BT Digital Phone Line Switchover

[AnnoyingPentium]

Well, I must have missed this, but I do have a few questions that may kick off a discussion.

 

1. Are they doing away with landline phones?
2. What's the odds of them doing something about phone signal in rural areas (such as where I live) to make using mobile phones for telephone calls viable?
3. Is there any ways around question two by keeping the items in question one?

 

Anyway, the floor is yours, ladies and gents. Further explanation for the resident dimwit such as myself would also be appreciated.

 

Jist some ground rules too though:

• Nae politics.
• Nae bickering.

 

Ta in advance.

Edited 10 March, 2022 by AnnoyingPentium
Spelling errors etc.

[@Lee]

Landlines are switching to VOIP or that is the plan.

The dial tone is going unless it already has, I don't know, but when I left Openreach in 2018 (when I left the UK to live in Germany after driving through France, Belgium and The Netherlands) it was going to be switched off in 2021 but with the plague it might have been delayed. 

 

 

[skomaz]

The MIL in Belfast has just gone through this and it was totally painless.  She has BT broadband so was simply a case of unplugging the land-line from the BT master socket and plugging it into a socket on the back of the hub router that had to be exposed by removing a sticker over it. 

 

Took about 2 minutes and no issues, with all kit and answerphone etc. continuing to work normally. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Aw is that all it is? That's alright then, had myself fretting over **** all as always then!

 

Cheers gents.

[john999boy]

One point to remember is that no power = no phone line.

[AnnoyingPentium]

4 minutes ago, john999boy said:

One point to remember is that no power = no phone line.

 

It is very rare to have a power cut here compared to when we first moved here 14/15 years ago (touches chipboard bedside table) so it shouldn't be too much of an issue, IMO. 

[@Lee]

7 minutes ago, john999boy said:

One point to remember is that no power = no phone line.

That never used to be a problem with copper lines as long as you had an old phone. Exchanges had diesel generators to keep 12v on the line. 

The new full fibre routers from BT/Openreach come with a UPS unit to keep power in the event of the (inevitable?) blackouts. For those on copper ADSL the DSLAM Street cabs have battery back ups inside as well. Still not much use if you only have a powered phone with base station though. Old standalone phones should still work with a copper broadband line. Mine did.

Sometimes low tech is a better option IMO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 9 March, 2022 by @Lee

[Ootohere]

@john999boy

I have some experience.  

No power because of area electricity off and still the Land Line works. 

When the power is down in storms or just cuts i phone my mum a mile away to see if her power is off and she answers on the old phone plugged into the wall and not the digital phones in the house.

 

But the Mobile might not be working because transmitters are down.  Then no phone charging but handy if there is energy / fuel / electric in your car you an charge the phone there.

ATM's go down, filling station pumps, shop tills etc etc.

 

I do like my wind up radio and torch and that is used at home when there are power cuts.

(I have batteries and lights/ torches/ candles and battery AM/FM radios but i do like a wind up!')

 

Only 9 years ago and communications were very difficult. 

Not far as the crow flies in a storm  with a tail wind from @AnnoyingPentium

http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21934213

 

I have to laugh at Transport Scotland and their Apps / Mobile services as there are large parts of Scotland were you do not even get Radio Reception, 

no Mobile Reception and if there is often in sever weather the Transport Scotland sites go down. 

 

Edited 10 March, 2022 by roottoot

[J.R.]

It is not going to work if it is plugged into your router to get VOIP or is that not how it is going to be done?

 

I have been VOIP only for 15 years and its crap, well mine is anyway, it frequently switches to simplex transmission so any speech from one side blocks that from the other, like a Talkie Walkie or speaking to an old person who is on speakerphone. Mine frequently will not give a ringing tone, just silence and then the other person picks up, during conversations the other persons voice gets drowned in feedback buzzing type interference, they sound like an unintelligible robot.

 

I'm not complaining, it was my choice to stop paying for a seperate land line just in case of power cuts, for my €29.99 per month internet abonnement the phone comes free with free calls to landlines worldwide. I also used to get all the TV channels but the gouvernement added a €2 tax for "Triple Play" so I dropped it, I get most of the same channels on FTA satellite & Freeview.

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 hour ago, roottoot said:

Not far as the crow flies in a storm  with a tail wind from @AnnoyingPentium

http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21934213

 

All of our cables have moved underground in the valley, that was three years ago that they took the pylons down. We have a rechargeable torch with those CREE LEDs for emergencies along with a decrepit thing I won as a prize in Blackpool puggies some moons ago. Candles aplenty too, and a Philips AM/FM radio from 1971/72 that I bought some time ago as well. All works well for when "panic mode" is activated.

 

1 hour ago, roottoot said:

I have to laugh at Transport Scotland and their Apps / Mobile services as there are large parts of Scotland were you do not even get Radio Reception, 

no Mobile Reception and if there is often in sever weather the Transport Scotland sites go down. 

 

I listen to Radio 2 sometimes and driving between Ayr and Dalmellington is the "twilight zone", like another bloody world once you go over Joke's Brae before Hollybush.

[skomaz]

1 hour ago, roottoot said:

@john999boy

I have some experience.  

No power because of area electricity off and still the Land Line works. 

When the power is down in storms or just cuts i phone my mum a mile away to see if her power is off and she answers on the old phone plugged into the wall and not the digital phones in the house.

 

But the Mobile might not be working because transmitters are down.  Then no phone charging but handy if there is energy / fuel / electric in your car you an charge the phone there.

ATM's go down, filling station pumps, shop tills etc etc.

 

I do like my wind up radio and torch and that is used at home when there are power cuts.

(I have batteries and lights/ torches/ candles and battery AM/FM radios but i do like a wind up!')

 

Only 9 years ago and communications were very difficult. 

Not far as the crow flies in a storm  with a tail wind from @AnnoyingPentium

http://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21934213

 

I have to laugh at Transport Scotland and their Apps / Mobile services as there are large parts of Scotland were you do not even get Radio Reception, 

no Mobile Reception and if there is often in sever weather the Transport Scotland sites go down. 

 

 

That's a good point George - we have DECT cordless around the house but also one 'old school' wired phone plugged in just in case - I'm not sure if that will work if the power drops or even where we'd plug it in when stuff changes as I'd need to work out how all the wall extension sockets connect. ..

[john999boy]

@roottoot I was referring to the new system where the phone is plugged in to the router - not the old system to which I think you refer.

[Ootohere]

The old systems cover huge areas of the UK still no matter how much spin there is on Digital technology and nonsense from those London or even Edinburgh bases on self drive vehicles, GPS and roadside stuff.  First and foremost might be overall UK digital radio reception and mobile reception.     OT, just imagine the UK being invaded.  No issue cutting the UK,s communications.   Probably a pre-teen in a bad mood with some keyboard skills could shut the UK down if they bothered to. 

Edited 10 March, 2022 by roottoot

[PetrolDave]

18 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Well, I must have missed this, but I do have a few questions that may kick off a discussion.

 

1. Are they doing away with landline phones?
2. What's the odds of them doing something about phone signal in rural areas (such as where I live) to make using mobile phones for telephone calls viable?
3. Is there any ways around question two by keeping the items in question one?

1. The analogue phone lines are being replaced by ADSL/SDSL (or similar), with special low cost VOIP only versions for people who don't have/want/need broadband (like my 91 year old uncle) - but they require a powered adapter to use a analogue phone such as an old style wired phone. BTW why can't BT continue to supply exchange power for these adapters where there are copper lines to the premises?

2. Zero IMHO, they're far more interested in rolling out 5G into populated areas.

3. No, over the next 3-4 years all analogue phone lines will be replaced.

 

The recent storm induced power cuts left many people without any phones as their BT digital phones didn't work (no power) and they were in mobile not spots.

 

It is rumoured that BT can supply adapters with battery backup, but the reports I've read say that backup is only for 1 hour...

Edited 10 March, 2022 by PetrolDave

[WolfyWesty]

15 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

1. Are they doing away with landline phones?

 

I would imagine that Landline phones will go the same was as CDs, Minidisk Players, 3D TVs etc. Not completely gone, but mostly forgotten about in a generation or 2. 

 

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 hour ago, WolfyWesty said:

 

I would imagine that Landline phones will go the same was as CDs, Minidisk Players, 3D TVs etc. Not completely gone, but mostly forgotten about in a generation or 2. 

 

 

 

I've still got a CD changer in the car. A minidisc deck and two portables on the house. Oh and a 3D telly. Then again, I'm not quite conventionally normal.

[J.R.]

I'm still using a 2G mobile phone, its days are numbered I fear.

[AnnoyingPentium]

I'm on a 5G mobile phone which is great, except for the fact the ****er needs charged what feels like all the bleedin' time. Considered throwing it in the Clyde and pulling the Sony Ericsson back out of the drawer. 

[VWD]

On 10/03/2022 at 20:24, J.R. said:

I'm still using a 2G mobile phone, its days are numbered I fear.

And that bothers me. I rent an old house( circa 1930) where Swmbo can only get a signal on her mobile in the kitchen on 2G. One network fits the bill. I've had all the modern networks, where I've had to go outside/upstairs to make calls on my mobile. I can get a decent plan on our mobiles but we need coverage, otherwise we resort to landline.

As for digital lines, I'm informed that with phones inside the house, it's a simple change over from cover socket to socket on rear of Broadband kit.

[KenONeill]

9 hours ago, VWD said:

Swmbo can only get a signal on her mobile in the kitchen on 2G.

I can relate; one of my neighbours and I (Western Isles) could only get a solid signal (3G) in our front cloakrooms or back gardens.

[PetrolDave]

18 hours ago, VWD said:

Swmbo can only get a signal on her mobile in the kitchen on 2G.

Where my brother lives on the outskirts of Trowbridge the only room in the house that can get any mobile coverage is the front upstairs bedroom.

[john999boy]

One of the 'benefits' of certain mobile phones/landline combinations is that even if there's no cell signal, the mobile can make & receive calls via the house wi-fi.

 

[Ootohere]

One of the benefits of having Battery Storage / Solar / Wind / Hydro power to your property is that during power cuts you might still have Wi-fi available, 

or maybe you will have it in your vehicle. 

[Warrior193]

4 hours ago, roottoot said:

One of the benefits of having Battery Storage / Solar / Wind / Hydro power to your property is that during power cuts you might still have Wi-fi available, 

or maybe you will have it in your vehicle. 

That would be unlikely - the G59 relay should prevent local power generation if the grid is down. Supply authorities normally prohibit operation in 'island mode' 

[Ootohere]

@Warrior193Good to know. 

So does 'unlikely' actually mean not possible and not going to happen? 

 

I know nothing. I just hope that others do.

https://nfuenergy.co.uk/news/generators-g59-relay-must-act-now

 

Edited 21 March, 2022 by roottoot