How many people still have a landline here?

[conny]

Only one who calls our landline is middle son and my consultant, though I have asked her to call my mobile as it is a much clearer line.
We're moving in about 6 weeks and will not be having a landline anymore. Why pay for something we never use?

 

[lostinthelight]

Theres a hardIy usable mobile signal in our area and have ASDL BB and a landline

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Theres a hardIy usable mobile signal in our area and have ASDL BB and a landline

My signal is a little better, so rather than using that - I use wifi calling instead.

 

[JohnD]

I've got one included in the Broadband bundle.

Road has recently been dug up for fibre so I hope to change to something cheaper.

 

[Koolpc]

Reason I ask is because Bt are going to phase out the landline phone network by Dec 2025 (PTSN Public Switched a telephone Network)

I still have the good old landline

Whats a landline?

 

[robinbanks]

it’s only the mother in law that ever rings on it anyway

Sounds like a fine reason for welcoming New Year 2026

 

[securespark]

We have BT FTTP and a phone line through that. Nobody said anything about a back-up supply.

Just told us we should have a mobile. But our signal is poor so we use WiFi calling.....oh, hang on.......

Does such a unit exist?

You think someone would be marketing one, but I haven't seen one yet.

 

[Diver Fred]

Family home has terrible mobile service so landline is essential.
Own home we have a landline on FTTP Broadband - gives the chance for 2 concurrent calls on the one number. Do we use it? not much, think in the last twelve months we have made one chargeable call on it. Been offered the chance to loose it, think we will before Christmas.

The FTTP system is what the UK is moving to by the end of 2025. All speech calls will be VOIP so will be routed rather than switched. Once moved to BB/VOIP calls then the customer has to provide the power for phone system in their home, hence many complaints from customers. I've managed to talk a Battery Backup box out of BT ('cause that is who my service is provided by). All service providers are moving to BB/VOIP speech calls.

 

[Dork Lard]

I think the VOIP rollout is great & 20yrs overdue.

At sometime in the near future, very many people are going to stop & think "why are we paying all this money" for a service where the costs of providing it have been drastically reduced . . . .

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Mobiles should work in a power cut, base stations all have battery or generator backup. Our two (on different networks) both worked perfectly when we had a 9 hour power cut recently. The only unknown is how well charged your phone will be at the point it goes off - if a concern then a powerbank may be an option, kept on permanent trickle-charge and tested now and then by charging your phone from it.

I doubt that prices will ever come down, BT has most of us over a barrel. They'll keep the prices the same, not have to pay the cost of running the phone network and hand the vast extra profits to their shareholders. This is rip-off Britain.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I doubt that prices will ever come down, BT has most of us over a barrel. They'll keep the prices the same, not have to pay the cost of running the phone network and hand the vast extra profits to their shareholders. This is rip-off Britain.

Did you miss the unbundling, the lots of companies competing for your business, the fact that line and call costs have dropped dramatically too? We are paying less now in actual charges, despite inflation. As a BT shareholder, since BT was privatised, I can assure you there has been no vast profit by shareholders.

 

[Diver Fred]

Mobiles should work in a power cut, base stations all have battery or generator backup. Our two (on different networks) both worked perfectly when we had a 9 hour power cut recently. The only unknown is how well charged your phone will be at the point it goes off - if a concern then a powerbank may be an option, kept on permanent trickle-charge and tested now and then by charging your phone from it.

A lot depends on how big the Base Station is - can be as short as 2 hours up to anything over 24 hours.

I doubt that prices will ever come down, BT has most of us over a barrel. They'll keep the prices the same, not have to pay the cost of running the phone network and hand the vast extra profits to their shareholders. This is rip-off Britain.

Wish BT did have us over a barrel - instead because of the universal service obligation (i.e has to provide service everywhere no matter the cost) then the alternative suppliers who 'Cherry Pick' where and what service they provide so BT have to keep charges higher to ensure BT can provide service to everyone.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I can buy broadband from at least a dozen ISPs. But they all use BT Openreach's cables and exchange, most use their network too, and they all pay BT whatever wholesale cost they charge them.

Competition is largely pretend.

The only real competition is with Virgin, mobile and the newer fibre companies. Hopefully competition will increase, a minimum £300 a year for a network connection seems like a lot of money for not very much to me. Hopefully this will fall after all the current investment in fibre is over and done with, there shouldn't be a need for an upgrade for a good while after everyone has gigabit each way.

I have a gigabit connection to the other end of my bungalow that's longer than many people's phone lines. I know how much it cost to install, it was about £30 upfront with absolutely no ongoing costs or maintenance. I'd be very glad to rent it out for £25 a month, seems like a good scam to me.

 

[Dork Lard]

Wish BT did have us over a barrel - instead because of the universal service obligation (i.e has to provide service everywhere no matter the cost) then the alternative suppliers who 'Cherry Pick' where and what service they provide so BT have to keep charges higher to ensure BT can provide service to everyone.

I'm trying to make sense of this but I'm struggling, please help me.

These alternative suppliers who cherry pick? Where in the UK can I enjoy a BT free service from an alternative supplier???

 

[Dork Lard]

Competition is largely pretend.

It is ALL pretend.