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Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines


@JSHarris wrote:

 

We had endless TV adverts, newspaper ads, posters, mail shots etc telling us about the TV digital switchover.


 

It's only six years away before that also gets switched off, with all TV and radio subsequently delivered over broadband -

BBC Plan to Switch Off Terrestrial UK TV by 2030 

Last time I looked, Freeview etc are due to move to IP delivery between 2030 and 2034, with the TV transmitter frequencies being reallocated to mobile services.

JSHarris
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 199
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Registered: ‎06-08-2023

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines


@Anonymous wrote:

 

BBC Plan to Switch Off Terrestrial UK TV by 2030 

Last time I looked, Freeview etc are due to move to IP delivery between 2030 and 2034, with the TV transmitter frequencies being reallocated to mobile services


 

Thankfully not something that will impact me, as when the digital switchover happened we lost terrestrial TV, as the higher frequencies being used can't get down into our valley (although to be fair, the analogue signal wasn't great).  When that switch happened I went to Freesat, created mayhem with the local planners.  They ended up with no choice but to rescind their ban on satellite dishes as no one locally could get TV without one.  We did have a couple of interesting dodges around the daft planning ban, including one cottage where the owner installed a Jodrell Bank sized dish in his garden (apparently that didn't infringe the planning ban as it was ground mounted!)..

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

Coincidentally, just two hours ago this article appeared, saying that Sky are ending the installation of TV satellite dishes and are going over to IPTV (i.e. TV via internet) -

Sky UK to Cut 1,000 Staff as Broadband TV Takes Priority 

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

Back to the original purpose of this topic, I'm not quite sure what the point of the petition is ?

It seems to me that the talking points had already been put to ministers and discussed, with a follow up statement and actions that phone service providers need to address - BEFORE this petition was started !

MPs Debate 2025 Switch-off Dangers of Analogue UK Phone Services 

with various solutions to specific problems proposed, such as SOTAP for Analogue 

 

Reading through this - ISP BT Publish UK Regional Rollout Schedule for Digital Voice 

it appears that there are many safeguards already in place for vulnerable BT landline customers.

 

It looks like the thing to do now is notify your landline provider if you -

  • have no mobile signal
  • use a healthcare pendant
  • have additional needs
  • only have a landline (without broadband)
  • are over 70 years old

 

 


@RealAleMadrid wrote:

@mechanic123  Please keep up at the back, !


 

I guess this petition was started by someone else who wasn't keeping up at the back !

JSHarris
Aspiring Pro
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Registered: ‎06-08-2023

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

My own view is that there is a clear need to retain landline phone connectivity, that works for a useful length of time if there's a power cut, for those that have no other means of making an emergency call.  Right now, our VDSL/FTTC service categorically does not meet that requirement.  Certainly VOIP works well using it, but as it dies not long after the power goes off it's about as much use as a chocolate teapot as an emergency phone service.

However, my understanding is that when we get FTTP then this situation goes away, as FTTP does not need power in cabinets to work.  Providing home backup power to run the ONT etc is easy and something that shouldn't be difficult for those in areas that lose power.  Same goes for powering the router and ATA or whatever.

Therefore it seems to make sense to delay the PSTN switch off until such time that FTTP is available, as that neatly sidesteps the major reliability concern with no need for any additional work by service providers.  The fibre programme is already rolling out at pace, so as each area becomes fully FTTP enabled then that should be the time to turn off its PSTN, not before.

If the petition manages to get a bit of joined up thinking like this applied as a core principle then I think almost all of the PSTN related concerns go away, apart from the issue of whatever is needed to make landline connected alarm systems to work, which I suspect isn't that onerous a task (I'll happily bet that it's only some legacy system that need a copper pair to work anyway).

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

@JSHarris  would the provision of line powered  SOTAP for Analogue  until 2030 (or until FTTP becomes available) work for you ?

JSHarris
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Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines


@Anonymous wrote:

@JSHarris  would the provision of line powered  SOTAP for Analogue  until 2030 (or until FTTP becomes available) work for you ?


 

Unfortunately this doesn't address the real problem IMHO.  I'm pretty sure that phones like this are already in use, as I remember reading about them being rolled out during the early PSTN switch off trial cities.

The key issue is the one of keeping street cabinets running for a fairly long time.  It's not practical to provide big enough backup batteries to keep power-hungry cabinets for hours or days, so the easy way around that is to not need the street cabinets to be powered.  In essence that's where waiting until FTTP rolls out comes in, as light travels down the fibres without the need for power.  As long as the consumer has a battery backup unit to run their ONT and other key consumer-side equipment then their phone service (and internet connection) should stay up in a power cut.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

?  -  "SOTAP for analogue" has NOTHING to do with FTTC street cabinets.  The customer's landline is powered from the telephone exchange (the same as a normal analogue phone), and the so called "pre-digital" phone communicates with newly fitted equipment in the exchange that is completely separate from the existing analogue phone system that will be decommissioned at the end of 2025.

To the end user, the phone socket in the house will behave exactly like an existing telephone socket, so is able to be used with existing handsets, dial-up alarm systems, healthcare pendants, and other line powered devices.

Once a landline has been changed over to "SOTAP for Analogue", the number will be treated as is if it was provided digitally, and the number can be migrated to a true VoIP service at any time when an appropriate DSL or FTTP solution arrives.

The thing that makes this plan nuts, is that BT are upgrading ALL of their exchanges to have this capability by 2025, and then going to scrap it around 2030 when they close the telephone exchanges.  The time, money, and effort spent on this would be much better spent on upgrading everyone to FTTP !

HPsauce
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Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

FTTP plus a long-life battery backup in every relevant property? 

Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

Can you imagine the majority of the population testing the capacity of their ONT/router/phone UPS battery regularly, and having the confidence and ability to exchange a heavy lead acid battery every 4 or 5 years, and then disposing of the spent battery properly ?

 

I would consider myself very capable at dismantling and repairing electronics, but one of the most difficult things I've ever needed to open, was a Belkin UPS with a knackered battery.  Fortunately I have a good tool kit, and an assortment of pry tools, and really struggled to get the thing open - only to discover that the specific battery inside had gone obsolete and that there was no equivalent part anywhere in the world !

 

I would also be very wary of where people keep their UPS.  I had a 1000VA APC UPS to keep my old tower PC protected from power cuts.  One day I came home and discovered the PC wouldn't switch on, but soon traced it back to the UPS being off and standing in a puddle of battery acid !.  Fortunately I'd put the UPS on an old melamine tray to provide air circulation underneath, and also to facilitate sliding the very heavy UPS under my desk over the thick carpet.  Luckily the tray contained all the spilt acid, and it was a tricky job moving it outside to clean up,  but it could have been so much worse if the acid had soaked the carpet and dripped through the floor boards !

greygit1
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Re: Petition to delay switching to digital landlines

No more recording and watching later (which has the added benefit of skipping through adverts).