Will plusnet provide a voip landline service?

[#1]

Well yes, Digital Voice is far more than a little gizmo to plug your DECT phone into with a little battery! But that said there is one ‘theory’ I’ve heard banded about which sounds very similar.

For those who don’t have and don’t want an internet connection I’m sure I read somewhere that the existing master socket will be replaced with a new master socket which would be in effect be a VOIP interface connected [still by copper wire] to the nearest green cabinet and interface the system from there. The 12volts or whatever being supplied through the same copper wire. A bit like the LNB on a satellite dish.

Sounds practical to me given the physical size and power requirements of such a ‘gizmo’ and anyway for each green cabinet there would be very few such customers – if any!

[#2]

A recent hour long youtube video hosted by AbilityNet with answers from BT covers the thing you have mentioned along with many other questions.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6YEZh1nRiU&list=PLScHneXQ0X5F4KVe9oakUikrxDPK1I8FA&index=8

[#3]

@Batfrog

The perspective that all it is is plugging your phone into some gizmo of whatever type is all there is to making VoIP work is akin to thinking just plugging your phone into the wall socket … whilst forgetting about the PTSN infrastructure … is all it takes to make it work.

Instead of call management being done by one central body, VoIP needs to be done by each VoIP provider, much like each provider hosts email or web services … only a lot more complicated!!

People need to understand this is not a simple switch over. The world WIIL be different.

[#4]

What you say is correct and I wouldn’t argue with any of it but at the end of the day for the non-tech customer the same applies to the existing PSTN i.e. it’s just a socket to plug the phone into, they don’t want or need to know what happens to the wire or whatever when it leaves their property. They just pay for the service.

[#5]

@Batfrog 

"The 12volts or whatever being supplied through the same copper wire."

The UK, (and probably worldwide), PSTN system uses 50 volts DC, positive earth.

Ringing current, the power that makes your phone ring, is AC at a slightly higher voltage. (Note that this is a different signal to what a caller hears when telephoning someone - Ring Tone - you are not actually hearing their phone ring!).

[#6]

Yes, yes, yes, all true when PSTN is no longer there, or even before, we’re talking about a very few subscribers. If and when Openreach replace an individual customers non-internet connection I’m certain they could manage their connections in such a way to supply whatever voltage in whatever polarity with whatever surge protection would be required to achieve something similar to what I suggest!

[#7]

The BT group vision is that EE will provide consumer services, BT business services.  Plusnet seems to be an anomaly - that they'd like to get rid of but it provides a valuable income stream - so will remain as a low cost Internet provider.

They are probably suprised by the number of mobile users not moving to the EE deals when they leave.

[#8]

@Batfrog 

"I’m certain they could"

To clarify, do you have a working knowledge/ experience of modern telephony systems and infrastructure, or is this what you think should / could / might happen?

[#9]

To clarify - My background is in electronics / computing both hardware and to some extent software. So not specifically  telephony systems although I do have some limited experience on the hardware side.

[#10]

@Batfrog  When PSTN is discontinued there will be no power supplied on the copper line so your gizmo would have to be powered from the domestic supply with the requirement for battery backup.

The 50 Volt supply on the line comes from the telephone exchange and when PSTN stops most of the exchanges will be closed down, apart from the larger Fibre Head End exchanges. I expect all the PSTN equipment would be removed from these as well.

Your guess as to what could happen is incorrect.

[#11]

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@Batfrog wrote:

For those who don’t have and don’t want an internet connection I’m sure I read somewhere that the existing master socket will be replaced with a new master socket which would be in effect be a VOIP interface connected [still by copper wire] to the nearest green cabinet and interface the system from there. The 12volts or whatever being supplied through the same copper wire. A bit like the LNB on a satellite dish.

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While an ATAT could technically be powered from  the copper pair, that can't be a general solution as a large %age of customers will be in FTTP only areas by the time PSTN is decommissioned. With the digital VoIP traffic over the fibre, it would defeat the objective of simplifying the system if the power came in over the copper pair. Particularly where the ONT is in a different location to the master socket.

Even for those still on FTTC or ADSL it would only be a short term bodge, and telecom companies don't tend to do short term (when I worked for a company developing digital telephone exchanges they had to have a minimum lifetime of 50 years).

[#12]

I don't see any reason why plusnet could not do a simply soft rebrand BT / EE voip services.  As contracts renew send out a new modem with a built in ATA and its done.

Simple.

[#13]

@peterhr 

"I don't see any reason why plusnet could not do a simply soft rebrand BT / EE voip services.  As contracts renew send out a new modem with a built in ATA and its done.

Simple."

That is what I suggested/asked in Message #70, and @corringham replied in #71.

As you say that it is a "simple" solution, (as it seemed to me when I asked), do you have any working knowledge / experience of modern telephony systems and infrastructure?

[#14]

Simple."

That is what I suggested/asked in Message #70, and @corringham replied in #71.

As you say that it is a "simple" solution, (as it seemed to me when I asked), do you have any working knowledge / experience of modern telephony systems and infrastructure?

[#15]

Just because something can be done doesn’t mean that it will or should be done. Lots of things are technically possible and some are even desirable but at the end of the day unless the government decides there is social need for something and stumps up the money – how likely is that? Then as I have said before (post 65 I think);

At the end of the day it’s the men in suits [the bean counters] that will decide, as it ever was!

[#16]

There is far more to delivering VoIP (and the existing telephone service) than what you see in the home.  Just because one company does it, is not foundation for expecting all companies to do it.  It is not just the technology, but it is also billing, administration and customer service matters which are required as well.

There is a view that beyond the baby-boomers, not one really wants a "landline" anymore.  Therefore investing in such has no long term returns ... and if that is what that demographic wants ... there are other suppliers, both within the family and without.

Sure we do not like it, but it is what it is.

Voice "landline" will in future be delivered by light from the exchange not electricity ... which now needs to come from the subscriber, paid for by the subscriber.