BT digital voice

ripplyuk

flaneurs_lobster said:

In your case, as long as your switch to BT Broadband did not include a swap to Digital Voice then your plug-in handset will continue to work as now. 

I have no idea if it’s being swapped 😕. The lady on the phone didn’t mention anything about this when I signed up. She just told me that they’ll send me a free phone. It’s only from the emails that I heard about this ‘digital voice’. 

If I cancel this contract, will that be the problem solved? Or will all broadband providers be swapping to this soon? I’m happy to pay more to keep a landline that works during power cuts. The mobile reception here isn’t totally reliable either. 

iniltous

ripplyuk said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

In your case, as long as your switch to BT Broadband did not include a swap to Digital Voice then your plug-in handset will continue to work as now. 

I have no idea if it’s being swapped 😕. The lady on the phone didn’t mention anything about this when I signed up. She just told me that they’ll send me a free phone. It’s only from the emails that I heard about this ‘digital voice’. 

If I cancel this contract, will that be the problem solved? Or will all broadband providers be swapping to this soon? I’m happy to pay more to keep a landline that works during power cuts. The mobile reception here isn’t totally reliable either. 

It’s unlikely that they would provide a free phone if it were not associated with getting DV.
You could cancel and stay with your current provider, but all ISP/Telcos will eventually have to abandon traditional PSTN telephony and either not offer telephony at all  ( TT don’t include a phone service with their FTTP products ) or offer a similar internet based telephone service similar to BT DV. (  Sky do this)

ripplyuk

iniltous said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

BUFF said:

matelodave said:

Even FTTC wont work if the phone is served via the router rather than over the copper pairs. Digital Voice implies that the phone signal is Voice over IP (VoIP) rather than POTS so you need to know how your phone/broadband is being delivered.

Yes, but if it is FTTC then it is still an analogue landline so the old corded phone plugged into the master socket (or extension) would continue to work in the event of a power cut. (the Alexa DV one would not).

My FTTC BT service has been converted to DV, broadband still comes down copper wires to premises. My old corded landline phone plugs into a phone socket on the router. Also have a freebie BT DV cordless that talks to the router using (I think) DECT.

If the offer is for DV , regardless of it being FTTC or FTTP , then the phone service is from the router so in the event of a power outage , the router won’t be powered therefore no telephony.
If the OP , in the short term at least , wants a landline telephone service that’s going to work during a power outage then DV isn’t it , unless they also obtain a BBU/UPS and that won’t keep a router and possibly a phone handset going for multiple hours  they can typically maintain service for short periods.
TBH , if the OP health concerns are such , that even though a mobile works power  outages are such , that a fully charged mobile phone battery can run flat before the power is restored, then perhaps where they should look to relocate somewhere less likely to be affected by such lengthy power outages, because a UPS it’s not likely to last as long as a fully charged mobile phone battery

It’s not just my own health concerns. Anyone can have a medical emergency and not everyone can afford to (or wants to) move to the city. Every area I’ve lived in has had power cuts in winter. 

I think this whole thing is ridiculous tbh. I have elderly relatives who can’t use mobiles. We’ll be back to the days that my granny remembers, having to run through the village to find a neighbour who has a phone to call an ambulance. Technology should improve our lives, not create more stress and hassle. 

ripplyuk

I’ve cancelled it. Problem solved (for now at least). They said they couldn’t cancel just the phone so I had to cancel the whole broadband package but it’s fine. Plusnet offered me a good price to stay.

littleboo

If you are regularly having power outages of >24 hrs then it sounds as if you need a backup option for power anyway. Exchange powered phone services will be a thing of the past, there is no changing that. If you need local power resiliency provided by a telco then you will looking at a couple of hours, assuming the batteries aren't on their way out. So no use in your environment anyway.

BUFF

ripplyuk said:

I’ve cancelled it. Problem solved (for now at least). They said they couldn’t cancel just the phone so I had to cancel the whole broadband package but it’s fine. Plusnet offered me a good price to stay.

Ultimately your exchange will transition & as Plusnet is owned by BT & uses Openreach so will they. Iirc BT's plan is 90% on FTTP by end of 2025.

seanfos

BT will supply you with a battery backup unit for this exact type of situation:

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/fibre-home-phone-service--questions-about-the-battery-back-up-un

Sean

matelodave

BT stopped providing the BBU several years ago and it only worked with the Optical Network Terminal not with the router so even if the optical system was backed up you'll still lose broadband & phone service.


We did get a BBU when our FTTP was installed but that was over four years ago they stopped it around 2019 - here is the OFCOM guidance

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/123118/guidance-emergency-access-power-cut.pdf

brewerdave

matelodave said:

BT stopped providing the BBU several years ago and it only worked with the Optical Network Terminal not with the router so even if the optical system was backed up you'll still lose broadband & phone service.

I thought that BT were looking for solutions to this as a result of the massive power outages this Winter past. That was why they paused the rollout ??

wild666

ripplyuk said:

I live in a rural area and power cuts are common here in winter. After storms, it has been off for days. Because of this, I keep a corded landline plugged in. I never use it apart from during power cuts but it gives me peace of mind that I could call for help if my mobile runs out of battery. 

I recently decided to switch my broadband to BT and the contract starts in 2 weeks time. They offered me a free gift of an Alexa enabled landline phone (That’s not the reason I signed up!) and after reading the links they sent me, it says it will not work in a power cut. There’s absolutely no point in me even plugging it in then. The only reason I want a landline is for power cuts. 

Is there any way round this? If I keep my current corded landline phone instead of the Alexa one, will it still work? I have some health problems and am worried about being unable to call for help. My mobile battery will only last one day. 

With a mobile phone put it in battery saver mode then the battery will last longer if you only use it for calls when needed. My Doogee BL9000 lasts three weeks on a single charge in this mode.