Millions of Brits to lose landline phone access as deadline set for switch off
Traditional landline phones will stop working soon—forcing millions of Brits to switch to modern broadband technology if they want to stay in touch with friends and family. It's all because the UK's ageing landline telephone network is set to be switched off in 2025, as the country moves from 19th-century copper wire to modern broadband.
Those of us who don't have broadband will have to get it installed in order to keep making landline calls using a system called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), which requires an Internet connection.
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Phone providers are pulling off the transition in a bid to modernise the UK's ageing communications networks, but there are concerns that some people—particularly the elderly—could get left behind.
From 2025 you'll have to plug your phone into your broadband router if you want to use your landlineFortunately, BT and Virgin have both said they won't charge customers any extra if they want to have a landline-only broadband setup installed, meaning it shouldn't come at an extra cost to you.
If you already have broadband, your supplier will just ask you to plug your phone into your WiFi router in order to stay connected. If you have any other concerns, just get in touch with your phone or broadband company and ask for their advice on how to prepare.
Explaining more, BT said on it's help page: "The Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) will close in December 2025. This won’t just affect voice services, it may also mean you need to upgrade your broadband. Any equipment that currently uses the PSTN will stop working: alarms, EPOS machines, door entry systems, CCTV, faxes, and so on. The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) will also stop working. At some point before 2025, you’ll need to move from PSTN to the latest IP technology."
The changes are not being entirely welcomed by users with one customer saying on Twitter: "I don't like the idea of the landline PSTN network being switched off in 2025. Digital landlines will *not* work in a power cut, you'll need a mobile phone or backup device with batteries, which you cannot charge if there is a power cut." Another added: "It's the elderly and the people without technology who will suffer again!".
Some are concerned that the elderly and those without the latest tech will get left behindThe phone line switchover mirrors that of the 'analogue switch off' which started in 2007 when TV networks moved from analogue to digital signals. Despite much doom-mongering about people being unable to watch TV, most people got the message and are still tuning in—which suggests that they should have no problem plugging their phone into a different box, but let's see what happens.
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