This topic

The end of the proper landline system

Jane2018 — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 10:47:22 GMT

When we are forced out of our existing very good landline system ( https://www.futureofvoice.co.uk/ ) in the next few years against our will presumably at least these 2 things will be much worse and nothing will be better:

1. I have landline 'phones in 3 downstairs rooms and 4 upstairs so 7 physical phones for the home number (and one downstairs for my separate work number). I presume that all goes by 2025 so instead of access in seven rooms I will have access in only one. I will be running around the large house like a cat on hot bricks chasing down 2 flights of stairs all over the place to catch the phone calls. How awful. How much worse.

2. If we have a power cut (or if my BT broadband cuts out as it does at least once a day albeit briefly) there will be no telephone line operational at all. This is much much worse than currently where we have the benefits of separate services. Power down - no problem, my 2 separate landline numbers and BT accounts both still work. 2025 - whole new world of appalling connectivity, no emergency service and if power is down you could be there for days with no ability to call for help.

3. My internet cuts off once a day at least - already done so today for 2 minutes already - but my lovely telephone service on my 2 separate landline numbers never cuts out. We will be moving from a very reliable service to a much much worse one which depends on all kinds of things such as wifi, how many other people are using broadband at once and all kinds of things.

4. The new services will not accept reserve charge calls. Yet I am the landline point of contact day or night 24/7 with the home landline number few know for the whole family whether stranded in a Brazilian prison or Australian rain forest - they all know they can reverse the charges and get through to the landline by my bed night or day. That will totally disappear with the new worse services by 2025.

5. Currently I have 3 BT landline numbers - one is my work number with broadband on it too. Presumably with that I just plug the phone currently in the wall into my BT modem and it all works and sounds just as clear as now - only phone is in my office. The second - the home number is more complex with its 7 extensions around the house and the second broadband account for which I pay is on a different telephone number which comes into the house via a modem on the 3rd floor and provides broadband upstairs on that side of the house. I need in my office a landline home number telephone but not the modem there. The modem needs to stay upstairs to get signal upstairs so plugging in the home phone up there is useless. I really just want to keep the 7 handsets around the house for that home number but particularly want one by my bed and in my office as now. I cannot see how that is going to be remotely possible.

These terrible problems are just the start of what is going to be about 1000% worse than the current service. I can see nothing at all that will be better.

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Barnsh14 — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:51:52 GMT

Add to this many current business and house alarms will no longer dial up to maintain contact with alarm monitoring companies.
In my old house i had ADT, I lost internet several times , but the house alarm continued ok , if I lost the analogue line it beeps when phone line goes down continually until it returns and is reset .
If you ever tried to sleep through the loudest beep in the world every 10 seconds , you’ll realise how close to insanity you can get.
I hope we are not going to be billed to replace our home alarm systems?

Plus
In a power cut you can still use the analogue phone , it is dangerous to remove this!

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Jane2018 — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 14:05:37 GMT

Exactly. I have been reading more about this today and it still seems terrible and yet I have had nothing from BT yet about it. I believe Virgin may be going to provide power packs but only for old people without mobiles for emergency care after the switch over.

BT seem to be saying online that most business can keep their current numbers (which is the top of the list issue for me). However I have many other issues eg I want the existing handsets on all the telephone numbers and I want the existing reliability.

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Davembe11 — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 14:59:47 GMT

I have had to have the new digital line broad band went down for 2 days. By answe use your mobile NO signal where I live. Bring back the copper line

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Starwire — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 15:51:51 GMT

So BT should spend countless millions maintaining a phone system that’s already years outdated and have the added cost of running a full fibre network parallel to it forever or just until those that don’t like change pass over to the the other side if you know what I mean……………..

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Davembe11 — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 16:52:39 GMT

Yes I agree but when you are told a mobile should be used if the broadband goes down what do you do if like me you live in an area with no signal and with a registered disabled wife who I my need to make a 999 call on her behalf. A poorly thought out update. The small hub that is sent also doesn’t work as it needs a Wi-Fi signal. A signal booster would cost me £345 why should we pay for this?

Re: The end of the proper landline system

garybs29 — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:00:11 GMT

The 999 point is a bit moot, in emergency situations you can connect without a signal as the networks agreed to share, ie "emergency calls only"

Re: The end of the proper landline system

imjolly — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:39:01 GMT

I would suggest you read this post which may help solve some of problems especially ability to continue to use existing phone setup with a small wiring adjustment. Of course you can always just keep the DV phone with you save running about trying to find a phone

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-FAQs/td-p/2207485

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Devon_Dave — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 23:33:51 GMT

It's called Technology, you just need to move forward and stop moaning.

Did you contact ofcom and complain when the television service switched to digital and you were forced to get a new television or purchase a set top box?

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Davembe11 — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 08:57:16 GMT

You have not read my last message!!

Re: The end of the proper landline system

iniltous — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 09:35:11 GMT

Although you may feel vulnerable, telephony at risk in the event of a power outage ( although it’s your power company that should be addressing that ) , currently if your powered from the exchange phone service developed a fault that stopped it working , what would you do , no mobile , no landline ?, your current landline phone service isn’t infallible , you obviously live with that risk, if the risk were so great , presumably you would conclude that you need to move to another area where a ( backup) mobile signal is available, so rather emergency services can be summoned, the fact that you haven’t means that the ‘risk’ is insufficient for that upheaval, in other words you accept a level of risk as opposed to doing everything possible to be able to contact the emergency services.

So , why the panic , the chances of a power cut ,at the same time you need to make an emergency call when on DV are probably no greater than you needing to make an emergency call when you copper pair service was not working, plus DV can be maintained with a UPS device during a power outage, for those that say my power goes off regularly but the regular phone line doesn’t, that is the wrong viewpoint, the question should be how often did you need to make an emergency call during these power outages, even if they are frequent, your need to call 999 is not frequent, if it is , presumably you should be in a hospital or care home.

If you need to mitigate the risk , short of moving house, and are in need of assistance in purchasing a UPS , ( the rules to who qualify for a free UPS are vague ) you could ask for one to be provided , but if your concerns are that genuine then you would just purchase one ( for a relatively small sum ) for peace of mind.

This Luddite mentality won’t get you anywhere, the supposed risks are overblown and what’s more , as with all these things ( leaded petrol withdrawal, analogue tv switch off , compulsory seatbelt wearing ) those that complain the loudest that this will adversely affect them will ( if they have any self awareness) after implementation conclude , that was a lot of fuss over nothing.

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Starwire — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 11:44:25 GMT

So only Broadband goes down, never the phone service?

As said, the Worlds moving on, it’s a case of come along for the ride or lock yourself away. Your call……

Re: The end of the proper landline system

FTT — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 08:57:45 GMT

I've had the Internet go down once and drop in speed and the landline still functioned even though I got this on the fault service page:

My other experience has been both go down completely. I have 4 x Advance handsets and 3 of them light up to say there's no signal.

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Jane2018 — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:40:26 GMT

I don't think I understand a single word in the first para in this linked passage - "First and foremost, Digital Voice does not use WiFi to connect to the DV handsets. The Smart Hub2 has a built in DECT base station, the WPS button is dual purpose and is used to pair the handsets to the hub as well as its traditional WPS role. Hence DV can only be used with a SH2 directly connected to line (copper connection) or the ONT (fibre connection)."

I don't know what Digital Voice is - presumably the new kind of phone calls we made after the siwtch over?

DV handset - is that an old landline phone.

How do you know if you have S,art Hub 2? I presume that might be the BT modem things I have.

I don'tk now what DECt is nor a base station.

What is a WPS button etc.....

Re: The end of the proper landline system

Jane2018 — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:44:50 GMT

In our case yes - never had phone landline trouble but every day internet cuts out 3 or 4 times (wer don't have good mobile signal either). It ook 10 years for use to get broadband here good enough to watch TV after my son found a special external OpenReach consultant. I had to raise £12000 from neighbours and OR paid double that to get the right kind of power to the local box. We are 4 miles from the phone exchange. From that box the lines then go over head quite a long way over several streets.

It isn ow good enough to watch tvb but even just now tonight my SkyGo cut out and I had to go back into it and yesterday my son was playing an online game with others and in 30 minutes it cut out twice which then excluded him from the game in full. I don't want such dodgy bad service powering my phone calls as well. It just seems very risky.

Re: The end of the proper landline system

imjolly — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:57:58 GMT

The devices you highlight appear to be connected using WiFi so is it your WiFi that is dropping or is it your internet connection which is not the same. When you have a problem does the light on your hub change colour from blue?