Exchange Switch-Off

[SpellowHouse]

Well, it's getting close now.

Had a email the other day.

Traditional phone lines will soon be switched off. It's time to make the move to Digital Voice...
We wanted to let you know that the copper switch off is now very close. In fact the sale of new traditional telephone services stopped last year, in preparation for the end of 2025 switch off date.
If you’re not already using an alternative phone service by then, you’ll no longer be able to make and receive calls using your home phone as you currently know it.
Thankfully, if you’d like to continue using a home phone, a solution already exists in the form of Digital Voice, our home phone service that is ‘switch off’ ready.


Personally, I think it is terrible the way they are just switching the service off. Many old people are just not prepared for this and there is scant help from BT.

 

[paradigm]

My biggest qualm with this are services that rely on the line providing power, such as emergency call functions like homecall. Yet again we are approaching a position of “inconvenience the most vulnerable”.

I understand the march of technology, and I understand that the older systems are costing exponentially more to run, but blanket switch-offs are not the answer. Neither is a small UPS that gives a few hours of runtime at best.

 

[Robert T.]

@paradigm - you're not wrong, but remember what happened to telegrams, telefax or public payphones? They are all gone, and few remaining devices on UK streets are vandalised and unusable. They were replaced by smaller, more modern devices... Demand will enforce new approach to those issues and sooner than you think..
I have been working on public payphones until 2-3 years before iThings became a thing and there were plans to make them 'one-stop internet cafe' - it did not won battle for portability.. same with those devices, they will evolve.

 

[Caged]

This is going to be the end of a five year implementation process after being announced almost a decade prior to that. If your home care alarm provider or monitored burglar alarm company has continued to collect subscription fees since 2017 while putting nothing in place to migrate to IP then you need to be very angry at them and ask what they were doing.

I was on the trial team for Digital Voice (SOGEA with VoIP) back in 2019 and the process went incredibly smoothly - I plugged in the new BT Hub that I was sent, paired a couple of new DECT handsets, and then outbound calls worked without any problem. A few days later inbound stopped ringing on the old phones plugged into the telephone socket and rang on the new handsets instead.

 

[TheVoice]

They've been talking about it for a few years now and even paused the rollout to review how they were doing it and give people and other businesses more time to adapt. Granted there'll be people who are oblivious and people who are missed by the comms but I'd hope the most vulnerable are being prioritised.

My parents got moved over to Digital Voice a while back, I think they got sent one DV handset for free and then they phoned up to ask about replacements for their existing DECT phones and they just sent them a bunch more DV handsets for free. The other good thing is that for some reason BT were never able to turn on Caller ID on their line, whereas with DV it finally works.

 

[Duke]

This is going to be the end of a five year implementation process after being announced almost a decade prior to that. If your home care alarm provider or monitored burglar alarm company has continued to collect subscription fees since 2017 while putting nothing in place to migrate to IP then you need to be very angry at them and ask what they were doing.

100% agree this is where the anger should be aimed at, not at BT/VM etc.

 

[SpellowHouse]

@paradigm - you're not wrong, but remember what happened to telegrams, telefax or public payphones? They are all gone, and few remaining devices on UK streets are vandalised and unusable. They were replaced by smaller, more modern devices... Demand will enforce new approach to those issues and sooner than you think..
I have been working on public payphones until 2-3 years before iThings became a thing and there were plans to make them 'one-stop internet cafe' - it did not won battle for portability.. same with those devices, they will evolve.

The real problem for me is BT's attitude of "it's not our problem". I mean, on their website, they actually recommend "use your mobile for emergencies" Are they seriuous? 7% of adults do not own a mobile. These are mostly very old or ill people. They are not offering a decent solution. I mean, even when steam engines were introduced for ships, they insisted that the ship has sails as well, until all the safety aspects had been worked out.

 

[Caged]

Is this from your own experience of how the process has been handled, or are you generalising? BT customers can register themselves as vulnerable and have the option to nominate someone to receive the communications relating to Digital Voice on their behalf. If they live in an area where the 4G hybrid phone won't work then BT will send them a UPS.

 

[paradigm]

The real problem for me is BT's attitude of "it's not our problem". I mean, on their website, they actually recommend "use your mobile for emergencies" Are they seriuous? 7% of adults do not own a mobile. These are mostly very old or ill people. They are not offering a decent solution. I mean, even when steam engines were introduced for ships, they insisted that the ship has sails as well, until all the safety aspects had been worked out.

It would also help if mobile signal was great in all areas. The mother in law simply cannot get a usable mobile signal inside her home, and outside she is limited to a single MNO for even the most poor of signals.