UK phone lines to be KILLED OFF next year - what are BT, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk doing?

BT-owned Openreach will pilot a new landline phone system that does not require an active broadband connection - that will restore much of the lost functionality of analogue phone lines, which will be cut off nationwide at the end of next year. According to broadband-obsessed blog ISPreview, Openreach has started to inform its partners about plans to pilot the technology from May 1, 2024.
Copper wire phone lines have been the backbone of communication across the UK for over 100 years, but BT-owned Openreach is replacing analogue landlines with a broadband-powered alternative. These digital landlines rely on an internet connection, known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or All-IP telephony. BT uses the brand name "Digital Voice" for its version of this digital landline technology.
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[@kevinb9830]

I despise the way they force people into having mobiles. Not everyone wants one!

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

YES!

[@andyalder7910]

You can plug a traditional phone into the router although admittedly no use if there's a power cut.

[@RNA0ROGER]

Don't need to have own since voip works independent of that

[@twittlypoo]

I have a mobile but the problem is we have no reliable signal where I live. Texts can take days to arrive (or never even get sent). OTP's are a nightmare. I don't live in the middle of nowhere but in our county town!

[@kevinb9830]

@@andyalder7910 or if the internet is down :)

[@sharonhayes5727]

That’s why they keep saying there’s problems with peoples landlines and leaving the elderly and vulnerable with no phones. Disgusting.

[@mhopkins9071]

Yes, and the alternatives during an emergency seem costly and complicated for some vulnerable people

[@mhopkins9071]

@@mertonsardeen2242 true enough 👍

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

Thank you, the phone companies are not maintaing the landlines so that people will get fed up with poor service and go for the lazy cheaoer option to discriminate against those with gearing issues, anxiety, mental health issues and the vulnerable, elderly and disabled.

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

Yes it will impair 24 hour commun8cation for the vast majority of those vulnerable or deaf or people like me with tinnitus, it is criminal.

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

Do you think I can use a 2 way radio to soeak to my Dad 400 miles away, what a thoughtless comment. Most of us humans like everyday conversation however suicide will be increased with this rollout of more automation, more passwords, more EARACHE and more mental health problems. Mobile technology is killing people. The truth is the phone companies want to churn out cheap rubbish which will continue to damage brains, hearing and life itself.

[@user-yq4sp5ij6u]

So that when the power fails you won't be able to make a telephone call where with copper landlines you can. This may have been inspired by the WEF.

[@itwoznotme]

can - if you have a phone that is not powered...........do you? does anyone? i havent seen one is years.

[@andyalder7910]

@@itwoznotme I use an old phone powered by BT socket, still works.

[@user-yq4sp5ij6u]

@@itwoznotme But if there is no power for your "powered" phone what do you do then?

[@scottking869]

Ah here we go with this wef nonsense 😂😂 can litteraly get battery backs. No different to plugging in a phone. Theres easy ways around this. We need to move on cant keep living in the past

[@dh2032]

@@itwoznotme it like base station of your cordless house phone, they don't, inject into the copper line of the telephone wire that comes into your home, (in the phone company, code/standard, there not to pleased if do add your owe power tot here line, they get a bit upset, it a serpent boxes, that you have plug in to you wall power sockets, that box is what plug your talking side of your cordless telephones base station into now? (if your wondering yes, you now have to thing to keep power on 24/7, insted of only one as before, two as it two item, the chances break down fault hiss now doubled too

[@STEVEBINNION1]

And when the net goes down no ambulance

[@Withnail1969]

Usually none available anyway so not an issue.

[@twittlypoo]

Mobile phone yes, signal for mobile phone no!@@Xenon777_

[@ricl7413]

@@mertonsardeen2242but if its a power cut then no mobile masts would work either? I assume they don’t have their own power source to keep working when there is no power. Its a case of fixing something that isn’t broken, its a reason copper landlines have been around for so long. Of course Openreach are cutting their own nose off, home mobile broadband will start to take over, then you will have less and less need for Openreach at all. Cant imagine wired internet being around much in 10-15 years or even less time, mobile speeds will get faster and will just replace wired connection altogether. Its not quite there yet for many, but the idea of being able to move home mobile broadband around from place to place without being locked to one place is quite appealing. Wired connections are just not going to have any major advantage over mobile to keep people using them, especially as both will generally have the same disadvantage of not working when there are powercuts.

[@mda5003]

@@Xenon777_ My elderly mother tried using a mobile but simply couldn't understand how to use it. We tried but you have to remember the elderly are used to picking up a receiver without having to work out what button to press!

[@user-tp6ci6cv1m]

When you have no electrcity you have no communication.

[@dcarbs2979]

Which is exactly the time you might need to call someone in an emergency

[@richardgallagher4880]

Whaa?

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

exactly

[@itwoznotme]

i am not sure you can still get a phone that will work without power. old school phones did, but i have not seen one of them in a long time.

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

@@itwoznotme I always bought them for emergency means

[@betcarbery46]

I've come to the point that whatever is instigated to us by governments, public bodies, big business is never to our advantage.

[@DonZaliaz]

Never was. Just a pseudo safety net. A false sense of standards and order.

[@susanmitchell4744]

Nobody told the general population…

[@My_Name_Is_Brian]

Didn't even know anyone had one anymore 😂

[@Salfordian]

I've known for a few years now when it was first annouced

[@jackhadroom4540]

This has been on the news for years.

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

Jack it hasn't been well publicised at all. It has been promoted by phone companies lying to us and misleading the vast majority of the public. Glad to hear you know everything.

[@IRJesoosVidya]

Yes they did, did you not hear about it on your house phone?

[@sharonhayes5727]

What about people who have lifeline?

[@mariannahope-clarke7145]

Soooo what will pensioners do, no computers, no mobiles not good with technology…l really despair at these changes, l have a Son who guided me through the tech but many don’t have relatives that can help …

[@cocos8903]

They don't care about the 30 percent who don't want it.

[@mellarner8253]

As a pensioner myself, I was using a computer at work since the mid nineties, I was in a mechanical maintenance role at the time and Windows 3 dot whatever and floppy discs were all the rage, until win95 came out, most colleagues, including blue collar, were tech savvy and not forgetting mobile phones and smartphones, mini computers really have been commonplace for 25 years, so most pensioners today do not struggle that much with the tech. The real issue is power outages and cyber crime, scammers are having it easy as many are gullible and will believe anything, just consider, many still believe what they are bombarded with on MSM and social media and then there is politicians diatribe

[@cocos8903]

​@@mellarner82534 years ago they opened up data sharing en-masse in order their corporations can access everything. Nothing is secured now.

[@edenbreckhouse]

Not all pensioners are unable to use technology. My my mum is 82 and manages her mobile phone and iPad fine.

[@cocos8903]

@@edenbreckhouse A rare exception.

[@davidreynolds3082]

So if the power goes down during an emergency, the old folk thst haven't got mobile phobes won't even be able to call for help.

[@Evemeister12]

landline phone devices are already dependant on mains electricity, so that argument is redundant.

[@dlarge6502]

​@@Evemeister12 most, only most. Any grandkids worth their salt would have fixed that for granny by installing a standard phone.

[@nonebusiness8328]

The cell towers also need power, rural one near me fails 6hrs into power outage. There will be extended power cuts. And at that point no calls to anyone. Unless you have a generator of some description.

[@mda5003]

@@Evemeister12 No! Landline phones are NOT dependant on mains electricity. The amount of power is tiny and comes from the phone company itself.

[@David-tt2mt]

How to kill off the older generation... Sorry, you have been disconnected permanently!

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

David, that is EXACTLY what they are doing. Killing off the deaf, those lonely, elderly and vulnerable. The phone companies are criminals.

[@ianhunter2847]

One step closer to enforceable euthanasia. Makes you wonder doesn’t it. DNR, no CNR…..!!

[@stevenyearn3035]

Virgin already have, and when broadband goes down so does the landline. I know, I have been without my landline four times now in 12 months. I am classed as a vulnerable pensioner and the back up does not work. This guy is a numpty and has no idea what he is talking about..

[@janettetaylor8760]

Do u have a mobile phone if so Ur not left behind if u know how to use it mrs

[@jamesclark6257]

Easier for the government to monitor what you say

[@user-sx6wi8zc3m]

Makes no difference how bad an idea this, no one will every take responsibility or be held accountable.

[@Don_Pablo_]

Perfect way to track your conversation with an ip and stop you communicating in an emergency when the Internet is down

[@markmclachlan3803]

Even though not correct. But can that not do this with your mobile phone. How many criminals have been sent down because of the tracking and messages sent via your mobile phone………

[@chinwaggers]

It`s all big brother..........as with everything in this country, nothing absolutely nothing, is for the public`s benefit. All we`ll get out of it is higher charges....you wait!

[@dcarbs2979]

A very dangerous switchover

[@stequality]

That's why they are doing it

[@westhighlandtraditionalarcher]

As a resident of the remote Scottish highlands we struggle very badly for mobile network signals, many areas simply don’t receive any signal whatsoever, even the landline is very hit and miss as it hasn’t been properly maintained for many many years, it would cost BT more than they’re willing to invest into digging up and replacing miles of old degraded cable, as a result our BT landline and wi-if regularly goes down, leaving us completely cut off from the outside world, perhaps these companies should consider remote areas before pulling the plug, we aren’t all in well connected cities!

[@My_Name_Is_Brian]

Do you mean have any broadband then at your house?

[@westhighlandtraditionalarcher]

@@My_Name_Is_Brian we do, but it’s via copper cable, and when that goes down, as happens regularly as there’s a fault BT have refused to address for the last seven years, we have no mobile network, I have to drive several miles to the village to pick up emails/messages etc.

[@andyalder7910]

@@westhighlandtraditionalarcher This'll be a boon to you then, high bandwidth fibre replacing low bandwidth copper using the same poles and conduits. Better buy a battery backup though.

[@westhighlandtraditionalarcher]

@@andyalder7910 theoretically yes, but in reality the likelihood of them digging up hundreds of miles of antiquated copper cable and replacing it with fibre optic cable in areas as remote as many highland communities is slim to none, there’s certainly no sign of it happening here, we’ve been battling with BT for years, and nothing is ever resolved, we currently have an upload speed of 0.33 mbps, and that’s pretty good for us, when it’s actually working.

[@westhighlandtraditionalarcher]

@@andyalder7910 the best one I’ve had was whilst attempting to upload a 10 minute video to KZbin, the upload page said 427 hours remaining 🤣

[@nickc9793]

And what happens if the Internet goes down or power cuts. The w.e.f say there will be cyber attacks soon that will shut it down

[@_Jem_]

All very well and good but it's going to cause problems with lose of power loss of Internet. Silly idea unless there is a backup plan. And then you have network speed/bandwidth.

[@kevinb9830]

The WEF are sinister.

[@johnbewick6357]

@nickc9793 Maybe that is the plan. Control. You will own nothing and be happy. They will have total control over you even shutting down your phone and internet access.

[@Xenon777_]

The only phones which would traditionally work in a power cut are the very basic handsets which don't require an external power supply. Even then, back-up batteries which the landline system would run on may only last about 1 hour. We have had power cuts here which have lasted 2 or 3 hours so we would've been cut off anyway.

[@kevinb9830]

@@Xenon777_ Power cuts are only one thing. All it takes is the internet to go down, which can and does happen

[@WideCuriosity]

Relying on the Internet seems madness to me. Goes down every now & again. A separate network prevents this, all eggs in one basket, risk. Edit: on top of which, why should everyone have to fork out for broadband that they don't want (and may not be able to afford) when there is a working BT telephone network it seems they're going to rip out ? Seems like citizen manipulation by uncaring commercial companies.

[@kal9001]

You understand that currently your internet comes down the same wire as the phone signal? If you know this, then you are capable of understanding that different systems can use the same physical medium. The new system will be the same. A box is installed which provides a telephone socket which if you pay your phone bill you can use a telephone to call people. The box also has an ethernet port which can be connected to a broadband router, if you pay an ISP for internet then you are able to use the internet. These are entirely separate systems using the same fibre medium, internet does not require phone, and phone does not require an internet provider. The issue with your internet 'goes down' depends on what causes it. Desyncs happen on ADSL/ADSL2 a lot as they are susceptible to electrical noise along the length of the phone cable. VDSL (fibre to cabinet) is much more common and desyncs should be much less common unless your ISP is trying to push higher speeds through the lines than they can reliably handle. If you live a long way from the cabinet VDSL can be as bad as ADSL. The xDSL issue is fixed with fibre as you *should* get a rock solid 1gbps optical connection directly to the exchange. So you should be happy about the change over to full fibre.

[@WideCuriosity]

@@kal9001 That all sounds fine, except that there is already admitted to that existing systems that presently monitor the vulnerable will fail without the normal telephone network. In any case even if that is solved when only having the Internet connection it still will depend on how the Net fails to your router. It nothing gets through that has to have an effect on calls too. Experience so far tells us that loss of the Internet occurs much more often than telephone outages.

[@robertcreighton4635]

Doesn't look like a good idea. I foresee problems

[@gbentley8176]

Robs people of a backup system. How many times do we suffer digital meltdowns; more than you think. Putting all your eggs into one basket springs to mind.

[@PDRich]

Yeah, Virgin did it over a year ago; and the USELESS Tories let them do it...

[@johnsmith-px1sr]

what about older folk living on their own who dont have and dont want a mobile phone..its unfair to expect them to change in their twilight years

[@Luke-en2tk]

They don't have to have a mobile phone, they will need Internet though

[@6brman224]

I see Matthew Parris is promoting Assisted Dying for older or sick people. There you are, problem sorted (I'm 70)

[@carlstewart8787]

@@Luke-en2tk Internet or electric goes down, no phone

[@shanehall98]

This is the most dumbest idea I have heard in my life! But these companies are scum in my opinion.

[@Jacob-rn6qf]

🤦🤦🤦 what about places without good internet connection?????

[@Codysdab]

Starlink is good for that. It'll get faster and cheaper over time.

[@andyalder7910]

BT won't remove a copper line without installing a replacement fibre one. BT are currently installing the Connectorised Block Terminals for FTTH on the poles in our street but the old copper lines still work.

[@dlarge6502]

​@@CodysdabI didn't know starlink was totally standalone and handles standard PSTN phones

[@Codysdab]

@@dlarge6502 the OP is referring to Internet connection, not phones. PSTN is irrelevant for this thread.

[@historex54tamiya]

So when the internet goes down and you need to make a call in an emergency, you are stuffed. I cannot get a mobile signal where I live!

[@mda5003]

Yep, but think of the savings the phone companies are making.

[@catastrophic009]

So there is no reason to keep the landline standing charge ! Because if it's a broadband connection you are already paying for it with your broadband package !

[@andyalder7910]

Assuming you have fibre broadband you can already drop the standing charge for the phone and pay your broadband provider a couple of quid for VoIP service. Not sure if you can keep the same phone no though.

[@catastrophic009]

@@andyalder7910 I will investigate ! Cheers !!

[@chinwaggers]

precisely. so the internet providers can really sting us all if they want.

[@chinwaggers]

precisely. so the internet providers can really sting us all if they want.

[@chinwaggers]

precisely. so the internet providers can really sting us all if they want.

[@travelledfar]

All the devices that run the old copper system are being switched off. Everything will run through the same core routers as your data services, just on a separate logic channel. Then why are we still paying the same?? Part of any service bill is for the maintenance and upkeep of the system. Now we are paying twice for the same devices and cables. VoIP and data are the same thing. We are being made to pay twice. RIP OFF telecoms companies.

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

Traveled far? And mobile technology is killing us too.

[@jetnight88]

Thats stupid... What about the older people

[@My_Name_Is_Brian]

Why can't they use a broadband phone? Some are exactly the same

[@twittlypoo]

You need power for broadband. No power, no broadband. No mobile signal at my home either!@@My_Name_Is_Brian

[@jane1975]

@@My_Name_Is_Brian Some people live in rural areas where a Mobile signal is non existent.

[@My_Name_Is_Brian]

@@jane1975 WHY DO YOU BRING UP MOBILE SIGNAL, I SAID BROADBAND! People commenting on this video are too dense

[@mda5003]

@@My_Name_Is_Brian Try explaining what a router is to 100-year-old let alone say how they will have to have broadband installed even though they don't even understand what is meant by the internet.

[@d4zzyb0y]

Easier for them to keep an eye on you

[@chinwaggers]

you will be at their mercy literally at the flip of a switch. not good.

[@6brman224]

The government is not your friend.

[@stuartlawsonbeattie1411]

Ha ha, easier to SPY on YOU 😉

[@hildatrellis907]

Virgin are not interested in helping the elderly. My MP tried three times to get some answers from them but to no avail. I live in a black spot for mobile phones so, if my internet is down I cannot call for help on my mobile which I CAN use once I’m out of the area where I live. Three different Virgin engineers came to my house and each installed an emergency phone (these phones allow you to call the three emergency services). None of them worked. The last one was left in the bedroom in the hope of a signal - not much help in the event of a fall downstairs. They work on SIM cards which, of course, do not work in my house! As you say, the ‘button’ emergency system is still work in progress. Most of the elderly prefer to stay in their own homes which is possible if help is at hand. One wonders whether more will be forced to go into care homes as a result of this change. Three weeks ago, the Virgin network here was down for 6 hours for maintenance. They do not inspire me with confidence. To add insult to injury, my bill is doubling this year!

[@bigjoeangel]

Switch providers, you don't need to pay double when you're out of contract. Or if switching worries you, just simply contact Virgin and demand a lower bill with the suggestion that you are thinking of switching. I personally recommend Sky, they've been pretty good so far for me.

[@davidstephens8410]

So "line rental charge" can f off then from bills.

[@GRAMDAVNO1]

Guaranteed they will bring in some other charge like maintenance fees to rip us off, Americans don't even pay for broadband.

[@markmclachlan3803]

Line rental charge is so they can maintain the copper line. If they knock that off how will they maintain your fibre?????

[@chinwaggers]

In theory yes, but just like the recent "price drop" in energy, unit price drops but daily standing charge increases, so they get rid of line rental charge but grab it straight back by drastically increasing your monthly b/band fees. Got you by the wotsits whichever way you turn. Rob Peter.......pathetic!

[@Luke-en2tk]

Nah you rent the fibre line instead, got rid of my home phone years ago and initially thought the same

[@dlarge6502]

No, you get the broadband over the same line so you don't escape that 😅

[@T5Zplayer]

🤣🤣🤣 No chance. Too many areas have no access to services apart from the copper lines.

[@tommyrotton9468]

wifi or satellite or go without

[@My_Name_Is_Brian]

How many areas have no access to broadband?

[@prestoncrewnarrowboaters8619]

​@@My_Name_Is_Briango into the rural country and you can have no phone signal, from any of the phone companies.

[@T5Zplayer]

@@My_Name_Is_Brian You are missing the point I think, not sure why. There are areas where coverage is non existent or poor. But the costs of broadband are high. Mobile phone coverage is even worse, and there are no plans to extend the radio network.

[@My_Name_Is_Brian]

@@prestoncrewnarrowboaters8619 I'm not talking about phone signal, I'm talking about Internet at home

[@johnhankinson1929]

I still have a landline and also have a mobile so i'd be OK but my mothers 88 and dependent on hers , it's another bloomin' scandal

[@robertwilson8365]

There are thousands of rural areas that have no mobile signal. Bad ideaa

[@davidbarlow350]

i've little doubt that someone will be making a lot of money out of this,and the ability to trace and track calls will be built into the systems.

[@Thereishope664]

GPO engineer vans were once a common site, now sadly gone the way of many other defunct trades.

[@PixPete]

This can't be allowed to happen. There are far too many remote areas out in the countryside of England, Scotland and Wales and even some islands which still don't even have broadband access. The phone line network MUST stay up regardless of what these companies want for themselves. If they wont comply then it's on the Government to issue massive fines and force them into compliance.

[@ruthcollins2841]

Actually BT etc have extended it for 2 years

[@neilpadgett6782]

I wonder if this will make it easier for "third-parties" to record, store, and snoop on everyone's conversations?

[@Luke-en2tk]

If you are on here you can't be that worried 😂

[@neilpadgett6782]

@@Luke-en2tk Yes, you're probably right there!

[@6brman224]

Read Permanent Record by Ed Snowden.

[@IanTdob1966]

The problem with this video is it's lack of informational depth. Firstly the telephone exchange equipment that BT use ( system X & system Y ) are end of life! They have been in use nearly 40 years and there are basically no spares for them. So as BT digitises an exchange they recover the old exchange equipment and it goes to a spare parts facility, so they can maintain the remaining non digital exchanges. Now with the old copper landlines, the reason they continued to work after a power cut is because each exchange had it's own diesel generator back up and battery back up. I am an ex BT engineer, so I know my way around the BT network. I could write a long essay on this subject , suffice to say that this is going to happen and we are going to have to adjust how use the telephone network and our expectations of it.

[@andyalder7910]

Wonder what BT will do with those huge, almost empty, telephone exchanges. Some would make good co-lo facilities if they added some cooling.

[@dlarge6502]

I once was a software tester and I came away with the idea, the crazy idea, that a replacement system should actually replace the functions of the old system where said functions are in use. Thus the new system must be able to make calls in a power cut for all users. Buuuut, BT thought they could get away with ignoring that and saving some money by implementing a system that barely works. Till Ofcom reminded them that they are regulated so must fix the issue. Then they managed to get away with just having a battery backup for "vulnerable" people. Probably that will only be available till the oldies die as they will assume that people like me who have a degree in IT will use a mobile phone when I'm 88. Well I have no idea, I might lose most of my faculties and barely understand a touchscreen. If I had designed this I would have kept all core functionality intact. This new system is designed to let old engineers retire and not be replaced, to forget the old training and thus do most of the maintenance from a keyboard. Cost cutting, job losing money making basically. Give it another 20 years, which is what most people think is a long time these days and the fibre system will be ripped out and cost reduced again for the same reasons. Mark my words. I'm glad I still have a CB

[@jumperking368]

@@andyalder7910 BT only lease the exchange buildings. They sold them off to a company called Telereal Trillium in 2001

[@dieseldragon6756]

I don't know about System Y, but wasn't System X resilient to the point it could potentially operate for a century if it had to? 🫖🇬🇧🤔 (I mean: Openreach still have a few exchanges running on System U/SxS equipment, and if Bell/ATTs experience is anything to go on that stuff could outlast the Earth!)

[@chrisktm2010]

I’m glad you wrote this as I was about to. Most of the care alarm companies are aware of the upcoming changes and are doing what they need to do to make their products work. I also work for a large telecommunications company and I know there are things in place to keep certain aspects of the service active in the case of a power cut or BB outage like mobile sim backup and before anyone says I don’t get good mobile coverage in my area then I’m sure you copper phone line isn’t that good anyway and doesn’t work all the time anyway so your not loosing anything. People are also blaming this on fibre optics being brought in, it is not that as you can run VoIP on copper lines. Unfortunately the copper lines are degrading in such a way that they are not going to replace them with cooper but upgrade as they need replacing.

[@CheesusTheRatJesus]

How does the saying go again, if it's not broken don't fix it !

[@independentpuppy7520]

Very true. They usually make things worse when they destroy things that have worked for decades and replace . They should leave things alone.

[@indrid]

Virgin switched me about a month ago, they had problems with the internet and i lost my phone.. So couldn't make any calls for hours, could not even phone virgin to report my internet was down.

[@dieseldragon6756]

That's probably one of the operator-desired _„Features“_ of this new system: You can't call up to complain that your broadband is down if your broadband is down... 😉

[@Kr0nicDragon]

Yea this is already a thing in Canada. There are zero options for normal phone lines. Now if the power or internet goes out you can’t do squat. No tv, internet or phone. Just communications blackout.

[@Lounge-ve5mb]

It is a bad idea, mine has been gone for over 8 years (I'm in Australia). These copper networks should be kept and maintained but governments everywhere are getting rid of the infrastructure. He did not tell you though that digital networks are easier to gain access to, thus making it possible to record your personal information. This digital network are just what hackers and scammers want. Notice how we are never asked if we wish to use a new technology - it is always forced upon us.

[@TheHandsomeman]

Digital is fragile.

[@Sullzy]

Why tear up old infrastructure? People are still reliant on those lines

[@dlarge6502]

It's due an overhaul but instead of recruiting new engineers and commissioning new parts to do the overhaul the cheaper option is to retire the old engineers and lay down a lower maintenance and cheaper alternative.

[@RobWhittlestone]

Old analogue phones worked in a powerout. VoIP doesn't.

[@honour82]

"Vulnerable ppl"-- anyone can become a "vulnerable" person at ANY TIME!!!

[@adamzain6770]

When was the consultation on this? I don’t remember being contacted about it.

[@dieseldragon6756]

It was consulted on by the Conservatives' new _„If we want it to happen we can ,deem' that the British public support it“_ policy, which is intended to save public funds by avoiding „unnecessary“ (Or rather; „inconvenient“) referenda... 🇬🇧🛂🗳🤔

[@bedazzled621]

My friend has been months getting her landline changed over by BT. They make an appointment for a technician to call, then don't turn up. Last time they said there was a problem in the area, she's not heard from them since.

[@mda5003]

BT will automatically pay you compensation for any missed appointments. I know because it happened to me. Check out their website and put in a complaint.

[@EIRE55]

@@mda5003 You're a very helpful person, and with some very useful information. Thank you, and stay well.😊

[@tkralva.6668]

When I watched the Day After Tomorrow one of the lines that stood out was using a landline did not need electricity, so contact was possible. Now, that is ending, as if the electricity goes out landlines connected to broadband do not work, so how can you contact to say that the electricity is out. Ok, you may be able to use your mobile/smart phone, but after a while even they need electricity to recharge. And yes there have been times when areas have had electricity lines badly damaged and people have been without electricity for a few days. Bottom line, hope that you are never in an emergency, as you will lose the ability to communicate from home.

[@dlarge6502]

Also when the power is out and it affects the cell tower, well unless it has a generator, you lose mobile signal too. Some might have batteries that will give you mobile signal for a few hours.

[@westwonic]

Watch the video again , he explains that traditional phone lines work because their cables provide electricity to the phone network.

[@bookillful]

Easier to spy on you.

[@markmclachlan3803]

So is your mobile phone. Oh and it tracks your movement.

[@cocos8903]

Let's hope the Scot's are having a huge clear out.

[@Jane-rc2rk]

Hmmm deeply suspicion about all of this give the current climate. What happens if the power goes down? The wifi goes down? Don’t want wifi like mum, who doesn’t the internet in her home.

[@badassdahn654]

I love my landline I want to keep it. The same government that told us vaping was better than cigarettes lol VOIP is shit lol if your network provider in your area is shit.

[@longrolstral]

Force everyone to take on a broadband package to keep their home phone, eh?

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

Yep the end of emergency services When the power goes down you used to be able to call and find out

[@markmclachlan3803]

The emergency services have power back up systems in place for this very reason.

[@twittlypoo]

But how would I contact the emergency services in the first place with no landline or mobile signal?@@markmclachlan3803

[@mda5003]

@@markmclachlan3803 I suspect he meant if the power goes down in the house and unable to call the emergency services.

[@nilmoney1]

So I will no longer have to pay for my landline.

[@chinwaggers]

maybe not, but i`m sure to balance the books they`ll hike up your b/band monthly charges...just like our gas/leccy!

[@dlarge6502]

If you get broadband then yes, you will as you use the landline for that. What you might be thinking of is the voice service, which you will still pay for as it's a service.

[@mda5003]

BT charge an extra £2 for a landline but if you don't want it you just pay for broadband.

[@thepuddlejumper500]

What about areas that get their internet from the lang lines?

[@dlarge6502]

They'll use mobiles

[@grahamsmith2753]

This is very old news. It's been known about for ages.

[@stequality]

Agreed it has

[@Luke-en2tk]

Yeah but it got put back

[@ianhawdon3680]

Why is nobody talking about this,my parents dont have internrt ,broadband and their disabled

[@dlarge6502]

I don't believe it for a second that "there are no parts". It's for the following reasons: 1. Training new engineers on the old tech is somehow hard, so they'll rather not do it. 2. With a VOIP system you need far fewer engineers! So you save money by not recruiting replacements for the ones entering retirement. 3. The old system is old and does need more work to keep it running, so instead of commissioning parts manufacturing and recruiting new engineers you use the existing engineers to lay the new lower maintenance replacement that only replaces some of the old systems functionality.

[@ANobodyatall]

Why is this report being done like one of those awful corporate DEI 'training' videos?

[@Kr0nicDragon]

I thought it was an advertisement at some points.

[@ANobodyatall]

@@Kr0nicDragon Infomercial

[@Kr0nicDragon]

@@ANobodyatall bingo

[@danuk-]

Very good now theres no back up.

[@johnxforce4]

Which is great until your broadband goes down then your phone is useless. There are loads of areas where fiber isn’t available.

[@dieseldragon6756]

And even where it is, it's awfully costly. I'm disabled so have a very low income and have to use mobile internet as *any* form of broadband costs more than I can afford. 💸 The only „Fibre“ I'll ever be able to afford is a carton of bran flakes. 🚽

[@LordGreavous]

so what about people with next to no internet or no phone signal especially up north? or is the north being abandonned again. some businesses here have only recently gotten internet and card payments over the copper wires, fibre is years away still.

[@MrReubenTishkoff]

VOIP: what a neat way to build a voice recording bank to... Maybe... Train an AI to forge compromising calls for political opponents or other undesirables...

[@notjustforhackers4252]

Surveillance state stuff. I noticed they recently switched from the older 'analogue' to digital for normal voice calls. The government is breaking article 8 of the ECHR intercepting 'private' 'correspondence' so it stands to reason. Yousaf will be listening.

[@cocos8903]

Their enemies have a backdoor to themselves. Idiots run the countries currently.

[@cocos8903]

Most are removing it.

[@T5Zplayer]

Evidence? Facts? It would need A/D convertors on homes/premises to achieve that. There have been A/D convertors to multiplex calls at a trunk level for years.

[@damon.lee.r]

it's a fallacy to believe there is a copper phone network, it's just copper endpoints. on a PSTN copper line, it's only analogue to the exchange, then it's converted to digital. Back in the very late 80's, BT started digitising exchanges and linking exchanges up via fibre optic, it was all part of replacing their copper backbone network with fibre optic, that was completed a long time ago, rural areas remained copper. Any calls you make are only analogue to the exchange, converted to digital and then carried via fibre to the destination exchange and then converted back to analogue. With the advent of the internet, they discovered how to send large amounts of data via copper cable, thus ADSL was born. All copper end points are being changed to data only lines, until fibre replaces them.

[@notjustforhackers4252]

@@T5Zplayer Voice over IP. Look it up. "The investigatory powers act 2016", look it up.

[@tonysheerness2427]

The network should be sold of as going concern not destroyed. This is corporate vandalism as BT does not want to run ity and does not want competition from it if sold off. BT wants its monopoly.

[@didwest1249]

I only got rid of my mobile last week a old flippy one to keep my landline

[@stevecarter5084]

Relies on reliable broadband and no power cuts or a good mobile signal if either of these happen. Not thought through enough and this linked to no consideration for customer needs. Not good!

[@lunapuella2611]

Great. I live in a very rural area and I have crap Internet and no mobile signal at all. Added to that very frequent power cuts during winter which can last a couple of days. I guess I need to go back to carrier pigeon and hope I dont have an emergency.

[@mhopkins9071]

3:10 😳 🤔what is a person to do during a zombie apocalypse?

[@philsaunders65]

I have a retail business. We decided to switch over to digital last year to give ourselves plenty of time to iron-out any wrinkles. I am pleased we did. The business suffered from around 4 months of poor phone connections (not receiving incoming calls, inability to make outgoing calls). We had to divert all calls to a mobile, and we lost a lot of customers as a result. I recommend everyone makes the switch sooner than they have to because it will be absolute chaos with large numbers of people being forced to switch at the same time. I have kept the mobile as a backup. If the digital system loses connection for any reason (including power-outage), calls will automatically divert to the mobile. There has been no business benefit whatsoever to making the change to digital. We did it because we knew we would be forced to switch eventually.

[@uingaeoc3905]

What about my phone line for internet?

[@richardgallagher4880]

Best you stop talking trrr8tor

[@mda5003]

You no longer need a phone line to get internet.

[@uingaeoc3905]

@@mda5003 How do I get it without 'phone?

[@mda5003]

@@uingaeoc3905 I'm with BT and they simply provide broadband on a fibre connection through a router - no landline or phone number is required.

[@DrJams]

The background music is a little annoying

[@uingaeoc3905]

hold on - the router is attached to the copper lines.

[@cocos8903]

Ssshh. He has a router to sell you.

[@badassdahn654]

@@cocos8903😂

[@andyalder7910]

It's glass fibre, not copper.

[@Luke-en2tk]

You will need a new router which will be supplied by the provider

[@jamiefoyers2800]

"What's the Problem?"...ooh that's easy POWER CUTS...we lost power for two days not so long ago and the phone was the only way to get info from the power companies...this other method...it's going to not end well...

[@dlarge6502]

They'll tell you to check the website or use the app 😂

[@cherrylane90]

Oh no i prefer landline phones xx🤨

[@oktc68]

How much are BT going to charge us for what everyone else gives us for free?

[@user-yq3nu5hd6n]

Can u imagine Having a black out The day earth stood still

[@Miller4866]

What an excellent video, explaining I'm sure, everything we need to know about this changeover. The video was clear and easy to understand. Well done, GB News, great job indeed! 👏

[@michaeljames4904]

There was once a regulatory ban to solely having a cordless ‘phone at your domicile. You needed a separate copper landline, as back up, because of the tech’s unrealiabity when it came to ringing 999 for the emergency services. I live and work in a gigabit fibre norm part of the centre of London, despite this my broadband gets outages up to three times every day. This cost cutting measure will be a life cutting measure, specifically for the old for whom our having tolerated insane pandemic policies to keep the alive, will drop like flies because of this rubbish. To call an ambulance you are supposed to be able to ring a simple number, not reliant on your mobile battery charge. Neither are most ordinary people fit, during a life threatening emergency, when some monster is breaking into their home at 3am, or capable, of spending five minutes resetting their router, only to then be told to raise a technical support message maybe answered within 48hrs.

[@ancietman]

I keep a landline going at present because where I live near The Wash broadband & mobile phone signals are rubbish.

[@andygeorgeparkinson2515]

Thank you for providing a lot of information in an Easy to Understand way , truly appreciated 👍👍👏👏

[@RickPeake01]

It has nothing to do with upgrading quality its about updating security... national security..🤫🤔

[@krystalgazer5196]

So now we have to leave our modem plugged in wasting Lecy, 24/7, clever.

[@Annabella24183]

What happens when power is out . Ram it

[@andypsunshineisle5655]

The devil is as always in the detail. . How will they service emergency phones in remote locations which are powered by the phone line? Emergency phones in lifts which will not work if the building loses power. . Burglar Alarm lines and Telemetry circuits for monitoring and controlling remote utility equipment,. Remote dwellings and commercial buildings ? The copper network will be around for a while yet but as the networks transfer to total fibre it will mean when there is physical damage the failure will affect far more people. When the Exchanges are no longer needed and all is through Data Centres then equipment failures will impact millions. What happened to the USO "Universal Service Obligation " Have Ofcom agreed for the Telcos to refuse to continue service to premises they are already serving purely on cost grounds to go fibre.

[@photoisca7386]

Its all very well requesting or purchasing battery-backup for your home but what about the providers hubs which you will see around your area? Do these have protected power supplies and how long does it last?

[@Tomsonic41]

Our landline socket is downstairs in the living room connected to a cordless phone. But the wifi router thing is in an upstairs bedroom, so once this switchover happens we'll have to have the base station in there instead. Reception has always been patchy in there from downstairs, and I'm concerned the cordless signal won't reach to other rooms!

[@loslaureles1883]

This is all very well until the internet goes down.

[@Bluelady777]

We all need satellite phones

[@63mckenzie]

People look at me as if I'm an alien when I say I don't have a landline or mobile.

[@ajohnson2381]

Century old yes but it worked. Power outages are commonplace here in Scotland so what happens then? Rhetorical question.... If BT want to buy me an IPhone 15 I will be happy with that and use apps as the day is long. No chance of that happening anytime soon.

[@lynneharvey3462]

We’re out in the rurals, the mobile phone only works if you’re leaning out of the window at the end of the house - or if you drive a mile down the road. I’m totally dependent on the landline.

[@johnhooton8299]

I am just a short step away from 70, the one concern I have is a power outage then I have no way to call for help if needed, but the plus side is the service only costs me £3 per month saving me £16 from what my old provider used to charge, I will be looking into that battery option to see if my current provider has this feature and the costs attached, and no mobile never liked the things.

[@steve.hains5125]

So the landline goes, and the internet takes over, I bet they still Charge you for calls, and the old line rental, when your already paying for the internet anyway. They know full well,when the internet goes down you lose everything, another nail in the coffin, for pensioners

[@Galerak1]

This might explain why, even after choosing the option to keep my old number, BT didn't bother to connect my 'landline' when I switched from Sky. Not really an issue as I never used the landline anyway, apart from occasionally ringing my mobile when I couldn't remember where I'd put it. On the plus side though, the scam calls to my landline have been reduced to absolute zero 😆

[@maxthemagition]

The copper line is far better quality. It is also far more reliable. Power outages do not affect the copper line as there are back up generators at the exchanges. Nothing repeat nothing can beat the copper line. I have a copper line to our local exchange and also have very fast broadband through the copper line. Wi-Fi throughout my house means I have all the facilities I need. I am going to cling on to my copper line as long as possible or until I see something better, which there is nothing better at the present time. I suspect the wolves are looking at all that copper that can be got from the BT underground cables. Remember once gone never to be got back. No doubt there will be incentives on offer to ditch that copper wire coming into your house soon. One of the tricks up their sleeve is to cause the master socket to fail by simply applying a voltage that can cause it to fail…. Very easily done. The cost of repair could be quite high as it entails a visit to replace the socket. But we shall see how this goes over the years as some people cling to their copper connection. Then there is the security issue….copper is very secure unless the law is broken and someone taps into your copper line.

[@scottking869]

People going on about old people in here when this country is terrible with looking after older people anyways. Most people just chuck them in a old peoples home