UK Landline Demise

Furby · Post by **Furby** » Sat Aug 26, 2023 12:25 pm

This is about the UK but in the blurb somewhere it said all over europe is doing same. Easiest way to mine copper is take it from the phone cabling I suppose.

I have had the email saying I am being switched to digital voice but at the moment its just a threat there isnt a start date. I am on the ADSL broadband so I dont know how they will do me it all seems to assume already have the fibre. I dont have the fibre because I cant cope with house rewiring for power points needed and the phones come in the back kitchen. There is a solution for really old people with only a phone but only ADSL isnt mentioned. Maybe they leave me until last but 2025 will be here before we know it. Over 70s are being left until last hoping they die off I suppose and just as I approach OAP age the limit gets raised to 70.

I looked on my street and can only see the end terrace has a BT fibre box because they can trail it round their outside walls. So could be a problem at street level and not just furbies house.

Has anyone else already gone through this. Eccles has done away with his phone altogether so thats one solution but I prefer wired things really. I get a headache using a mobile phone for long and places you ring like Gas and HMRC keep you on line for at least 2 hours these days. People say its nonsense but its my head and I know it gets a headache.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Sat Aug 26, 2023 1:42 pm

I did away with my wired internet because I was fed up with Virgin Media's customer service pantomime; the little routine on the phone to the retentions team that customers are required to undergo in order to stop them increasing their prices every three months. BT only supplies FTTC and, unlike OC's service, my offered speeds are mediocre.
There are those who rely on a fixed handset, but for anyone else a mobile solution can make good sense, especially if you live in a suburban or urban location where there is a good signal. I did experience speed reductions due to maintenance during my first year or two but I now have built in system redundancy with a choice of two 5G sources from my current supplier. It is easy to change suppliers should I wish by removing the sim from the router and inserting an alternative.

Post by **merry** » Thu Aug 31, 2023 9:03 am

Oh gosh. This will be odd. I adore my smartphone but NOT for making CALLS! landlines are much better for that.

I'm going to stuff my fingers in my ears and go 'lalala this isn't happening'.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Thu Aug 31, 2023 4:08 pm

You'll still be able to keep your landline; it'll just be digital that's all, and it should be clearer than the old analogue system. The one drawback is that unlike the old copper system you will need a mains supply to power it. Which means that in the event of a power cut you will need your mobile phone.

Furby · Post by **Furby** » Fri Sep 01, 2023 2:31 pm

Bt only works with their favourite choice of latest router. I don't use their router but the bt one I have on the shelf isnt that one will they have enough stocks to send everyone that very new router as well as send engineers out to rewire people's houses assuming people have already done the electric rewires needed to provide plugs on outside walls.

News stories tell of people forcibly switched but if they need to rewire the property how do they do that. Must be people with fibre a!ready so maybe I will be back of the queue just in front of the over 70s.

Coincidence but I got a card from ee who are part of bt these days offering me a new iPhone. It's very nice and yellow. I can get £263 pounds off and it's only £53 a month for 2 years plus yearly inflations added.