BT to switch off landline phones in 80 new UK locations - check your area
BT's Openreach has confirmed that it will be switching off old landlines in new UK locations - and residents are urged to check their postcodes immediately.
The telecoms giant has announced the latest set of areas that will transition from outdated copper networks to advanced technology, with 80 places - including one in Lancashire - set for an upgrade within the next year. This significant move will halt the sale of traditional analogue services to over 880,000 premises across the UK.
As the nation steadily moves towards a digital era, obsolete copper lines are being replaced by superior Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connections. This modernisation isn't just enhancing broadband capabilities; it's revolutionising home phone systems too.
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Households will switch to VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), a digital communication method that connects calls via the internet. This innovative service offers features such as Multi Call and three-way calling for conference calls, plus call forwarding to any number, including mobiles.
Digital Voice promises better call quality, but it requires a compatible Digital Home phone, according to the Express.. With this update, countless households will experience improved broadband speeds, thanks to Openreach cables utilised by leading Internet Service Providers like Sky, Vodafone, Plusnet, and TalkTalk.
Following the implementation of the "Stop Sell" directive, these ISPs will be obliged to offer new customers the significantly faster FTTP connections.
Openreach has announced that a "Stop Sell" order is activated when 75 per cent of premises connected to an exchange can access ultrafast Full Fibre. This means customers looking to switch, upgrade, or re-grade their broadband or phone service will be required to move to the new digital service provided over the Full Fibre network.
However, it's important to note that customers in these exchanges who cannot yet receive Ultrafast Full Fibre at their premises will not be affected and can continue using their current copper-based services until Full Fibre is available to them.
Below is the complete list of areas where copper cables are being phased out:
Portlethen
Aberdeen
Addingham
Alderminster
Appleton Roebuck
Ashington
Wigan
Sheffield
Barking and Dagenham
Doncaster
Bishop Auckland
Bridgend • Burnham-on-Sea
Glasgow
Buxton
Carlisle
Gillingham
Chesterfield
Trefor
Coalville
Heage
Rippingale
Saintfield
Rugby
Manchester
Leicester
Exeter
Flamborough
Ispwich
Grimsby
Rayleigh
Cannock
Houghton-le-Spring
Huddersfield
Ilkeston
Ilkley
Kidsgrove
Luton
Leven
Haywards Heath
Llanbrynmair
Cardiff
Wakefield
Mareham le Fen
Chatham
Moore
Tameside
Motherwell
Southwark
New Mills
South Cave
North Kelsey
Oldham
Penistone
Pontardawe
Raunds
Rearsby
Craigavon
Ross-on-Wye
Rotherfield
Chelmsford
Rugby
Scotter
Scunthorpe
Sherburn
Skegness
Solihull
Blackpool
Southend-on-Sea
Stotfold
Stratford-upon-Avon
Antrim
Leicester
Torquay
Tregynon
Ellington
Bradford
Havering
Waltham on the Wolds
Rotherham
Brighton and Hove
James Lilley, Openreach's Managed Customer Migrations Manager, commented on the digital shift: "We're moving to a digital world and Openreach is helping with that transformation by rolling out ultrafast, ultra-reliable, and future-proofed digital Full Fibre across the UK. This game changing technology will become the backbone of our economy for decades to come, supporting every aspect of our public services, businesses, industries and daily lives."
He further added, "Already, our Full Fibre network is available to close to 14 million homes and businesses, with more than 4 million premises currently taking a service. Taking advantage of the progress of our Full Fibre build and encouraging people to upgrade where a majority can access our new network is the right thing to do as it makes no sense, both operationally and commercially, to keep the old copper network and our new fibre network running side-by-side."
Lilley also pointed out the limitations of legacy technology: "As copper's ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer, future proofed technologies."