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Message 1 of 34

Copper Landline

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Hi, 

Until recently we had a copper landline, however my partner decided to move us to Toob with City FIbre (this is proving a nightmare, still no service a week on) and at the same time he cancelled our landline. I don't know why. 

We get no mobile phone signal where we are, and the internet is terrible. It drops out all the time. City Fibre have just spent the past few months digging up all the roads on Hayling and installing a brand new network.... which still doesnt work. 

So we are currently in a situation where we cannot contact any one from inside our home, or in our garden, or in most of the village, we have no internet so VOIP would be useless. Heaven forbid I need to ring 999 for something as I don't know how I would do it. Go to someone elses house, hope their internet was working, log on to their internet and then make the call - ridiculous. 

How can we as a country be phasing out landlines when we don't have mobile phone coverage anywhere and the internet provision is so patchy. This is madness!

Anyhow - how can I get a copper landline. The copper is still there, it still runs into the house. As far as I know no one has our number (it was only a week ago). Please help, there has to be a way to have that reinstated? 

Thanks

 

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Message 2 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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@Northney 

Unfortunately copper phone lines are no longer available.

See https://landlinesgo.digital/

You would have to sign up with a VOIP provider, unless Toop offer their own VOIP service.

You could move to BT, they provide BT Digital Voice where the phone service is carried over BT Broadband.

 

 

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Message 3 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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Okay, but this is my point the internet doesn't work in our area. Its pretty tempremental. So what is the country's plan for those of us with internet that drops out all the time and no mobile phone signal? We have just had brand new fibre installed across the local area and its still not working properly for people. 

I don't want a VOIP phone, I want something that will work 24/7, with no worries. My grandmother has a pendant alarm and it calls me, not much good if they can't get hold of me on my mobile or my landline. 

This is madness, and classic government lack of understanding that not everyone in the country has mobile phone signal or good internet. This will leave a lot of people cut off.  Its like when they tried to get rid of cheques, and thankfully we still have those, or my grandmother wouldn't be able to safely pay for anything. 

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Message 4 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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Unfortunately the PSTN is now too old, and becoming impossible to maintain, as nobody makes the equipment any more.

I assume you do not have a decent broadband speed over FTTC, which is why you opted for an AltNet?

VOIP is fine,  as long as the broadband speed is over 500Kbs, very few connections are that slow.

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Message 5 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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No we don't the broadband is no better. 

And I just thought I would buy a mobile hotspot for when the internet is down (like now, we have been without it for 7 days) and I went on to the OFCOM Network Coverage Checker and we are considered a 'Not-Spot' that is no reliable network coverage is expected in our area. 

I understand that networks become old, and as you say no one is making the equipment any more, but I don't understand why that is the case. That is, who sat down and said the country is ready for this? Who did the research and said we can stop making the equipment as no one needs it - I am sure that I am not the only person in the country who is in this position (I know I am not most of my village is in the same position).  

VOIP will be perfect when the internet works. It is not reliable enough, it drops out all the time. Wi-fi calling is great (what we use) when the internet works.   We are being asked to rely on a network that is not reliable, and we have no fallback any longer?!?  

I appreciate this community cannot fix this. I just wanted someone somewhere to note that this is a terrible decision and leaving people cut off. And as I say OfCom appear to have just written us off as an area that has no mobile phone coverage oh well.... 

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Message 6 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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@Northney 

"I understand that networks become old, and as you say no one is making the equipment any more, but I don't understand why that is the case. That is, who sat down and said the country is ready for this? Who did the research and said we can stop making the equipment as no one needs it"

These would have been commercial decisions by the equipment manufacturers - international companies - not the UK Government. The UK Government does not manufacture telephone exchanges.

Whether we like it or not, (and I too have reservations), everything that can be done online is, or will be in the future, online.

Trying to resist this will have about as much chance of success as King Canute did resisting the tides.Have you considered satellite broadband, eg Starlink? I don't know if the latency inherent in satellite connections will affect its suitability for VOIP telephony - my satellite experience was with geostationary broadcast and communications satellites, the "Low Earth Orbit" ones that satellite broadband companies use will have lower delays.

https://www.starlink.com

.

 

 

 

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Message 7 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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@Northneywrote:

This is madness, and classic government lack of understanding that not everyone in the country has mobile phone signal or good internet. This will leave a lot of people cut off.  Its like when they tried to get rid of cheques, and thankfully we still have those, or my grandmother wouldn't be able to safely pay for anything. 


I do not believe you can blame the government, either the current or the former, in this case.  

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Message 8 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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The PSTN equipment that is being retired is around 40 years old ,  if electronic manufacturers stand still they go out of business , the reason  why PSTN equipment is no longer made  is the same reason cathode ray TV’s , VHS videos etc are no longer made , they have been replaced by superior products, the exchange equipment was provided from commercial companies,  not by Government, if they stopped producing PSTN equipment because no one was buying it , same as no one was buying VHS or CRT TV’s , that’s how business works .

If your new FTTP service from someone other than BT is not fit for purpose that’s unfortunate but irrelevant on the BT customer forum , if you want to rejoin BT , even if  Openreach FTTP was available ( and presumably it isn’t ) then whatever broadband Openreach can offer ( ADSL or FTTC ) is what would  be used to provide any telephone service you got , it will be IP ( internet protocol ) based , so if you had no broadband on your copper pair line and just had telephony using PSTN  , by cancelling that PSTN service you give up that legacy connection , and there is no way you can’t rejoin it , that ship has sailed .

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Message 9 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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I have an identical situation 

1. Copper landline - Voice fine,  Internet fragile to useless, no mobile signal therefore if there is a powercut [eg Strom Darragh]  have no communicationss at all.

2. As I understand it VOIP relies on a solid interent connection? 

3. It sounds as though BT are taking away copper connections - thus I wil have neithher Landline Voice or internet?

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Message 10 of 34

Re: Copper Landline

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@OBOBE 

What sort of broadband connection do you have, as BT Digital Voice does not need much bandwidth?

If you have an ADSL connection which comes direct from the exchange, then that is protected from power cuts, so provide you can keep power to the BT Smart Hub 2, then your phone service will continue to work.

If you have FTTC, then that is another matter, as the batteries in the cabinet only last so long.

 

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