For decades now, our telephone network has been using analogue communications, which was fine its day but BT has decided it’s old hat and needs to be replaced by something called Digital Voice.
Basically, BT will be switching off the analogue network (Public Switched Telephone Network – PSTN) by the end of 2025 and moving everyone across to their new digital network – Digital Voice.
The rollout has been ongoing for the last 2 or 3 years beginning with the big cities and towns, followed by the carrot crunchers out in the sticks. This project has been backed by the government, who want to see the telecoms network up to date and in-line with other EU countries by 2026.
Essentially, Digital Voice (DV), will mean plugging your landline phone into your broadband router rather than your telephone socket. And from that point on you will be phoning people via what is known as Voice over IP (or Voip, for short).
This voip technology is not new as it is already in use via computer apps such as Skype and WhatsApp. However, if you have an old landline phone or router, it may not be compatible with Digital Voice, which may mean you having to buy a new phone and/or router!
BT is contacting its customers informing them that they will be moved over to DV in the next few months, and that they don’t have to do anything. However, you can refuse to be migrated across, although the downside is that come 2026 your landline phone will no longer work as the PSTN will be switched off by then.
Another problem with DV is that if there’s a power outage and there’s no electric to your home, you won’t be able to use your landline phone, especially for 999 emergencies.
Moreover, just because your landline phone will be integrated with your broadband, you will still have to pay a line rental bill, even though there is no line rental!
It also assumes that people actually have broadband, and that they have a mobile phone in case they need to make a 999 call should there be a power outage as mentioned earlier.
BT do offer online support for these issues, but if there’s a power outage and no internet, how the fuck can you get in contact with them, especially if you have no 4G signal!
Digital Voice, is basically a nice idea on paper, but a bag of bollocks in reality. But there’s sod all you can do to ignore it come 2026.
Which Link.
Nominated by : Technocunt