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UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

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Arborbridge
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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#450169

Postby Arborbridge » October 14th, 2021, 5:18 pm

I might be a born pessimist, but I have a nasty feeling this is going to end it tears! If only they are tears of frustration for many people, and real difficulties for elderly folk.

It sounds like a few years of horror and extra cost for a significant percentage of the population and where's the gain? From what I've seen of Zoom conversations etc, it'll be dreadful. There's no doubt my landline gives superior results compared with mobile for much of the time.

Yeah, definitely a bad time coming and it coincides with the other bad time: replacing PCs if they turn out to be junked by W11, and finding your old spreadsheets don't work anymore. And my internet has dropped out about five times today, usual when I want to send an email.

Urgh! Progress. I think it's just people making a job for themselves. Developers have to develop: they can't just leave things alone.

Arb.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#450174

Postby Infrasonic » October 14th, 2021, 5:32 pm

jackdaw wrote:
i am partially signed up with sipgate - but find them opaque - i dont know whether they will make any one off charges - for porting etc - they seem to want you to go ahead with a blank cheque , i cant see how to contact them .

i hope to get to the bottom of this in the next few weeks.
:?


Open up a separate thread if you get stuck - there's posters on here that are Sipgate customers who could probably help.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#450194

Postby Bminusrob » October 14th, 2021, 8:12 pm

jackdaww wrote:i called into my local vodafone shop - they were very helpful - VOIP will be ok on the superfast1 deal .

they said i was the first to ask about VOIP which surprises me .

chatted with grandstream and also their community forum - it seems i will need a ATA box ( ht801? ) for my DECT phones .

i am partially signed up with sipgate - but find them opaque - i dont know whether they will make any one off charges - for porting etc - they seem to want you to go ahead with a blank cheque , i cant see how to contact them .

i hope to get to the bottom of this in the next few weeks .

:?


The Grandstream ATA adapter is a good start. £39.99 on Amazon.

I must say, my experience of Sipgate is very different from yours. I have found them exceptionally good, and their communication is first class. This page

https://basichelp.sipgate.co.uk/hc/en-g ... gate-basic

seems to be very clear. You need to set up a Sipgate account with a temporary number, but it is probably worth checking that you can port your current number if that is what you want to do. The link is very clear on how to do this. Assuming you can port your number, set up an account with a temporary number, and put some credit on the account. You can put as little as £10 credit on the account. My £10 has gone down to £8 in two years, as I make most outgoing calls using my mobile. It will then cost £30 to port your number to Sipgate. It takes a few days. I am not aware of any other costs, and the call charges are pretty reasonable.

One of the best things about Sipgate for me is that if I am away from home, I have an app on my mobile phone which allows me to answer my home phone while I am away.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#450223

Postby jackdaww » October 14th, 2021, 10:31 pm

Bminusrob wrote:
jackdaww wrote:i called into my local vodafone shop - they were very helpful - VOIP will be ok on the superfast1 deal .

they said i was the first to ask about VOIP which surprises me .

chatted with grandstream and also their community forum - it seems i will need a ATA box ( ht801? ) for my DECT phones .

i am partially signed up with sipgate - but find them opaque - i dont know whether they will make any one off charges - for porting etc - they seem to want you to go ahead with a blank cheque , i cant see how to contact them .

i hope to get to the bottom of this in the next few weeks .

:?


The Grandstream ATA adapter is a good start. £39.99 on Amazon.

I must say, my experience of Sipgate is very different from yours. I have found them exceptionally good, and their communication is first class. This page

https://basichelp.sipgate.co.uk/hc/en-g ... gate-basic

seems to be very clear. You need to set up a Sipgate account with a temporary number, but it is probably worth checking that you can port your current number if that is what you want to do. The link is very clear on how to do this. Assuming you can port your number, set up an account with a temporary number, and put some credit on the account. You can put as little as £10 credit on the account. My £10 has gone down to £8 in two years, as I make most outgoing calls using my mobile. It will then cost £30 to port your number to Sipgate. It takes a few days. I am not aware of any other costs, and the call charges are pretty reasonable.

One of the best things about Sipgate for me is that if I am away from home, I have an app on my mobile phone which allows me to answer my home phone while I am away.


=====================

i had not looked at the help section , expecting things like porting charges to be under a headline tab .

i will look at help now, there is lots to discover there .

:)
;

ReformedCharacter
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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#451825

Postby ReformedCharacter » October 20th, 2021, 10:46 pm

As mentioned upthread, BT sent me a digital home 'phone after I texted 'ADAPTER' to 61998. Apart from wondering if I could re-purpose it I didn't think much more about it apart from the fact that I really would need to get an adapter at some point when BT actually have some in stock.

But this evening I received an email from BT saying:

How to return your kit:
Here's the instructions we promised to send about how to return your equipment.
Please send the following back to us so you won't be charged:

Smart Hub 2 £50.00

You'll receive a returns bag from us in the next few days. When it arrives, please put your kit in the white pre-paid returns bag and attach the label, then take it to your local Post Office. You can also arrange a Royal Mail Collection for a small fee. Remember to keep your proof of postage safe until we've confirmed your return has arrived.


Naturally BT hadn't made any promises to tell me about how to return my equipment and hadn't sent me a Home Hub 2 either.

So I decided it was time to try the chat service:

You are now chatting with Riya.

RC wrote:Hello, I've received an email from you that says: 'Here's the instructions we promised to send about how to return your equipment. Please send the following back to us so you won't be charged:' That apparently is for a Smart Hub 2. You haven't sent me one. What's going on?

Riya wrote:Hi RC. Please do not worry, I will get that quickly checked for you and help you accordingly.

RC wrote:Thank you.

Riya wrote:You're welcome, RC.
Please allow me 2 - 3 minutes while I review the account..
Thanks for staying connected, RC. I appreciate your patience. I have reviewed your account and I can see that there is a Hub replacement order placed on your BT account, order reference number is VOL013-XXXXXXXXX when you will receive a new Hub, you will be able to return the old one, which is why, you have received an email.

RC wrote:No, I have NOT ordered one.

Riya wrote:I am sorry for that, RC, please do not worry, I will cancel this order for you and update the details on your BT account, so that you will not be charged for returning the Hub.

RC wrote:Thank you.

Riya wrote:Is there anything else I can help you with?

At this point I should have asked if she could send me an adapter but I missed the opportunity.

RC wrote:No, that's all thanks.

I hoped that was an end to it but thought I'd copy the conversation to file just in case...

And just now another email from BT:

BT wrote:Hello RC,

Just to confirm, we've got: Smart Hub 2
Your return has helped us with our commitment to reduce waste. We'll now make sure this kit is either recycled or disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly way.
Thanks,
BT Customer Support

Well, that good to know, isn't it?

RC

ReformedCharacter
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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#452088

Postby ReformedCharacter » October 21st, 2021, 6:59 pm

And today:

BT wrote:Hold tight. Your hub's on its way
Hello,
Here's what's coming:
Smart Hub 2


RC

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#452105

Postby Infrasonic » October 21st, 2021, 8:23 pm

ReformedCharacter wrote:And today:

BT wrote:Hold tight. Your hub's on its way
Hello,
Here's what's coming:
Smart Hub 2


RC


Do you get a free groundhog toy as well?

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#452248

Postby ReformedCharacter » October 22nd, 2021, 2:07 pm

The Smart Hub 2 has arrived, I'm now waiting for the envelope to send it back which I'm sure must be in the post.

That's the last time I'm going to send BT a text for an adapter :)

Good luck with the digital upgrade BT, you're going to need it.

RC

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457906

Postby swill453 » November 14th, 2021, 10:32 am

David Mitchell's amusing take on this subject in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... t-customer

Scott.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457918

Postby XFool » November 14th, 2021, 11:33 am

swill453 wrote:David Mitchell's amusing take on this subject in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... t-customer

Yes!

"The website continues this theme, characterising a reduction in service, an inconvenience and a tedious requirement to plug things in differently, as if it were a massive boon. It poses the question “Do I have to pay extra for Digital Voice?” and answers it proudly in the negative. But what kind of beaten-down, self-loathing, Ryanair frequent flyer would ask such a question? Do I have to pay extra for the new thing that’s worse? No? A free worsening! Oh my stars!"

I don't remember this being mentioned:

"And neither is the irritating fact that, for some reason, you’ll now have to dial the full area code even when phoning people in the same town as you. "

At least it will bring an end to those interminable 'discussions' about what is and is not the "correct" format for London telephone numbers! Or is that just me? :lol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_telephone_code_misconceptions

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457919

Postby swill453 » November 14th, 2021, 11:37 am


Obviously written with passion.

Scott.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457936

Postby jackdaww » November 14th, 2021, 1:03 pm

.

i call 999 once per blue moon.

we have power cuts 2/3 days per year .

the chances these will coincide must be very very slim .

most of my local phone contacts are kept as favourites so dialling code is not an issue .

OAIMS -- or am i missing something ?

8-)

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457937

Postby doolally » November 14th, 2021, 1:11 pm

jackdaww wrote:.

i call 999 once per blue moon.

we have power cuts 2/3 days per year .

the chances these will coincide must be very very slim .

OAIMS -- or am i missing something ?

8-)

So you've never heard of Murphy's Law? :lol:

doolally

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457940

Postby XFool » November 14th, 2021, 1:15 pm

swill453 wrote:

Obviously written with passion.

And why not? :)

At least a small part contributed by myself.

If you liked that there is more here (possibly out of date). I like the way it ends with a link to "More rants".

http://www.stewartsplace.org.uk/rants/phone.html

Stewart’s Random Rants

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457958

Postby Bminusrob » November 14th, 2021, 2:28 pm

XFool wrote:
swill453 wrote:David Mitchell's amusing take on this subject in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... t-customer

Yes!

"The website continues this theme, characterising a reduction in service, an inconvenience and a tedious requirement to plug things in differently, as if it were a massive boon. It poses the question “Do I have to pay extra for Digital Voice?” and answers it proudly in the negative. But what kind of beaten-down, self-loathing, Ryanair frequent flyer would ask such a question? Do I have to pay extra for the new thing that’s worse? No? A free worsening! Oh my stars!"

I don't remember this being mentioned:

"And neither is the irritating fact that, for some reason, you’ll now have to dial the full area code even when phoning people in the same town as you. "

At least it will bring an end to those interminable 'discussions' about what is and is not the "correct" format for London telephone numbers! Or is that just me? :lol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_telephone_code_misconceptions

I don't see any reason why you will need to dial the area code for "local" numbers. For my SIP phone, I have a "local" number, but I can select the default area code to be used when I make a call to a number without an area code, and the default area code doesn't have to be the same as my "local" number area code. This could be handy if you make a lot of calls to a particular town, evenif your "local" area code is different.

swill453
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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457973

Postby swill453 » November 14th, 2021, 3:20 pm

Bminusrob wrote:I don't see any reason why you will need to dial the area code for "local" numbers. For my SIP phone, I have a "local" number, but I can select the default area code to be used when I make a call to a number without an area code, and the default area code doesn't have to be the same as my "local" number area code. This could be handy if you make a lot of calls to a particular town, evenif your "local" area code is different.

That seems a pretty smart phone though. The point of the BT "Digital Voice" system is that you can plug any old dumb phone into a socket on the router.

Maybe they haven't given the router the means to work out its local code.

Scott.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457976

Postby dave559 » November 14th, 2021, 3:29 pm

swill453 wrote:David Mitchell's amusing take on this subject in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... t-customer

Scott.


Hang on, David Mitchell surely isn't old enough to use a land line…? It's the sort of fuddy-duddy thing I can imagine his prematurely-middle-aged Mark Corrigan character doing, but does anyone under about 55 actually ever still use (or even have) a land line phone? I know I don't! ;)

Maybe he's just trying to get his feet well planted under the table already as a defensive position for a long stint as a "grumpy old man" columnist before any other young whippersnapper tries to steal that role from him in turn? (He's still "only" in his 40s, or is my definition of relative youth also somewhat evolving as I also get older myself?!)

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457989

Postby XFool » November 14th, 2021, 4:17 pm

dave559 wrote:Hang on, David Mitchell surely isn't old enough to use a land line…? It's the sort of fuddy-duddy thing I can imagine his prematurely-middle-aged Mark Corrigan character doing, but does anyone under about 55 actually ever still use (or even have) a land line phone? I know I don't! ;)

Maybe he's just trying to get his feet well planted under the table already as a defensive position for a long stint as a "grumpy old man" columnist before any other young whippersnapper tries to steal that role from him in turn? (He's still "only" in his 40s, or is my definition of relative youth also somewhat evolving as I also get older myself?!)

But it's David Mitchell. Isn't that the point?

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#457995

Postby jfgw » November 14th, 2021, 4:46 pm

swill453 wrote:
Bminusrob wrote:I don't see any reason why you will need to dial the area code for "local" numbers. For my SIP phone, I have a "local" number, but I can select the default area code to be used when I make a call to a number without an area code, and the default area code doesn't have to be the same as my "local" number area code. This could be handy if you make a lot of calls to a particular town, evenif your "local" area code is different.

That seems a pretty smart phone though. The point of the BT "Digital Voice" system is that you can plug any old dumb phone into a socket on the router.

Maybe they haven't given the router the means to work out its local code.

Scott.


This is a feature of Sipgate and probably other voip service providers. It is not dependant upon the phone or router.


Julian F. G. W.

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Re: UK analogue landlines to end in 2025

#458004

Postby jfgw » November 14th, 2021, 5:28 pm

jackdaww wrote:.

i call 999 once per blue moon.

we have power cuts 2/3 days per year .

the chances these will coincide must be very very slim .

8-)


There will be a positive correlation between having no power and needing to call 999 although, if the power is off due to your house being on fire, it would probably be wisest to use a mobile phone. If you live in a mobile not-spot, just hope that the fire doesn't cause a loss of power to your entire neighbourhood.

Some places have much more frequent power cuts than others. These are most likely to be remote areas which, I suggest, are also less likely to have mobile phone coverage. If you live in a not-spot, how do you report a power cut? Will people invest in UPSs or will they just drive a mile or two to where they can get a signal?


Julian F. G. W.


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