The Kent towns where old landlines will be switched off

Two towns in Kent will see old landlines being switched off in a bid to move to the latest broadband technology. The ageing copper wires that have kept homes connected for years are gradually being replaced by new fibre cables.

The switch to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology not only boosts broadband speeds but also changes how we make phone calls. Instead of relying on old analogue wires to chat with loved ones, households will transition to VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

This service promises to enhance call quality and introduce new features like Multi Call and call diversion to any other phone number including mobiles. This gradual shift to new cables is slowly making its way across the UK, and we now know the next areas that will soon exclusively offer FTTP technology.

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BT's Openreach, which provides broadband infrastructure nationwide, has confirmed that 84 new locations will transition to FTTP in the next 12 months. Once implemented, Openreach will cease the sale of legacy analogue products in more than 880,000 premises across the UK.

This will impact suppliers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Plusnet, all of whom utilise Openreach cables to provide homes with internet access, The Mirror reports. "Openreach has announced a further 84 new exchange locations where the business plans to halt the sale of traditional copper based phone and broadband services to encourage people to upgrade to new digital services over an ultrafast Full Fibre connection," Openreach confirmed.

Gillingham and Chatham are both next in the pipeline to see landlines being switched off.

The complete list of areas where copper cables are being switched off

• Aberdeen Portlethen

• Aberdeen

• Addingham

• Alderminster

• Appleton Roebuck

• Ashington (Northumberland),

• Greater Manchester - Wigan,

• Sheffield

• Barking and Dagenham,

• Doncaster

• Bishop Auckland

• Bridgend

• Burnham-on-Sea

• Glasgow

• Buxton (High Peak),

• Carlisle

• Gillingham

• Chesterfield

• Trefor

• Coalville

• Heage

• Rippingale

• Saintfield

• Rugby

• Greater Manchester - Manchester

• Leicester

• Exeter

• Flamborough

• Ipswich

• Grimsby

• Rayleigh

• Cannock

• Houghton-le-Spring

• Huddersfield

• Ilkeston

• Ilkley

• Kidsgrove

• Luton

• Leven

• Haywards Heath

• Llanbrynmair

• Cardiff

• Wakefield

• Mareham le Fen

• Chatham

• Moore

• Greater Manchester - Tameside

• Motherwell

• Greater London - Southwark

• New Mills

• South Cave

• North Kelsey

• Greater Manchester - Oldham

• Penistone

• Pontardawe

• Raunds

• Rearsby

• Craigavon

• Ross-on-Wye

• Rotherfield

• Chelmsford

• Rugby

• Scotter

• Scunthorpe

• Sherburn (County Durham)

• Skegness

• Solihull

• Blackpool

• Southend-on-Sea

• Stotfold

• Stratford-upon-Avon

• Antrim

• Leicester

• Torquay

• Tregynon

• Ellington (Northumberland)

• Bradford

• Greater London - Havering

• Waltham on the Wolds

• Rotherham

• Brighton and Hove

Speaking about the update made by Openreach, James Lilley, the company's managed customer migrations manager, said: "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."

Although the move will be positive for those wanting better downloads, it has left some worried about how they will keep in touch. Some homes remain unconnected to the internet whilst others have voiced worries about times when the internet goes offline.

VOIP needs the web to work so if there's an outage it's possible homes won't be able to stay in touch unless they own a smartphone too. This could leave more vulnerable Brits at risk in an emergency.

The UK government has recently stepped in to make sure suppliers will keep all users connected, with ministers saying the new agreement with telecoms firms will better protect those using personal alarms, known as telecare, which offer remote support to elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people with many located in rural and isolated areas.

"The safety of vulnerable customers comes before anything else and that's why I called on the industry to listen to concerns and take action to make sure the right protections are in place," said Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan.

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