General > General Technical Chat
The end (almost) of an era!!
807:
--- Quote from: unknownparticle on November 26, 2022, 01:34:09 pm ---Had a telephone line fault to my house a few days ago, no dial tone, so had to call in Openreach, the UK telephone and broadband infrastructure provider, via my BB provider.
So, yes I do still have a phone landline! So, the BB provider took the opportunity to pitch for a new contract deal, as they do! The choice was a new fibre connection, or continue with the snail speed copper. I was undecided so she sweetened the offer by reducing the fibre below copper, but then mentioned in passing that copper is being phased out and will be obsolete and unavailable in 6 years!!! This is by virtue of Open Reach network policy. Now I had no idea that fibre was even available in my area, as it's rural and always at the end of the Q for everything, I can't even find the fibre cabinet and it is fibre to the property so it must be there somewhere! I was on the Open Reach network update list and have not been er' updated!!
Now you are wondering, what is this fool blathering about!! Good question. I collect and use old telephones and this means I will no longer be able to use them, as telephone landlines are not included with fibre BB!!
So do I stick it out on copper for the next 6 years and enjoy my old phones for as long as possible, or take the pain and disappointment now and go fibre?! I know it's not the end of the world but I feel so sad about this, the world is changing too fast for me!!
--- End quote ---
As MK14 pointed out, you shouldn't have to decide to stay "full copper" or go "full fibre" (FTTH), you should be able to split the difference & have fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) like I have. I went FTTC a few years ago with Plusnet when they offered it for just £1 per month more than I was already paying for copper.
I've had online offers & guys knocking on my door trying to persuade me to go FTTH, but I want to keep my traditional landline for as long as I can. I still use it quite regularly, with the added advantage that it still works in power cuts. Also, FTTH isn't cheap!
eti:
These companies forcing the “upgrade” (downgrade!) to VoIP is ridiculous. If you have only a house phone (wired) and a power cut on POTS and are trapped in a fire, you’re far better off than having some unnecessary digital VoIP gizmo which needs mains (or backup battery which CAN die) - and what if your internet dies - you die too!
So much for “progress”. Everyone’s trying to be “advanced” and yet K.I.S.S. stands true - ya can’t get no simpler and more robust than POTS.
The world has long been going more and more insane.
JohanH:
Over here almost nobody use landlines any more. Everyone has mobile phones and practically the whole country is covered. Operators even tout mobile Internet as the first option (4G/5G router), but that's of course not an option for someone working from home that needs a fast and reliable connection. Fortunately more rural areas also have fiber here (at least the central parts). In my part of the country there are lots of community groups that built non-profit fiber networks together. We tried to start one in our village, too, but there weren't enough interest. Fortunately a nice commercial operator entered (in part due to our efforts) and built an active ethernet fiber network. When they did that, the nearest village finally got fiber by the local established operator, but of course the big telecom vendors only use asymmetrical PON/G-PON, so now they sit there on their 30 Mbit _shared_ PON uplink while we other can have symmetrical, full Gbit speed.
tom66:
I live in a 30's house, in a relatively average area, supplied by overhead telephone lines, and just had 500Mbit/s fibre installed. It feels "wrong"! I could go up to 900Mbit/s. I didn't take a landline because as far as I'm concerned my mobile phone is fine for everything. The cost was almost the same as standard FTTC, I think £2 a month more.
Zero999:
Landlines aren't going obsolete, just copper wire. My house is just over 4 years old and doesn't have copper, only fibre. It has a landline and I would never get rid of it, as despite being in an urban area, my mobile phone service is flaky.
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