How many people still have a landline here?

[Harry Bloomfield]

The only real competition is with Virgin, mobile and the newer fibre companies.

Then why is Virgin so very expensive?

I have a gigabit connection to the other end of my bungalow that's longer than many people's phone lines.

Really???? I suspect you are making it up.

I know how much it cost to install, it was about £30 upfront with absolutely no ongoing costs or maintenance.

Mine cost me just a few pence for the cable, and a bit of spare time.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I think the universal service argument is valid. Basically BT's cost everywhere is the average of all houses in the UK. They're not allowed to charge extra for a mansion that's down a 5 mile long driveway. The new competition have no such obligation, so won't be competing for the mansions. But they are competing in cities, where the houses are much denser so cheaper to connect.

So yes, this aspect is unfair on BT. But they have lots of massive advantages over the rest, including the vast network of poles and ducts that they already own, that were paid for long ago that they got for a knockdown price - their IPO price was a fraction of what it would have cost to buy and install everything they owned at that time. They've also had decades of monopoly profits to swell their coffers and invest into the infrstructure they now own. So don't cry for them if a few upstarts are starting to nibble a couple of tiny chunks off their profits.

 

[Diver Fred]

Outside the family home we have BT, with a landline cab, ducts and poles; 200MTR up the road there is a BT FTTC cab cabled to the Landline cab - new ducts dug into the footpath. been there some 40 years and 7 years respectively. In the last 12 months GigaClear fibre have come along and dug in new ducts along the road causing mayhem with traffic. they have the 'right' to enter OR ducts and up their poles, as well as putting in new footway boxes. They did that work overnight waking us all up. Numerous complaints - local council not interested until the local council chairman was disturbed overnight. They now have a road closure request in for next week but haven't us where they are doing the work and whose drives they will be blocking.
GigaClear have sold service to one customer and only one - ripped his shared drive up to get the fibre into his house, the drive hasn't been reinstated properly and has now sunk, the drive sharer is fuming 'cause he can't access his garage safely without a sheet of steel to drive over. The customer who has bought the service is still waiting for the new fibre to be working - he closed his account with his previous provider and that provision has been recovered.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Then why is Virgin so very expensive?



Really???? I suspect you are making it up.



Mine cost me just a few pence for the cable, and a bit of spare time.

Virgin and BT have a duopoly. They haven't really competed, they just share the customers. Hopefully more digging and upstarts will result in actual competition.

My gigabit connection is 40m. It costs about £1/m for decent Cat 7 cable. Fibre probably costs less. The point is that it has an upfront cost, it's not a lot, but beyond that it costs pretty much nothing. Beyond 2030 BT isn't going to have much left to pay for, so either prices drop or they'll be making stacks of profit.

 

[Dork Lard]

Virgin and BT have a duopoly. They haven't really competed, they just share the customers.

You might think that & you're entitled to think whatever you want. But if it had any basis in reality then it would be so illegal that you would no doubt instantly become an expert in the very long thread on the subject of the high court case that the monopolies & mergers commision would be forced to bring.

 

[lostinthelight]

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

I had to change from plusnet as my mobile provider as they didnt offer wifi calling but then thats only any good for in the main house.

 

[fixitflav]

Except in an emergency, when you might have a power cut - no power to your modem, so no phone at all.

And not everybody has a modem. BT are changing to Digital Voice, which I believe is causing some concern.

 

[RandomGrinch]

And not everybody has a modem. BT are changing to Digital Voice, which I believe is causing some concern.

That's Harry's point. You need the modem for VOIP, without power there's no phone (unless, as suggested by @Diver Fred , you can badger your supplier for a UPS!).

 

[fixitflav]

That's Harry's point. You need the modem for VOIP, without power there's no phone (unless, as suggested by @Diver Fred , you can badger your supplier for a UPS!).

Yes, I was agreeing with Harry. And adding that without a modem you've got no chance.

 

[Mottie]

monopolies & mergers commision

Hmmm. How many of those are there?

 

[securespark]

The whole of our existence is an illusion, a simulation.

 

[Notch7]

I don’t quite understand this stuff.

I understand as regions reach 75% FTTP potential, BT will start switching off the copper connection

I am wondering what happens to the 25%?

If somebody understands the process, I’d be grateful for any input


“Take note that the process for fully moving away from copper to “fibre” begins once 75% of premises in an exchange are able to receive ultrafast broadband connectivity. The news today is thus focused on this second phase (i.e. “FTTP Priority Exchange” areas).

Between the full fibre rollout and the gradual switch away from copper lines, this process will take several years in each area to complete, and the pace will vary (i.e. some areas have better FTTP coverage than others). We should add that Openreach currently plans to stop selling all analogue phone lines to new customers by 5th September 2023 (this has no impact on IP / SOGEA based copper or full fibre broadband lines”

Openreach Name 119 UK Areas for Copper Phone to Fibre Switch - Tranche 12

Openreach (BT) has today announced the next batch of 119 UK exchanges under 'Tranche 12' of their project to move away from copper-based analogue phone (PSTN

www.ispreview.co.uk

 

[Dork Lard]

I don’t quite understand this stuff.

I understand as regions reach 75% FTTP potential, BT will start switching off the copper connection

I am wondering what happens to the 25%?

If somebody understands the process, I’d be grateful for any input

You have no need to "understand" it, it is just technical details on how BT manage the rollout.

That 25% will be migrated to fibre, they will not be left without a service.

 

[Dork Lard]

The demographic that are being caught by surprise & voicing concerns about not being able to make a phone call during a power cut, are of the generation that grew up when a home telephone was still quite rare. Have they forgotten how they called the doctor, the fire brigade or the police etc back in the days when the nearest phone was anything from a few doors away or 1/2 mile?

They will adapt, they will survive. Just like they 'adapted' to having their first telephone installed they will adapt to the reality of being cut off if/when the power fails.

 

[RandomGrinch]

They will adapt, they will survive. Just like they 'adapted' to having their first telephone installed they will adapt to the reality of being cut off if/when the power fails.

If the need is safety critical, then yes, they will 'adapt' - by having a UPS backed supply.
Our workplace went VOIP about 7 years ago - hundreds of lines were moved to UPS backed routers, just for refuge area and lift phones alone.