General Chat

I have full fibre internet and landline. The landline is now part of the the internet connection and is called Digital Voice rather than through the old copper connection. The fibre runs from the telegraph pole to the house just like the old telephone wire but in this case the fibre supplies the property with internet through which you have access to a phone line ie Digital Voice should you want one.

Around here, outskirts of London, a lot of people do not have a landline as they use their mobile.

However, I do see what Florence is getting at :-)

Neither my internet, nor landline worked when I moved here, in January 2021.
The reason? There wasn't a physical line to the nearest telegraph pole! :-(
I live on the outskirts of Winchester, not in a remote village.

My brother who DOES live fairly remotely, in Somerset, has just been connected to the Internet - this has taken 2 years to achieve.
His 'landline' phone runs off the internet - they refused to connect him to the pole across the road, as 'internet phones were the future'
More often than not, it doesn't work. He paid thousands of pounds for this privilege.
His mobile doesn't work there either - it never has.

I am sure we needed a landline to receive our Wifi/internet. But where did you see this Florence.

Hmmm
my internet IS a landline (although part fibre)

wonder how that will werk?

I read an article that has said landlines will be eventually phased out in 2025.
Instead the phone will run off the internet!
In a powercut these new phones will not work and in areas where the internet is unreliable...rural areas, it may mean that you wont have a good reliable phone service as a landline provides.
Also for those elderly people who do not have internet or want it or even understand it, their alarms that they have connected to a call centre incase they fall will not work either in a power cut. I live in an area where power cuts are common place and lots of elderly have these alarms systems in place.

BT were quoted as saying that these people should contact their care providers to make alternative arrangements yet what exactly is available.

My mother is elderly, does not have a mobile phone which was suggested as a back up! Again in rural areas, mobile network is patchy and some places here unavailable in the remotest parts.

Some older people here have the new handsets that dont work in a power cut but they have an analogue handset which they then plug in so still have contact but if these go, then they will have nothing. My mother will not get internet, she can just about work the remote control and many others like her.

BT are already suggesting to burglar alarm companies, fax machine users to think about an alternative system.

Is this progress?

Florence in the hebrides