This topic

Digital voice on a bad connection

colinmcelduff — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:22:06 GMT

BT are once again trying to switch my landline to digital voice

We have a copper broadband connection that is ALLWAYS going down.

No mobile signal to contact BT on.

I am medically vulnerable and rely on the very good copper landline phone, in a very rural area in West Wales.

I realise that when or if I ever get Full Fibre Broadband to the home, I will then have to have digital voice. But at least that would be reliable and not keep breaking down.

Last year I was promised that I would not be required to switch to digital voice until BT converted my copper line broadband to a Full Fibre Broadband connection.

Why have BT set up a date and arranged for Openreach to come and convert me to digital voice on the morning of 15th June.

This is not acceptable

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

imjolly — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:26:52 GMT

you need to contact CS 03301234150 and explain you are vulnerable customer and need landline to remain as is and not moved to DV

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

licquorice — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:31:41 GMT

If your broadband is going down, so is your landline. A line fault won't affect just broadband, in fact quite the opposite, broadband will continue to work when the landline doesn't depending on the fault.

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

colinmcelduff — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:33:55 GMT

Thanks for you response

I have done that multiple times, and have registered myself as a vulnerable person.

But BT just keep trying to do this conversion.

In the end I can see that I will probably be forced into the cluches of Elon and have to register with Starlink. The thought of which is appalling

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

licquorice — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:39:22 GMT

All providers will cease analogue telephony at the end of the year, you are just postponing the inevitable.

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

colinmcelduff — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:49:25 GMT

Hi.

Nope.

When the broadband gose down and its very often, I immediately pick up the phone and call BT to report it. We have a very long overhead copper and there are probably small brakes in the copper line (old cables and high winds etc) which are OK for the phone line (it just clicks) but forces the broadband to continuously reset. Last year they replaced a couple of hundred meters of copper line, but although it did help a little the problem is still there. It also goes down when it rains because water is getting into the Openreach equipment and connections on the line.

These things are obvious to my as an engineer.

Colin

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

colinmcelduff — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:56:19 GMT

I have spoke to our local councillors etc regarding this issue here in West Wales. They have been talking to Openreach and BT about postponing that switch off at the end of the year

It's a big problem here. No mobile signal. Poor broadband connections. Intermittent power.

BT says if you have an issue, go and call from a neighbour, my nearest is a mile away, so for me with my health issues that would mean a car drive.

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

licquorice — Thu, 21 May 2026 11:24:55 GMT

Any break in the line will stop telephony working full stop.

What is probably happening is a short break which drops both telephony and broadband. However, telephony will recover immediately whereas broadband will take time to recover.

As a telecoms engineer of over 40 years experience, I can assure you telephony will not work during a break in the line.

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

colinmcelduff — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:06:50 GMT

Sorry perhaps I'm not explaining it properly.

But the phone works and is bulletproof,

The broadband is continuously dropping out, even after many years of getting engineers to look at it. It's just not reliable enough for me to have a digital voice connected phone.

I need a reliable phone service.

One of my neighbour has a fall alert device around her neck.

It's connected to her copper phone line. What's she going to do. Like me there is no mobile signal.

Colin

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

licquorice — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:09:17 GMT

The fall alert device will work perfectly well via DV.

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

colinmcelduff — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:14:32 GMT

Hello

Yes it will. But like me she has a broadband connection that is continuously dropping out during the day.

Let's hope then she doesn't have a fall during one of those times, because with no mobile signal there is no fall back.

Re: Digital voice on a bad connection

Peter_W — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:22:53 GMT

Welcome to the Community, @colinmcelduff.

The details @licquorice shared here around the Analogue phone (PSTN) switch off are correct; this is due to be completed by early 2027.

I can completely appreciate your concern if we've previously advised we would support you up until this date, and I'm keen to make sure we've done all we can here.

I'm going to send you over a private message so we can grab a few more details around this.

Peter