Digital switch over

[MegMaguire]

A question for a friend.

They are connected to the phone network on the road via an underground cable that stretches for about 1Km across fields. It was installed alongside the water main many years ago.

What will happen whem he is switched to digital within the next 30 days?

Thanks.

[licquorice]

If you mean Digital Voice, nothing except where they plug their phone in.

Unplug it from the phone socket and plug it into the green socket at the rear of the hub.

[MegMaguire]

So the old copper cable underground will still be his connection?

[licquorice]

Yes.

[MegMaguire]

Thanks for that.  However I still don't understand what the switchover will do and I was given to understand that supprt for copper would be gone at sometime in the near future so what happens to him then?

[imjolly · Accepted solution]

Once moved to digital voice it is the ability to use home phone over old copper connection but you still will keep the ability to use the old copper cable for your broadband.  Digital voice works over internet being VOIP

[licquorice]

@MegMaguire you are conflating the pstn switch off with removal of the copper network. They are entirely different things, copper will still be around for a long time yet. It is just the analogue phone network that will be switched off shortly.

[MegMaguire]

All together confusing!

Understand that copper is being phased out and that in some special cases the copper wire can still be used for phone calls but that support for that means of communication wil cease in the near future.

So my friend will get the internet via a copper cable to his house.

He will need a new router and posibly an adaptor for his phone.

Calls will be via the internet completly.

Hope I have this right.

He will be much relieved if I have it right.

Thanks very much again.

[licquorice]

As stated, the phasing out of the copper network is a much longer timescale than the move to Digital Voice. It is not imminent.

If he doesn't already have a BT Smart Hub 2 he will be sent one before the switchover.

Depending on where he wishes to site his phone, he may or may not require an adapter.

All is explained here

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-FAQs/td-p/2207485

[gg30340]

@MegMaguire  

Yes you are right.

A very basic explanation, just think of it that the "old" telephone exchanges will be closed down.  

Because the telephone exchanges will be closed down, all phone calls will then be made via the Internet utilising the copper cables or fibre cables depending on how the Internet is delivered to the properties.

The copper cables will not be removed for some time because they are still used for delivering the Internet to some properties. They will at some point in the future be replaced by fibre cables when eventually all Internet connections will be delivered by fibre and so will all landline phone calls.