Landlines across the UK will find their services cut as BT looks to encourage users to upgrade to a more modern version. Traditional copper-based landlines will no longer be available 12 months after the shutdown in a bid to push Brits to adopt new broadband-based tech.
46 exchanges across the country have been named, covering roughly 344,000 homes. BT say the upgrade will provide better phone quality and better protection against spam calls.
However, its rollout has faced setbacks, including complaints of lost phone numbers and its vulnerability to power cuts and internet outages.
Openreach has described the shift from copper to fibre as just as significant as the move from analogue to digital, and from black and white TV to colour.
New government rules will force broadband and phone suppliers to carry out extra checks for those who have been forced to make the switch after reports of incompability with personal alarms – which 1.8 million elderly Brits use.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan forced leading telecoms firms, including Sky, BT, Virgin Media 02 and TalkTalk to make sure if new adopters have the devices and provide support if needed.
BT intends to switch-off the existing analogue phone line platform by the end of December 2025. Before that deadline, everyone in the UK will need to have upgraded to a digital phone line.
For anyone who has already upgraded to a full-fibre broadband plan, their landline will already use the “Voice Over IP” (VoIP) technology. Traditional copper-based services will no longer be sold in exchanges after a majority of the premises there have upgraded to full-fibre broadband.
The government has set a deadline of 2025 to reach 85 percent coverage of gigabit broadband. Full nationwide coverage is due by 2030.
In January 2019, gigabit broadband was possible in just six percent of homes.
According to Ofcom’s records, the average download speed for UK homes is as low as 69.4Mbps. Gigabit connections are capable of 14x that speed, making video calls and streaming far smoother.
An Opeanreach spokesman said: “By eventually retiring analogue phone lines, we will be creating a simplified network which allows us to meet the enhanced needs of an increasingly digital society.
“That’s why over the next few years, we’ll be upgrading just under nine million remaining analogue lines – including the now ageing traditional landline telephone service – to new digital ones.”
