I tend agree with @HPsauce about the awareness amongst my peers of similarly aged retired people. Those on BT will just await the "internal" transfer to BTs digital voice and only have to unplug the phone line from the wall and plug it into their Hub (assuming it is a late enough model). The rest are beginning to realise they will need to do something if their provider is Plusnet or another ISP that is not providing a VOIP service of any kind if they want to continue to have a landline which seems to be the majority.
I am fortunate in that we have three fibre providers inc.Openreach (plus Virgin) in our street and so the selection of retail providers is quite large but even then only a limited number offer an "in house" voip service. I have been looking around for a few months now as my current PN contract ends in two months and I have no desire to transfer to BT/EE, and current thinking is we want to retain the landline. even if it is little used. as a secondary means of contact.
I think I know where I am going especially as one of my perferred retailers, Zen, now uses City Fibre here rather than Openreach and their prices have subseqently come down to match PN's full fibre offerings and they offer a very competitive voip bundle which allows you to simply plug your existing analogue phone into their router. This shows how expensive Openreach's wholesale prices must be. I prefer the option of going to them rather than the minor hassle of porting my number out to a voip provider such as A & A , after full fibre installation . I have a few more weeks to finally make a decision.
I agree that the communication on this is not hitting the mark vis-a-vis those likely to be most affected and least aware. Ideally all ISPs should have been compelled to provide, either in house or via a partnership, a voip service or equivalent but that does suit industry and so we are where we are with the attendant ignorance / confusion amongst customers.
