BT to switch off old landlines in Full Fibre shift
ANALOGUE WIRES BEING REPLACED BY NEW CABLES
BT will be switching off landlines in dozens of Yorkshire areas, including Huddersfield, within the next 12 months.
The ageing copper wires that have kept our homes connected for years are gradually being replaced by new fibre cables. This shift not only enhances broadband speeds but also alters how we make phone calls, with the transition to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology.
Rather than relying on old analogue wires to connect with loved ones, households will switch to VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). This service promises to boost call quality and introduce new features like Multi Call and call diversion to any other phone number, including mobiles.
This gradual transition to new cables is slowly taking place across the UK and we now know the next regions that will soon exclusively offer FTTP technology.
Once implemented, Openreach will cease the sale of legacy analogue products in over 880,000 premises throughout the UK. This will impact suppliers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Plusnet, all of whom utilise Openreach cables to provide internet services to homes.
“Openreach has today announced a further 84 new exchange locations where the business plans to halt the sale of traditional copper based phone and broadband services to encourage people to upgrade to new digital services over an ultrafast Full Fibre connection,” Openreach confirmed.
Speaking about the update, James Lilley, Openreach’s managed customer migrations manager, said: “We’re moving to a digital world and Openreach is helping with that transformation by rolling out ultrafast, ultra-reliable and future-proofed digital Full Fibre across the UK. This game-changing technology will become the backbone of our economy for decades, supporting every aspect of our public services, businesses, industries and daily lives.”
Although the move will be positive for those wanting better downloads, it has left some worried about how they will keep in touch. Some homes remain unconnected to the internet whilst others have voiced worries about times when the internet goes offline.
VOIP needs the web to work so if there’s an outage it’s possible homes won’t be able to stay in touch unless they also own a smartphone. This could leave more vulnerable Brits at risk in an emergency.
The UK government recently stepped in to make sure suppliers will keep all users connected with ministers saying the new agreement with telecoms firms will better protect those using personal alarms, known as telecare, which offer remote support to elderly, disabled and vulnerable people with many located in rural and isolated areas.