UK copper phone network switch off

[vivdunstan]

Got a leaflet with the post about coping with power cuts and registering for priority needs help (I did that, years ago). I was wryly amused at the advice to have an analogue phone to plug in if need be during a power cut. Which I don’t think will work when UK copper phone lines are turned off by 2025. Martin didn’t know about that at all. In case anyone else doesn’t here’s a helpful page.

If my 86-year-old mum is still alive then I know she will struggle with this. She has never signed up for broadband or switched to a mobile phone. We also still largely use our landline for incoming calls. I know many people are now primarily mobile phone users, but mobile phone signals can be patchy, especially in rural areas, including much of Scotland. And VOIP doesn't work in power cuts.

Comments

[andrewducker]

She'll basically get broadband just for having a phone converter plugged into it. Hopefully she won't notice much difference, except if there's a power cut.

[vivdunstan]

I know that's how it's meant to go. But (1) she's going to find the whole process confusing and scary, and (2) it doesn't always go smoothly. See this article from the Guardian the other day. Not everyone is being switched in the best way. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/nov/20/as-uk-landlines-go-digital-fears-grow-for-vulnerable-people-whose-home-phone-is-a-lifeline

[andrewducker]

That sadly doesn't surprise me. I hope it goes more smoothly for your mum.

[vivdunstan]

Thank you!

[vivdunstan]

It's also potentially a big problem for people on medical monitoring devices or personal alarms. They won't work with the new system, and need to be changed if possible. Mum was on a permanent phone hook up re her heart a while back. But after her defibrillator was switched off (it had fairly recently been replaced, and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary basically made a total disaster of it, and it's unfixable, and can't be allowed to fire off again - it nearly killed her the last time it did) she's not having that now. She used to have a personal alarm but can't afford that now. So at least those aren't a concern. But yes, there are bigger implications.