This topic

FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Leasty — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 13:48:42 GMT

With the announced pause to Digital Voice, if I upgrade from FTTC GFast 150Mbs to full fibre FTTP, does my landline stay on the copper - i.e. analog based, or do I have to switch over to digital voice ?

Thanks

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:32:05 GMT

@Leasty

You will almost certainly be moved to DV.

The pause in upgrades to DV is mainly related to the ongoing rollout moving existing customers, who are not renewing their contract or regrading their package. They were being forced to change against their wishes.

It was the forced changeovers that I believe was giving the most issues.

See https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/BT-Digital-Voice-a-better-way-to-keep-in-touch/td-p/2167620

"Do I have to take up the Digital voice service when I regrade my contract when DV is available to me?

Generally, yes you will need to move to Digital Voice when you regrade your service."

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

DavidM — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:50:58 GMT

That's a great reply from @Keith_Beddoe . I hope that answers your question @Leasty

Cheers

David

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Tim123 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 10:17:42 GMT

I think BT are lying about the pause. I have just this minute spoken to contractors working on behalf of Openreach installing FTTP cables under the pavement outside my property. As I only have a telephone service with BT, and we were assured by Chris Howe (BT's "Customer Change Care Director") that we would be the last to be switched to Digital Voice (before the pause in the rollout was announced), I am absolutely fuming! I have also received a letter notifying me that my 'Call Sign' feature will be withdrawn on 30th September, which tallies with the engineer telling me that he "thinks" the switchover for my street will be later this year.

Will I be allowed to stay on my existing telephone service for the time being? I doubt it.

I have tried phoning BT to find out, but they are closed till lunchtime for a meeting!

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Keith_Beddoe — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 10:42:34 GMT

@Tim123

As you only have a phone service and not broadband, you would be one of the last to be changed over, as there is no proposed solution for landline only customers. FTTP rollout is only going to affect broadband users that upgrade to FTTP, then they will have to use BT Digital Voice.

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

jac_95 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:09:57 GMT

Just to be clear about the announcement of BT Consumer pausing their mass migrations to their own VoIP service called BT Digital Voice. There were still some cases that were outlined where existing BT consumers may still need to be migrated. Have a look at https://landlinesgo.digital/digital-landlines-is-still-going-ahead-by-2025/

Also this pause only applied to BT Consumer the other 600+ communication providers are continuing with their own migration plans to move of the PSTN and onto their own VoIP service. This includes BT Business

And also the "There are some exceptions" bit in the official announcement: https://newsroom.bt.com/were-pausing-our-digital-voice-plans-for-consumers-while-we-work-on-a-more-resilient-rollout/

As for those BT Consumer customers who today have no broadband service but just a voice service, BT Consumer have stated that they will be one of the last ones to be migrated under their own mass migrations plans. These were stated to start in late 2023.

Also to note if you are in a stop sell exchange for copper products then there will be restrictions added to the area to prevent communication providers selling copper based services such as ADSL or VDSL broadband along with the traditional landline service you have today. So in these cases communication providers would likely migrate you onto the full fibre and VoIP service.

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Tim123 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:41:44 GMT

Thank you for the explanation, Keith_Beddoe and jac_95. So what you're saying is that, basically, all the engineers in my street are doing today is extending the fibre cables from the cabinet to just outside my property? Then, when someone knocks on the door later this year, I can just tell them we are telephone-only and they will leave the wires coming into my property as copper for the time being (no work required)? Whereas my neighbours, who have broadband, will get the fibre wires installed into their house. My neighbours will have 'full' FTTP and I'll have 'partial' FTTP. And meanwhile, our telephone exchange will run both services in parallel until later in the transitional process? Is all that correct?

My parents' situation is slightly more complicated, as they have phone with BT and broadband with EE (whereas I have no broadband with any provider, instead using my mobile phone for internet). Will they be allowed to request delay of upgrade to Digital Voice?

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

jac_95 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:46:55 GMT

So the Openreach engineers and contractors are just rolling out full fibre (FTTP) to your area. They won't be moving your current service onto onto Full Fibre (FTTP) until an order is placed by your communication provider be that BT Consumer.

There will be a time when you will be asked and placed onto FTTP to either just deliver your voice service or if you decide broadband too but as said for voice only customers BT Consumer have said voice only customers will only be started to be migrated from late 2023. Until then your voice service will continue to run over the existing copper cable.

As for your parents they can ask to delay the migration to VoIP but there will be a point where they will have to be migrated. As said there's a nationwide stop sell of voice services over the current PSTN in September 2023. So after that date any new order to voice services or switching providers will mean it will be over VoIP instead.

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Keith_Beddoe — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:47:52 GMT

@Tim123

They will not even come to your house, as there would not be a broadband order, as they only fit to order.

You parents will eventually have to stay with one provider for phone and broadband, and whoever provides their service, will have an equivalent to BT Digital Voice.

The option to split broadband and phone providers is a legacy option, and usually works out much more expensive anyway, and providers who use Openreach, no longer offer that option.

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Tim123 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 12:27:27 GMT

Many thanks, both.

My understanding from the 'British Telephones' website was that it would still be possible to split phone and broadband providers:

Q. I have my telephone line from BT and my broadband from another company. How will that work?
A. Either use BT as the telephone and broadband supplier, or use your original broadband supplier and get an internet based telephone provider to supply the line.

Admittedly, the above is worded a little vaguely and I bow to your superior knowledge. Having different companies for each service may be outdated and more expensive, but surely forcing customers to have just one provider is anti-competition?

On migration to Digital Voice will I, as a voice only customer, have to have the 'last few yards' into my property "de-copperised" or can I keep my existing master socket? The plus side of full FTTP is that it should be easier to 'fire up' my extension sockets from the router (as there would be no need to install a new socket next to the old master; I would simply disconnect the copper wiring and plug the router into the old master). The down side is having a rather ugly ONT installed, requiring its own mains power supply in addition to the power needs of the router. Also, what about my parents?

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

jac_95 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 12:48:59 GMT

@Tim123 what the BT Q&A is saying is that:

1) you move both voice and broadband to one provider be that BT Consumer

2) You take out Broadband only, which BT Consumer offer too. Then for voice service you go to a 3rd Party VoIP (Internet based voice service) provider.

Moving to full fibre will completely remove the copper line and therefore making the current master phone wall socket redundant. You instead have a ONT that converts the light into electronic signals that routers such as the BT Smart Hub 2 understands. Moving to VoIP such as BT Consumer means you plug your phone into the router. However, there are ways if you have extension phone sockets to wire them up to the router so you can plug your phone in

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Tim123 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 18:40:41 GMT

All phone will be VoIP after 2025, but I take it you mean: use a Skype-type service over the existing broadband, rather than have a second router from another provider (which Keith_Beddoe says will not be allowed and is one reason why customers need more than just a few days/weeks notification of the switchover, as some have reportedly had, because those who currently have two providers for their phone and broadband - which is no doubt a lot of people - will have some serious thinking to do about which provider to 'go with' for the lot).

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

dave44 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 18:46:12 GMT

I have had my landline migrated to digital voice this week without me regarding or making any changes to the account.

I was on FTTP anyway, and copper for the landline. I received a text message last week asking my to reply READY if I wanted to love to digital voice, or ignore the message to not go ahead.

I did reply and it went through on Monday with no issues.

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

jac_95 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 18:48:29 GMT

@Tim123 there's specific VoIP 3rd party providers l, to give you an idea https://www.expertmarket.co.uk/telephones/best-hosted-pbx-phone-products-virtual-voip-solutions

These VoIP providers would use what is known as a ATA adaptor so you would use your existing household phones or special VoIP ones.

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Tim123 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 19:31:57 GMT

@dave44 - Could you do me a favour, please? Dial *55* on your Digital Voice service and see what happens. I want to know if the 'Reminder Call' feature will still work, as I use it almost daily (bet it doesn't!). In my exchange, you get a voice prompting you to "dial the required time, followed by square". In some analogue exchanges, there is no voice prompt and you simply enter the time in 24-hour format, followed by hash, immediately after the access code and will then receive voice confirmation of the booking. 'Regular Reminder Call' is *56*, but I believe that only works on System X exchanges (which is what I must be on, as it works for me).

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

dave44 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 21:04:07 GMT

I have tried it and there is no prompt to enter the time. So I tried *55*2230# and get “sorry you have entered the feature code incorrectly. Please hang up”

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

Tim123 — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 21:17:44 GMT

Many thanks, @dave44. That's what I expected, as there's no mention of Reminder Call in the 'Digital Voice Calling Features' user guide on BT's website. Useful to have it confirmed, though.

Are the network announcements still the eloquent voice that sounds a bit like Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds or have they changed it to something else? 🙂

Re: FTTP upgrade and DV pause

pippincp — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 21:25:57 GMT

I think people are missing the point (or possibly). If anyone wishes to use BT digital voice then like it or not you are tied to the BT hub.

Speaking just for myself if I was paying a premium for FTTP service I would want to use a third party router which suits my need not those of the ISP provider.

Thankfully (or in truth) I have no need for a landline and I am free to use my own router.