Digital voice and power cuts.

[myquest]

And as we approach 2025 with the ludicrous reliance on intermittent wind power those cuts will become more frequent.

[RIC9380]

Note that item currently states:  "None In Stock"!

[Slem]

The problem with saying being without power for a few minutes is no big deal is that power cuts can actually last for days. My house has no physical landline connection. Apparently, it isn’t a requirement that new builds have a landline to the property. I didn’t know this. I have a mobile phone and a DV phone, neither of which work during a power cut. I am a senior, have a chronic illness and run a medical device overnight, which requires mains power to operate. During a power cut, I am unable to operate my medical device, call for assistance or emergency services if needed. I believe it is incumbent on BT to consider these safety issues if their plan is to move away from landlines. There are also other avenues I am pursuing to address this problem for seniors and the disabled in relation to new builds.

[iniltous]

Is a mobile signal available where your copper landline free property is located ?, if it is , then there is your answer  to the problem of making emergency phone calls in a power cut,

if your local power fails, your medical device won’t work in a power outage and the likelihood of a lengthy power outage is great where you live, respectfully I would suggest you should be living somewhere less likely to power outages, presumably the likely lack of power to a medical device is more urgent than a phone call you may or may not have to make.

As far as Openreach and BT having to consider safety issues , vis a vis power outages , they have considered it and the regulator ( and therefore the Government) are happy with the mitigation in place , qualifying vulnerable customers can get a UPS supplied, those that are concerned but don’t qualify can buy a UPS, but there is no requirement for any network supplier to absolutely guarantee  24/7 , 365 days a year connectivity.

If you had a traditional copper pair line and it developed a fault that stopped you calling , obviously it would be fixed quickly within terms of the service level agreement  , but that could be a couple of days , and if the cause of the fault is considered to be matters beyond the operators reasonable control ( MBORC ) like  a flood or hurricane for example  ( the same things likely to cause lengthy power outages ) that period extends , so why are you suddenly more vulnerable ?…a copper line isn’t infallible.

[Slem]

If I was able to use my cell phone during a power cut, I wouldn’t have said I was completely without communications during a power cut. If a landline develops a fault, I have a cell phone and DV I can still use.In a power cut, without a landline, I have no means of communication. As for living somewhere else where power cuts are not as likely, where do you suggest that is?  I don’t live in an isolated area. Should I move from Scotland? Should all seniors and disabled people move from their homes if there is no landline? Sorry, but your suggestions lack an understanding of the situation for seniors and disabled people due to lack of foresight by BT in their move away from landlines.

[licquorice]

---

@Slem wrote:

If I was able to use my cell phone during a power cut, I wouldn’t have said I was completely without communications during a power cut. If a landline develops a fault, I have a cell phone and DV I can still use.In a power cut, without a landline, I have no means of communication.

---

You appear to be contradicting yourself, if your landline develops a fault you say you can use a cell phone, so why can't you use a cell phone in a power cut? If your landline develops a fault, you won't have DV either.

[Slem]

There is  no contradiction. I will spell it out for you. If not during a power cut when a landline develops a fault, I still have my cell phone. If during a power cut I can’t use my cell phone or DV (which I can’t), I would still have the landline. This is the reason many seniors retain a landline they already have.

[licquorice]

Nope, you've lost me. If your cellphone works with landline fault it also works in a power cut unless the mast also hast a power failure and the backup generator also fails.

[Stevek1311]

---

@iniltouswrote:

Is a mobile signal available where your copper landline free property is located ?, if it is , then there is your answer  to the problem of making emergency phone calls in a power cut,

if your local power fails, your medical device won’t work in a power outage and the likelihood of a lengthy power outage is great where you live, respectfully I would suggest you should be living somewhere less likely to power outages, presumably the likely lack of power to a medical device is more urgent than a phone call you may or may not have to make.

As far as Openreach and BT having to consider safety issues , vis a vis power outages , they have considered it and the regulator ( and therefore the Government) are happy with the mitigation in place , qualifying vulnerable customers can get a UPS supplied, those that are concerned but don’t qualify can buy a UPS, but there is no requirement for any network supplier to absolutely guarantee  24/7 , 365 days a year connectivity.

If you had a traditional copper pair line and it developed a fault that stopped you calling , obviously it would be fixed quickly within terms of the service level agreement  , but that could be a couple of days , and if the cause of the fault is considered to be matters beyond the operators reasonable control ( MBORC ) like  a flood or hurricane for example  ( the same things likely to cause lengthy power outages ) that period extends , so why are you suddenly more vulnerable ?…a copper line isn’t infallible.

---

Well to state the obvious power cuts are far more common than landline faults so that for a start is an unfair comparison.  And maybe you should consider that one of the time you might most need to make an emergency call is if you have a fire and with modern RCD 'fuse' boxes a fire is very likely to trip the power to your house and so guess what - no emergency call.

You say OfCom have considered the issue, well the evidence is that OfCom really didn't consider the rural situation and rejected the warnings of the London Fire brigade.  OfCom really do seem to have been in OpenReach's pocket giving them dispensations that contradict ofCOm's own written rules. 

As for your 'well you'd better move then' suggestion I assume you are not volunteering to pay moving costs - because neither the government nor Openreach will so for the very people that need emergency phone cover to be continuous.

What we have is a good in principle but very badly thought out in the details plan and sooner or later someone will die for want of being able to phone for help and just watch BT, OfCom and OpenReach suddenly back track.  It would of course be far better if they were to  start listening and get these details right before someone dies.

And meantime:

• BT are still forcing this change on people despite being in default of OfCom's requirement that they have a power solution Yes the BT UPS is still out of stock as it has been for months 
• Their recommended UPS that you can't buy is still not actually suitable as it only backs up the (old style fibre hub but with the current rollouts of fibre to the house you also need to back up both the hub and the separate fibre-electrical converter box too

Get the details right BT before you force this change on anyone else because to be blunt, if someone does die the inquest will have full access to all the warnings you've been given by the Fire Brigades, the Consumer Communications Panel, others and yes threads here.

[gg30340]

If power cuts are a common occurrence should that not be getting addressed by the power company. I bet you are paying them enough for what would appear to be a shoddy service.