End of landline telephone?

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pakefield
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End of landline telephone?

Post by pakefield » Sat Aug 14 2021 11:48am

If this is true the Govt. must step in to stop it:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -cope.html

Our dear friend and neighbour is 94. She is unable to walk unless someone is in the room but she lives alone. Carers come in 4 times a day and friends call in as well. In that she is lucky.

She is too frail to cope with changing to internet and mobile phone. She has a bracelet she can click on which will put her through to her emergency system which works via her landline.

Just one of many people in a similar position.

And what about those who live in mobile phone not spots? Or areas with very low internet speeds? These people rely on their landline in a way those of in in towns do not.

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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by expressman33 » Sat Aug 14 2021 12:02pm

I don't have a mobile phone , rely on landline to keep in touch . I have a broadband and landline phone ( with 3 extensions to different rooms ) package which includes any time calls .
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Richard Frost
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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by Richard Frost » Sat Aug 14 2021 12:03pm

pakefield wrote:
Sat Aug 14 2021 11:48am
If this is true the Govt. must step in to stop it:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -cope.html

Our dear friend and neighbour is 94. She is unable to walk unless someone is in the room but she lives alone. Carers come in 4 times a day and friends call in as well. In that she is lucky.

She is too frail to cope with changing to internet and mobile phone. She has a bracelet she can click on which will put her through to her emergency system which works via her landline.

Just one of many people in a similar position.

And what about those who live in mobile phone not spots? Or areas with very low internet speeds? These people rely on their landline in a way those of in in towns do not.
I believe very little that is written in the Daily Fail. Give them a sentence and it becomes a chapter of speculation. I prefer to wait until announcements are made and correct information is given by the Engine Drivers. However to deal with your specific point. There is no way that vulnerable elderly frail customers will be left with no service. No one would ever allow that to happen, regardless of how callous and uncaring our current leaders are. Its a fact of life that change happens and that life moves on sometimes change has to be embraced.
Will I need a fast connection?

Internet speeds of just one megabit per second (Mbps) should be enough for a good digital phone service. And every UK household has the right to demand a download speed of at least 10 Mbps.

Will my bills rise?

Customers will have to pay for the internet to use their home phone. But experts have said providers are likely to offer cheap, basic deals similar to landline-only contracts. It is not known if customers with older phones will need to buy a new handset or if they will get one for free.

What if the internet goes down?

If the internet crashes or there is a power cut, digital phone lines will stop working. Those who are vulnerable or do not have a mobile phone should be offered a back-up such as a battery pack, emergency phone line or mobile phone so they can still call 999 in an emergency.

What do I need to do?

Nothing yet. Those on landline-only deals or without the internet will hear from their providers later on.
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pabenny
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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by pabenny » Sat Aug 14 2021 12:31pm

More lies from the Daily Vile. Surprised they haven't blamed it on Labour/EU/immigrants.

The 2025 date apparently mentioned is when the technology underlying our phone network will have been fully switched form PSTN to VOIP. It doesn't really matter what that means. But it doesn't mean that landlines are going to disappear.

Details here - https://www.futureofvoice.co.uk. That website is provided and funded by OFCOM and the major telecoms providers

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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by macliam » Sat Aug 14 2021 12:53pm

Ummmmm.... how do you think "landline" telephone calls are carried at the moment? The BT 21C Network programme in the early 2000s basically swapped the priorities between voice and data over the network. Whereas previously data had been carried over a switched voice network, the new network was Internet Protocol based and voice was carried over what is essentially a data network.

Until now, the majority of the final connection has been via copper cable, which means the pre-existing concept of landline telephony could continue..... but at a cost in terms of overall linespeed. Now everyone wants faster and faster internet access - and if you are going to achieve this via fibre to the premises (FTTP), how are you going to continue using equipment which works by sending an electric signal over copper wire?
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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by Sarah » Sat Aug 14 2021 3:42pm

They're literally using phrases including "Digital switchover leads to fears...", "Concerns over..." and "Amid fears..." in that article to create and spread such fears and concerns.

Please stop reading the Daily Heil; switching to a reliable news source should improve your life.

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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by blythburgh » Sun Aug 15 2021 3:19pm

BBC has this take on landlines: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56831212
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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by macliam » Sun Aug 15 2021 5:33pm

There's a lot of hot air being blown out about this whole situation...

Landline phones have become uneconomical as the cost of line rental has increased and call charges have exceeded the cost of a mobile call - and this has resulted in a huge drop in the traffic carried and the revenue raised. Rather like the demise of the red public telephone box, why would BT, or any other private company, choose to maintain a diminishing asset - particularly when the main pressure on them is to provide more comprehensive and faster broadband coverage?

What is being suggested is the end of support for network access for "traditional" voice-based landline equipment. This access only works now because of operator-funded equipment held at network access points, but relies on access from the premises over copper wire. As I said previously, will not work where fibre is used for this "final mile" - so it will become increasingly obsolete as high-speed Broadband is rolled out. So the end of support is only a matter of time....

Use of VoIP and similar packages has greatly increased and the quality has improved to provide landline-quality communication. If earlier experimentation with WiMAX had been supported, cellular systems would have become increasingly obsolete..... WiMAX ("WiFi on steroids") would have provided blanket WiFi coverage over areas and made VoIP access available beyond the home WiFi environment (Imagine how popular an idea that was to the big mobile companies :shifty:). Unfortunately, any move forward has been hobbled by the need to maintain existing systems, which are often incompatible. When the time comes to remove the comfort blanket, there are always complaints.

An oft-quoted phrase in the Network Testing world was "God created the world in 6 days...... because he didn't have to replace anything!" ;)

Some of the comments by people on all sides of this discussion are ridiculous:

"Will my fax machine still work?": umm, a fax machine scans printed output to send pseudo-voice messages over the PSTN, which are then decoded at the other end and reprinted. Why would you use that when the data can be sent directly via an internet-connected scanner and printer?

"How will my mobile work in a power cut?": How does your landline work? How many people still use "dumb" telephones that don't require mains power? Equally, how many homes have cut the "bell wire" (physically or logically) in order to improve Broadband linespeed?

"The line rental is expensive": It's an access mechanism....just like the standing charge on Gas, Electricity and Water. If you don't pay it directly, you pay it as part of the unit charge mechanism. Whoever supplies access and however it is supplied, the consumer will pay for it - nothing comes for free....

"I don't have a good mobile signal": Which is why focus should be on the improvement of Broadband access and VoiP calling - which would replace the "landline".

The world turns, the day ends..... no matter how much we might want today to last forever.
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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by RonFlorabud » Mon Aug 16 2021 5:56pm

Bring back Ceefax.
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Re: End of landline telephone?

Post by macliam » Tue Aug 17 2021 9:38am

RonFlorabud wrote:
Mon Aug 16 2021 5:56pm
Bring back Ceefax.
Surely Prestel would be more relevant? :eh:

.... and what about reinstating that nice chirruping sound when you access the internet?
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