Can't hear the caller

[#1]

I'm a new user to this forum and I'm now using this as a last resort for any useful info anyone can provide.

We use a landline as we don't have a smart phone that supports WhatsApp or VOIP. So we have just a basic (copper technology) broadband package and a landline with Unlimited Evening & Weekends.

For a couple of weeks now we have had intermittent issues hearing the caller when receiving calls on our landline.

We have had 3 different OpenReach engineers come and go in less than a week. Each one with a different resolution.

The first one claimed our phone was defective. Now it could be the volume/mute settings on the phone I hear you say but here's the thing, we even tried 3 different phones all with the same problem. They checked the exchange cabinet.

The second one changed our 2-to-1 microfilter to a separate phone/wifi double socket with no effect. Again they checked the exchange cabinet.

The third one today changed it back to a microfilter and left to check the exchange cabinet and never came back.

This last report is currently still open with Plusnet even though the previous reports were closed supposedly resolved.

I have done some investigations of my own and have so far concluded the following:

1) All outgoing calls by me are fine.

2) Incoming calls by landline are fine.

3) The issue appears to be incoming calls by mobile.

And the issue is that when someone calls me by mobile, they can hear me at the other end but I can't hear anything. There isn't even any background noise.

As an old person I rely on my phone for GP and hospital appointments so I really need this sorted out.

Any help please?

P.S. I am aware that copper is being replaced by full-fibre by end of next year and my analogue phone will no longer work but surely I shouldn't be getting these problems because of this. Or is this a deceptive way to get us to change to a more expensive full-fibre plan?

[#2]

@OAPCouple 

"P.S. I am aware that copper is being replaced by full-fibre by end of next year"

That is not correct: it is the Public Switched Telephone Network, (PSTN), that is being closed down - not copper connections, (yet!).

My understanding is also that Openreach have put back the final switch-off date to early 2027, (?), though individual ISPs, eg Plusnet, may still keep to the original date for closing their telephone service.

I don't think that Plusnet have announced their exact plans for shutting down telephony, have they?

.

[#3]

Your reported “results” are quite odd. It should not matter how calls are oriented they “arrive” the same at the exchange. If one accepts the observations st face value, then the issue is way back from your line and is at the point of mobile network call injection to PTSN. That would impact thousands of users.

@198kHz - any thoughts please?

[#4]

@OAPCouple, make sure that you are registered with PlusNet as vulnerable. This will ensure that your needs are taken into account.

[#5]

@OAPCouple 

Is it all incoming mobile calls that can't be heard or just some? If some, any particular networks?

If the person calling from the mobile calls again do you get the same result?

I assume the mobile caller gets the appearence of a successful call. 

It's nothing (at least directly) related to the end of the PSTN, it seems to be an exchange or routing fault.

If absolutely repeatable then get another engineer visit and demonstrate to the engineer what works and what doesn't work. The Openreach engineer will have a company mobile and will be able to reproduce the problem if it applies to all networks.

[#6]

The theory behind the observations is a tad complex.  Calls might originate from...

• PSTN landline
• VoIP provider
• Mobile network provider

The last two will have various points of "injection" into the PTSN network, however the delivery of all of them will be over the same (digital) network to the local exchange.

When we think of a 'landline' vs a 'mobile' phone we must consider the characteristics of each provider: Sky and Talk Talk 'PTSN' telephone subscribers are effectively VoIP, as is Virgin.  Different mobile operators have their own infrastructure and call routing ... which becomes even more complex where numbers have been ported across networks.

[#7]

I obviously haven't tried all networks so it is just a general assumption but I tried mobile which is T-mobile taken over by EE, an O2 phone, my sister who is Vodafone and the OpenReach engineer (BT maybe?).

Yes, the mobiles produce the same results each time, day or night.

Yes, the caller can hear everything fine.

The third engineer did just that with his own (presumably company) phone even though his testing equipment stated there was no issue.

[#8]

"even though his testing equipment stated there was no issue"

... though he heard the difference when he ran a test?

Just because test equipment designed to test part of a system does not detect an issue, does not mean that there is no issue in the part of the system being tested ... nor that there is no fault in part of the system not tested.

I suggest that you call support again, point out that there have been three engineer call outs and request an escalations engineer now be assigned.  That might not be the right label (they keep changing) but the important point is that three "ordinary" engineers have failed to locate and rectify the issue and thus this becomes a case eligible for escalation.

[#9]

---

@Townman wrote:

@198kHz - any thoughts please?

---

Bit late to the party, but having now seen the latest posts from you and the OP, I can only agree with your suggested way forward.

It just baffles me why Openreach continue to send engineers out to an end user when there's obviously a switching network fault.

[#10]

Latest update.

I have today spoken to another call centre agent off the back of the open log not being resolved.

Got him to call my phone directly from his desk while on hold to him via my mobile and explained to him my theories.

He got the same problem and could clearly hear me and the background music on the mobile, while I couldn't hear him.

None of his colleagues had any answers.

He passed me onto a technical agent, who on calling later today went through some more searching questions and tests.

He seemed a bit more knowledgeable and has booked another OpenReach engineer to come tomorrow ensuring he passes his notes over.

I re-iterated that I hope the next engineer doesn't just perform the same functions and come to the same conclusions but he has assured me that he will make sure his notes get passed across with the extra information.

Only time will tell.

Let's hope and wait that this one finally works out what's wrong.

Will keep you posted.

[#11]

P.S. The technical agent also got the same problem when he called the landline.