losing mail or breaking day-to-day work.

We can:

Check whether a closure email is genuine
Export and back up Virgin / NTL / Blueyonder / virgin.net mailboxes
Move you to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
Set up a professional domain mailbox instead of an ISP address
Reconfigure Outlook, phones and office devices
Help you keep the old address for a transition period where that is still possible
Put monitoring and backup around email so this does not happen again

If you have had @ntlworld, @blueyonder, @virgin.net or @virginmedia for 10 or 20 years, do not leave the export until the last weekend. Mailbox moves fail when the account is already locked.

Virgin email discontinued — get help before the mailbox closes

Virgin email is being discontinued. The address may survive for a while on Junara. The Virgin-hosted service will not.

If you want that mail moved cleanly, contact Wiseserve for IT support. We will tell you what can be kept, what should be replaced, and how to switch without losing invoices, contacts or login emails.

Contact Wiseserve for a mailbox migration review — before the 45-day window runs out.

The post Virgin Email Is Discontinued appeared first on Computer Assistance.

Starlink – Musk’s satellite solution. Magic or middling?

Computer Assistance — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 13:55:13 +0000

We recently got our Hands on Starlink, the latest Satellite Network solution from Elon Musk. Though we found it to be sub-standard for our needs, check our review and test of the device here:

Starlink is a satellite internet service offered by SpaceX that aims to provide broadband access to remote and rural areas. Reviews of Starlink are mixed, with some praising the service for delivering on its promises of high speeds and easy setup, while others criticize it for being expensive and still short of its potential. A review by PCMag calls Starlink a “godsend for country living” and gives it an Editors’ Choice award, while a review by Tom’s Guide finds the service wanting despite its potential. The review methodology of Reviews.org includes internet speed performance, customer service reports, and equipment quality and issues. A review by The Verge acknowledges the technical achievement of Starlink but cautions against overhyping its potential. Overall, it seems that Starlink is a good option for those who need it and have service available, but it may not be for everyone due to its cost and limitations.

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The post Starlink – Musk’s satellite solution. Magic or middling? appeared first on Computer Assistance.

The Benefits of Using Cloud Phone Services

Computer Assistance — Wed, 24 May 2017 11:30:44 +0000

What is a Cloud based phone system (PBX)?

A cloud-based phone system is one that is delivered through the internet, opposed to the standard phone line in which many people are used to. Sometimes cloud phone services are referred to as VoIP phones but the principal is the same; a phone system provided to a business using an internet connection. Studies show this approach to unlock Real Business Benefits. Many businesses have already switching to a cloud-based phone system and are reaping the benefits, however many smaller businesses are only just catching on. Some businesses simply do not understand the way in which a cloud phone service could benefit them as whole – which this blog will go into shortly – and others are too reliant on traditional on-site phone hardware as that is what they are used to. If you’re a business that has yet to switch over to a cloud phone system or are someone who is thinking about taking the step away from traditional phone lines, these benefits could be of interest Why Choose a Cloud-Based Phone System? There are a tonne of great benefits to choosing a cloud-based phone system, many of which are overlooked. These include: Cloud phone systems can be accessed from anywhere As technology develops more and more people are beginning to work remotely, and business can be conducted from anywhere. Cloud phone systems are relatively mobile, which means employees can login from anywhere and use the phone as they would if they were in the office. Plus, if a business has more than one working location both offices can be set up using the same system and so everything is intertwined and recorded together. Data can be analysed with ease Every so often a business may need to take a look back at its call records and this can be a problem when using a standard phone. However, internet based phone systems store all the important data from calls such as customer details and record the call itself; this is ideal for training and checking back for missed information. Cloud phone systems can be used with mobile phones Cloud phone system are not just for phones in the office and can actually be installed on staff mobile phones. By integrating the system with an employee’s mobile phone they will be able to work as efficiently as if they were in the office at their desk, using the same phone system as everyone else. Cloud-based phone systems can cut down costs Many businesses find that they actually save money by switching for a cloud-based phone system as monthly service costs, repair costs and individual phone call rates are reduced. Though the initial installation of a cloud phone service may be a financial outlay, over time many businesses find that their monthly spend on phone bills and maintenance decreases. When it comes to having cloud phone services installed it is important to choose a company that know what they’re doing. Poorly set up cloud-based phone systems will not work to their full potential and problems can arise. Choosing experts in this field will leave you safe in the knowledge that your phone system is ready to use from the get-go.