BT phone landlines changing to IP technology

I was already thinking of getting rid of my landline as I never use it to make calls and rarely receive any so it sounds like that time has come!

I currently get my internet and landline through Virgin so can just change my package. My mobile is through Plusnet which I think is changing soon and I think it might be wise to keep it with a different supplier so if Virgin go down and I lose my Wi-Fi, then hopefully my mobile will still work.

I assume that Virgin will also be changing although they use cables rather than telephone connections - I’ll have to wait and see!

I’m surprised though that so many people are unaware of the changes as there have been articles about the potential issues for a few years, I’ve read quite a few newspaper articles about it which often focus on the impact on elderly people.

Well I didn’t know Teacheranne and none of my friends have mentioned it so pretty sure they don’t either or it would have certainly been a topic of conversation
One friend lives in an area with virtually no signal so she ll be pooped
I ve had no letters from EE
I m not too bothered I only keep my landline for emergency use or very odd incoming calls but I do have a couple of older friends who will have problems
Like everything in life I m sure after teething problems it will heal over and in a few years we ll forget what ‘old-fashioned’ landlines were ever like

BlueBelle neither have i received any communication from my provider...referring to newspaper articles from few years ago is not a real help Teacheranne but am now considering changing provider both for landline and mobile EE as the wifi drops off all the time in my area and I'm not rural...so just don't understand how this will be improved? Vulnerable people will need to be considered as we don't all have family members in our immediate locations to help out...

We had the switch over last year.
No problems, and didn't hear of any.

Only snag I had was I had a repro Black 1950s GPO telephone in my Hall as a feature which was directly plugged into the socket not via the electrics. I lost connection with that. Shame really , I phoned BT to ask was there anything we could do but sadly not.

We're very rural. Our landline has difficulties, as is, in this o;d stone home, I doubt new technology will be better, as mobiles don't work within these walls - have to walk off a distance.

o;d Old

I had heard of the change and for once in my life I was putting my head in the sand, hoping it would go away or I had!

I have no living relatives but I do have a very helpful electrician who will sort it all out for me. He has dragged me into this century and introduced me to Whatsapp.

Visgirl hope you still kept your 1950s GPO phone… am bit sentimental about old phones😀

I heard about this recently too, I was told , not sure if it true, but you will have to have an internet connection and the line will be via that connection.

Bea65

Visgirl hope you still kept your 1950s GPO phone… am bit sentimental about old phones😀

Still there.

62Granny yes it will work over Wi-Fi/broadband connection so it’s all electric and you will need batteries as a standby if we lose power🙃

I am 84 and my landline was changed to Digital Voice earlier this year, had no problems but I am used to using the internet.
Was able to still use my old phones by using an adapter BT sent me.

I have tried to find out from my provider, BT, how this will all affect me and I get directed to various sites but I have failing eye sight and I do not want to read loads of stuff online so I have written the CEO a letter with my inquiry and requested a reply in like manner, i.e.a letter in a reasonably large font.

BT sends my bill in large print which includes payment for broadband so they know there are people like me. Maybe I dont fit in their algorithm.

yes, we were recently moved by EE to BT for internet. They wanted to take our home phone away we kicked off as wanted to keep it. We wanted same number we have had since 1977. The said they would try. We did get to keep number but soon realised that to keep home phone we were paying £5 a month just for folk to ring us---ie scam calls too. Any calls we made were charged extra. So we sent the new phones back. Now just have mobiles wasn't pleased about this but didn't have much choice.

Jaxjacky

MiniMoon

I'm wondering how I'll manage with the switch over. The main phone socket is in my bedroom upstairs where the line enters the house. That is where my router is. How will I plug in my phone to the router (assuming talktalk provide a new one)? I don't want the phone in my bedroom. I'd never make it upstairs fast enough to answer it, let alone hear it ringing!

You won’t need to plug your phone into the router, it’ll just be a mobile you carry in your pocket, bag or whatever is convenient. But, you will need a separate lead and the correct plug/usb convertor to charge the mobile phone from the mains.

We changed to BT Internet when we moved. We weren’t getting any incoming calls for nearly a week but took a few days to realise. We were then told to plug one of the phones into our router and it then worked.

What happens if you don’t have internet or a mobile phone, from choice or lack of money? . My cousin doesn’t.

My landline wasn’t working about a year back so called Virgin ( my land-line provider) …came the next day and I told him problem …he had a little bit of plastic ( looked like to me) and said “ ah , good, a router” and u plugged my phone from wall , stuck this bit of plastic into router and other end into phone ….. I asked…and was told …as I’m curious and he told me the plans to change all over to routers! He carefully explained the only difference would be a slightly longer response time …he said about 4 seconds…it’s not that long!. Well it has got to go up to satellite and back….I did have move my phone into sitting room rather than hallway but not bothered. Apparently they’ll do it automatically now if you have a fault on line. Anyway no change at all, and phone works perfectly ….in fact better👏

Ive known about it for some time and dont welcome it as I dont like change. However I am sure my techy nephew will sort it out for me.

I dont like amert phones and only reluctantly got one (passed down by nephew) to run my security system as it would not work on a tablet. Gradually getting used to it but I will never be one of those people who carries a mobile around the house with me as there are no pockets in what I usually wear. I refuse to be at other people's beck and call. The phone is for MY convenience and not that of others.

Virgin told me about their plans, but unfortunately, my burglar alarm works off the landline, and to get a connection between the burglar alarm main box and the router would mean sending a cable all the way up beside the stairs!
And charging me for it!
I don’t know what I’ll end up doing, but I believe that the Which? report for September will cover burglar alarms, so I’m hoping there’ll be a solution there.

Accordig to the Age UK info above they are not changing the system for those of us over 70. Yippee.

Grantanow haven't heard they are leaving the over 70s alone re new system,,,

We're with BT for everything - landline, broadband, TV and mobile phones - but out of contract. We are wanting to renew but wanting to move house first when we will hopefully get a reduction in monthly cost. We get regular emails from BT containing all sorts of offers and the last one had a quad pack of landline phones including answerphone in the base unit for just £29.99. I thought it would be good for our new house. However my husband said BT were talking about this new VOIP service which is replacing the landline service so these phones on offer will soon be obsolete. We've been with BT since 1980 and think it's time we changed

I had vaguely heard about this but didn't know the detail so many thanks to Pittcity for the Age UK information.

My husband and I have been having a bit of a battle as he wants to dispose of our landline and I don't.

Mr C says we pay £10.00 a month for the landline but have mobiles so we don't need it and I say we could require it in an emergency. My hearing is poor and I hear better on the landline (I cut callers off on my mobile by pressing the 'mute' button with my cheekbone!). My mobile's sound is very poor, one needs to hold it to the ear to hear anything

I was considering agreeing to the change and keeping a spare mobile permanently plugged in in lieu of the landline but now understand that the over-seventies will be allowed to keep the old system. Am probably now more muddled than ever!

Our landline was switched over in 2021 have had no problems

biglouis

Ive known about it for some time and dont welcome it as I dont like change. However I am sure my techy nephew will sort it out for me.

I dont like amert phones and only reluctantly got one (passed down by nephew) to run my security system as it would not work on a tablet. Gradually getting used to it but I will never be one of those people who carries a mobile around the house with me as there are no pockets in what I usually wear. I refuse to be at other people's beck and call. The phone is for MY convenience and not that of others.

I carry a mobile around the house in my back pocket in case I need help biglouis not for the convenience of others.

I think there is quite a radical difference. Those without mobiles (mainly the elderly) will have to buy a package from an internet provider and buy a phone. There is a cost. The quality of sound from a landline is often clearer than the reception from a mobile, in my experience.
The necessity of having a mobile phone will also apply to the current proposal to shut ticket offices at railway stations. 'Only' about 15% of travellers use them we are told. Could they be the old, the frail, the disabled? Yes.