"BT halts removal of landline phones after vulnerable unable to call 999"

[licquorice]

Do you seriously expect that a call from a crackly/distorted/poor source is going to be miraculously improved by DV?

You have yet to reply on your other thread  as to whether you have experienced a DV to DV call and what the quality of that was.

[TinaT]

@licquorice 

Not interested, sorry.

BT don't mention on their main page, that the other person needs DV as well. It's misleading, and you're no better by trying to promote it.

[rbz5416]

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@jac_95wrote:

In my honest option, this is now a good time and chance for individuals to get everything in order for when the migrations are picked up again. E.g getting alarms and other devices checked and upgraded for compatibility...

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Nice idea in theory but the reality is it could lead to a lot of unnecessary expense. An analogue dialler should work fine plugged into the back of a SH2, but the only way to find out for certain is to try it. Which obviously you can't do until the switch has happened.

But I'm sure there are many suppliers out there only too willing to sell an upgrade that may not be necessary. Case in point, my ex has an alarm with an analogue dialler that connects to a relay station & then on to her mobile. That should continue to work either with DV into the SH2 or another VOIP provider with an ATA. The alarm installer wasn't interested in any of that & would only offer to replace the analogue dialler with a GSM module, & then only if she took an annual maintenance contract. Kerching!

[Les-Gibson]

I can't say I've noticed a great deal of improvement in audio quality on DV even when speaking to others on DV but I can live with that, my main interest is in the process by which those already on DV will retrospectively be supplied with a more resilient connection.
The article makes it sound like only those who ask for it will get it, again I can live with that as long as I know how to request it. 

[-Richie-]

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@Bob1001wrote:

Again if true an announcement from BT and published here would be nice.

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They did on their Newsroom and the original post has been updated to show that now.

[SRB]

Can honestly say I haven't noticed that much of a difference on the handsets DV to DV, if I were able to try it via software and a set of decent speakers, that might tell a different story, but as they won't give customers the option to use anything other than their own handset, I can't really comment on that.

[MarkLeics]

We had leaflets pushed through from BT about this a year ago. Nothing has been done or was said since and the equipment ordering element of their site never worked for us or any neighbours, so we just presumed it had been another one of BT’s many monumental balls-ups.

[gg30340]

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@SRB wrote:
Can honestly say I haven't noticed that much of a difference on the handsets DV to DV, if I were able to try it via software and a set of decent speakers, that might tell a different story, but as they won't give customers the option to use anything other than their own handset, I can't really comment on that.

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You do not need to use BT hand sets.  See links

Digital Voice: Will my existing phone and fax machine still work? | BT Help

Existing Phone

You can continue to use your existing phone by plugging it into the phone port on the back of the Hub. Or you can use one of our adapters, which will let you plug your phone into any standard phone socket.

Moving to Digital Voice | BT Help

Does my current phone need to be next to the Smart Hub 2?

If you plug your phone into a telephone socket that's not near to your Smart Hub 2, that's ok. You can either use an adapter to connect them, or get a Digital Voice home phone and remotely connect it to your smart hub.

You can order either an adapter or a Digital Voice home phone free from bt.com/DVequipment. Or text the word ADAPTER or HANDSET to 61998.

Solved: Digital Voice FAQs - BT Community

[RIC9380]

Absolutely. The technology continues to evolve and things will change. I now get FB Messenger calls on my mobile from friends in NZ which costs them nothing and (mostly) the quality is so good it sounds like they are calling on a landline 2 doors away from me. Why folk plug in very old analogue phones into the Smart Hub and then complain that the sound is not truly HD is a mystery to me. It won't ever be! BT do actually give out DV handsets at no cost to the customer.
RIC9380

[TinaT]

@RIC9380 

Why folk plug in very old analogue phones into the Smart Hub and then complain that the sound is not truly HD is a mystery to me. It won't ever be! BT do actually give out DV handsets at no cost to the customer.

I was given a DV handset for use with the SH2, but call quality isn't good at all. 

As was pointed out by another member:

“It’s time to bring landlines into the digital age. Get ready to combine the convenience of your home phone with the clarity of HD, with Digital Voice. To experience HD quality calls and great new features, just plug in your new home phone (that we’ll send you for free) and you’re ready to go.”

^ That isn't true.

It doesn't tell you that the other end needs to be HD.

I have no friends in my phone book, or know anyone using any kind of digital voice service. So, that bolded sentence is a flat-out lie. Regular call quality is no better than it was on my old phones, in fact, it was better on the old phone.

I will probably get a load of replies with the usual talking-down-tone, saying how great the DV service is, blah blah blah

I was put on that service without being warned about any of that. I don't care how many "distinguished sages" try to justify it or tell us peons that it's "well known" That's BS, and BT should sort out their wording and stop trying to hide things in the small print.