Line rental and VoIP

[Tarnbrick]

Now that fibre broadband and digital voice systems are taking over much of the existing network, landlines will eventually become obsolete.  Has BT made any signs that line rental will also become obsolete?  Will we continue to pay for something that isn't  actually there?  Or will it be replaced by a different kind of charge ?  Not seen any mention of this in any BT advertising or information as yet.  

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Tarnbrick 

Its because Line Rental is included in the cost of all broadband packages.

You still have to pay for the rental of the fibre or copper connection, whether you want a phone service or not.

[licquorice]

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@Tarnbrick wrote:

Now that fibre broadband and digital voice systems are taking over much of the existing network, landlines will eventually become obsolete.  Has BT made any signs that line rental will also become obsolete?  Will we continue to pay for something that isn't  actually there?  Or will it be replaced by a different kind of charge ?  Not seen any mention of this in any BT advertising or information as yet.  

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Broadband doesn't arrive by magic, it needs a line. Line rental (physical medium) has nothing to do with landline (telephony capability).

[Tarnbrick]

Yes I know it doesn't arrive by magic.  How can you say line rental has nothing to do with landline?  I pay line rental to pay for the use of the copper cable ( known as a landline) that brings the phone service to my house.  When I stop using it I don't  expect to have to continue paying for it.  The point of my post is to query whether BT intend to replace this charge with a different one to cover the cost of supplying the phone service within the fibre cable which you would think would not be as costly as the copper landline maintenence costs. I have heard that this may be known as a " cloud charge" but that might just be a rumour.  It also looks likely that the line rental saver scheme will cease.

Maybe somebody at BT will let us know.

[Tarnbrick]

Yes Keith and hello again.

I posted because it just occurred to me that when all the copper lines are obsolete the maintenance costs of the fibre lines will or should be less.  Consequently will the old line rental charges alter and thus reduce the prices of broadband packages where they are now included.  Also it probably means the end of the line rental saver scheme. 

[licquorice]

You are paying for the copper or fibre line that delivers your broadband which may or may not also deliver a telephony service. The copper cable is not known as a 'landline'. 'Landline' is the term used for the telephony service via a fixed line, not the line itself.

[Tarnbrick]

I have had a telephone service via a copper cable for over sixty years, long before the Internet and broadband were invented,  and have always referred to it as a landline.  Everybody I know refers to it as a landline, as do several dictionaries.  I am grateful for your information that this is incorrect.  

[jac_95]

The cost in your case is there as a maintenance fee. If you have digital voice then there's also the cost to the VoIP service and usage to that.

If you drop digital voice and go broadband only you can save a a few £s. Then you just pay for the broadband and maintenance and any extras.

[Tarnbrick]

Thank you for that.  I have been with BT for many years and have had BT internet since it first began which I think was about 1998. So I have seen every change for better or worse. It has never been easy to work out the way BT charge for the various services and sometimes you think they do it on purpose to aggravate you.  Last time I spoke to a person from BT they said the billing system was due to be simplified.  Oh dear!!

[iniltous]

BT already ‘sell’ , a ‘landline’ free broadband package, it’s £2- £5 cheaper than the equivalent broadband with a telephone service , however by calling it ‘no landline’ perpetuates the misconception that line rental and telephony are the same thing .
The move to full fibre ‘FTTP’ , doesn’t in itself remove ‘line rental’ ,but even with other forms of broadband it’s been years ( decades ) since there was a separate line rental and broadband charge on a customer’s bill that purchases ‘broadband’ , it’s a single charge for ‘service’ .
The change to FTTP and replacement of the copper pair is irrelevant from that point of view , there is a physical connection that delivers a service, it’s now fibre instead of copper , obviously it isn’t supplied for ‘free’ , it’s rented to the consumer by the provider, so what’s the problem calling it ‘line rental ‘ ?