Digital Switchover 2025

[#1]

I think that the discussion in this thread merely reinforces the fact that we are heading for a significant change in the not too distant future with little concrete information as to exactly what will happen and what our detailed options are likely to be.

Yes, I have read BTs information (and information on other websites, a lot of which seems to be lifted from the BT information), but detailed information is absent especially as it really has to come from the ISP and Plusnet seem particularly bad at giving out information in advance of events in any case. Some ISPs do seem to be ahead of the game and appear to have formulated more advanced planning to the benefit of their customers, but I suspect the majority are nearer the Plusnet end of the scale.

OFCOM, for all their inadequacies, are the regulatory body and they do need to firm up on requirements (balancing the needs of industry and customers fairly) so that industry knows what the rules will be and thus customers can be given detailed information to consider and plan. Things do develop over time, but December 2025 is an endpoint and not the start and many areas are already in the throes of this change.

[#2]

@Mustrum

Biased view of BT? What you mean that they are not fit for purpose? That they do not own the issues of their own creation?

Your quotes do indeed include the undeniable facts that the copper network is dilapidated and needs to be replaced … but there is no associated coherent plan for the migration of current voice services on the existing infrastructure to the new infrastructure.

Such wholesale changes instigated by the infrastructure owner should have been part of the fundamental migration plan - something BT has fundamentally not done.

In short BT Openreach had moved from being a supplier of wires and voice to solely supplying fibre without also providing a comparable voice service for retail resale.

[#3]

@Townman 

"In short BT Openreach had moved from being a supplier of wires and voice to solely supplying fibre without also providing a comparable voice service for retail resale."

That is indeed the nub of the issue.

[#4]

Again ignoring the question, and blaming BT for everything. Some ISP's are offering and supplying Digital Voice, BT, Sky, Talk Talk, Zen  to name a few. Some people have mentioned OFCOM stepping up in April to help customers from losing their landline numbers when they move to digital service. Both PN and EE, part of the BT Group have chosen not to supply digital voice if a customer moves to fibre.

Openreach have never been a supplier of voice. they have under direction of OFCOM, provided the connectivity to the customer.

Openreach

Even though Openreach is a separate company from BT, it’s still part of our BT Group. And it’s job is to keep the UK’s fixed connectivity network in tip-top condition. Openreach connect our homes, mobile phone masts, schools, hospitals, broadcasters, and businesses of all shapes and sizes. It helps to create the best possible network with the highest quality service, for everybody.

[#5]

Openreach have never been a supplier of voice

So who supplies the Wholesale line rental ( WLR ) voice service that most isps use to provide voice to their customers ?  answer Openreach

[#6]

Thanks @MisterW  - you just beat me to saying the same thing!

If BT Openreach are not the providers of voice services, then who is?

One should not confuse the provider of a service with the (re)seller of a service.

The mentioned CPs have resold the existing analogue voice services ... but no similar digital voice services have been made available within the new infrastructure.

[#7]

In reality come the PSTN. switch off, ALL Openreach will be stopping providing is WLR. They will still be providing all the interconnecting and routing for the various digital voice services

[#8]

In my opinion PSTN is not a service - simply a means of connecting one analogue circuit (the user) to another (the receiver). What was sent over it, whether voice, fax or data, depended entriely on the customer equipment at either end.

Both parties would have purchased access to the PSTN and the charges for the user in sending would depend entirely on the access purchased.

Nothing has changed here on digital - both parties are required to purchase access to send / receive and the costs will be dependant on the access that has been paid for by the user.

The only real difference is the equipment required and the requirement for backup power.

If an access provider chooses not to provide a VOIP service then that is their choice and it is the customers choice as to stay with them or not.

Brian

[#9]

A couple of points relating to porting your landline number

• 03 April 2023 remains the target date for Industry compliance to Ofcom’s revised switching General Conditions (GCs)
• Under this requirement, CPs must provide number porting to customers that request it for at least a month (agreed as 31 calendar days) after the termination of a contract, unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise when terminating that contract

How PN will handle this when upgrading to FTTP is anyone's guess. For more details follow the link:

http://www.offta.org.uk/latest-news/telecommunications-adjudicator-update-for-december-2022 

[#10]

How PN will handle this when upgrading to FTTP is anyone's guess. 

how any CP will handle this is anyone's guess.

When a number is ceased it is returned to the Rangeholder ( BT Retail in most cases )

so who is responsible for maintaining porting availability of the number, the CP who had it or the RH who now has it ?