topic Re: PSTN Withdrawel in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Emergency voice access trials

Protech — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:59:48 GMT

Openreach is trialling a "new" product to cater for those landline only customers who are unable to get a "digital" product in place before the PSTN cut off date.
The trials start in August this year !

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/04/openreach-pilot-emergency-uk-phone-lines-for-2027-analogue-switch-off.html!

PSTN Withdrawel

bmc — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:05:49 GMT

New information

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/04/openreach-pilot-emergency-uk-phone-lines-for-2027-analogue-switch-off.html

Brian

Re: Emergency voice access trials

PhilipHeyes — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:33:04 GMT

About 2.8 million analogue landlines remain in service.

That is one heck of a backlog especially when some telcos & ISP & many customers are sat on their hands.

Re: Emergency voice access trials

dvorak — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:19:05 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Home Phone to Tech Help

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

mwwagain — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:07:59 GMT

Interesting thanks

2.5 million 'phone' lines

44,000 conversions a week for about 40 weeks only gets to 1.8 million.

What is unknown to me though is:

Are the 44,000 conversions a week personnel / equipment limited, or is there capacity for say 60,000 a week?

How many of the 2.5 million are also active ADSL lines - who would miss the internet (to be disconnected) more than the full analogue phone line (being maintained).

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

Protech — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:34:18 GMT

https://community.plus.net/t5/Tech-Help-Software-Hardware-etc/Emergency-voice-access-trials/m-p/2044587
We're on the same page here 😁
At the current conversion rate, assuming that's sustainable, which is unlikely, it would take to the end of 2027 to get everyone moved off PTSN .

This, another transitional product from BT is their get out of jail free card to ensure nobody is left without emergency phone access come January 2027.

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

bmc — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:40:05 GMT

@mwwagain

I suspect capacity is not an issue.

The problem is getting ISP's to get their finger out and get customers moved or sorted if they have care alarms / ADSL etc.

Brian

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

dvorak — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:00:17 GMT

Moderators Note

Topics merged.

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

mystreet1 — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:04:33 GMT

Are all 2.5m lines going to be converted? I expect a lot will just say, don't used it anymore/at all, so just go broadband only.

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

mwwagain — Fri, 01 May 2026 01:12:19 GMT

Not quite that simple, as 'just forget my landline' is a positive decison required by the account holder, and some scenarios (ADSL+POTS to FTTP) still needs the work to be done by Jan 27.

However the pure financial side has now flipped witht he April price increases, those running on ADSL are well into their contracts and now pay £30+, so FTTP on a recontract is cheaper even with a phone 'line' retained via a real VOIP

For those not invoking a change then come Jan27:

A POTS user - fine they go to the downgrade - and may not notice anyway.
An ADSL+POTS user (even if not using the POTS) would be very annoyed when the ADSL got removed to keep the POTS.
An FTTC+POTS would presumably also lose the FTTC in order to be left with the reduced POTS, or could it be split out ?

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

njay — Fri, 01 May 2026 06:20:11 GMT

I thought the last 2 are pots with either ADSL or FTTC added on top. If so then doesnt any change to pots cancel them?

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

pvmb — Fri, 01 May 2026 06:41:44 GMT

Don't forget, anyone still using POTS, is going to be hit by dramatic price rises as 2026 advances. I wonder how many of them already know this?

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

markhawkin — Fri, 01 May 2026 06:51:27 GMT

The price increased from Openreach to the Communications Provider.

I've not heard of the Communications Providers (say Plusnet) passing the increase on yet.

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

pvmb — Fri, 01 May 2026 06:57:25 GMT

@markhawkin

In the circumstances, why wouldn't they? It would seem to me to be a mistake otherwise, as all the suppliers interests are aligned.

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

MisterW — Fri, 01 May 2026 09:11:09 GMT

I've not heard of the Communications Providers (say Plusnet) passing the increase on yet.

In the circumstances, why wouldn't they?

If the customer is in contract , then they can't without terminating it!.

Hence the push by ISPs to move customers off contracts that include POTS

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

HPsauce — Fri, 01 May 2026 09:59:13 GMT

Yes, effectively the price increase is pressure on the Comms providers to get their act together and start migrating customers faster. The CPs probably need to throw in some financial incentives to customers to achieve that; worth doing to avoid the extra charges, but will they? 🤣

Re: PSTN Withdrawel

mwwagain — Fri, 01 May 2026 10:42:14 GMT

As noted in the 'My Order' thread I started, the April price rise has flipped the economics of (ADSL+POTS) vs (FTTP74+VOIP) for me.

However I was expecting it and went looking. There was no direct PN 'Hey save £7 by changing to FTTP now' promo email which would have been justified.

Maybe they are happy wait until the first OR WLR price hike in July, and take the inflated ADLS charges until then ?