Turning off analogue

Rushy_5150

my mum is 92 and lives on her own. She has just been told by BT that they are switching off her analogue line and she'll have to get broadband to keep using her phone. The only benefit she gets is attendance allowance - does anyone know of a provider that have have a social tarrif that includes that benefit? having looked around every benefit seems to qualify apart from this one - cheers

Brie

Are you sure it was BT that told her this rather than some call centre somewhere?  I know there is a push to nuke analogue but I thought there was something in place to help people in these circumstances.

And what about getting a mobile instead??  There are ones that are geared for the elderly and less abled that might be easy for her to use.  

Rushy_5150

It was def from BT in a letter - she's got 8 months so no rush. She does have a mobile but even though its for the elderly she finds it a fiddle. Also she has a careline machine attached to her phone and a pendant to call for help so she still needs a landline (or soon to be broadband) phone

Rodders53

See https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/consumer-issues/changes-to-landline-telephones/ which explains what is happening.

Mum needs to register as a 'vulnerable customer' with BT if she isn't already.

That age uk site suggests BT aren't switching over 70s, although that ain't gonna be the case forever.

They (BT domestic) should be hand-holding such customers through the change needed and explaining it more simply and clearly.  I'd hope / expect the changes needed would be cost neutral for such customers?

Perhaps you need to speak to BT with Mum present to give permission to fully understand what is being proposed/offered if this hasn't been done in writing?

Big thing to be aware of are any landline alarm and care auto calling devices.  They may need updating to work.  Mains failure means these new phone lines won't work so a mobile is worth persevering with for just that situation.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/social-tariffs may help you to sift out any that include non-means-tested PIP/DLA and AA benefits to qualify?  I suspect that very few will.

southsidergs

I'm sure all it means is they'll send a hub etc & the price won't change so there might not be any need to even change providers.

In any case 8 months is quite a good timeframe so I'd check with pendant company etc plus get in touch with BT as I'm sure they allow someone else to be added as a contact for this too

iniltous

There has been no publicity yet ( that I have seen ) about moving BT phone  only customers onto DV ( which as you know does require a low bandwidth ‘broadband’ service to work ) , so far it’s been existing FTTC broadband customers that have been migrated, presumably your mother will be one of the first phone only customers making this journey.
BT have also stated that anyone who wants just a phone service in these circumstances will not have to pay any more for this low bandwidth broadband connection, the supplied broadband product is a 0.5Mb service that would be pretty useless for ‘internet’ access anyway, but more than adequate to run an IP ( VoIP ) phone service.
It remains to be seen ,  if the broadband ‘router’  that will be supplied for these phone only customers will be recognisable as a broadband router  (like the SH2 , with WiFi , Ethernet ports etc ) or it will simply be a  generic ‘box’ that plugs into the master phone socket on the wall , and the customers phone instrument, instead of plugging into the wall phone socket , will be plugged into this newly supplied BT  ‘box’ ( which will also need connection to the 240 v mains ) 
There  is no need for the customer to do anything like consider other tariffs or get themselves a regular broadband contract in advance , ( unless they  want to ) from the BT consumer point of view there is no billing change  ( call charges , line rental etc stay the same  ) its simply a change to where the phone connects, from the master socket , to this new ‘box’  , doing this change  on the day BT tell you to do it , so service is maintained .

If you want to change from BT , then obviously you can use whoever you want , but IP telephony is eventually going to be the only game in town , BT are committed to supply phone only customers , ( when that’s all the customer wants ) for the same cost as they pay now ,   other Telcos  are under no obligation to provide telephone only and will likely only offer a telephone service to their broadband customers, those only wanting a phone only service will have to look elsewhere