The end of landline phones in the UK is near.
Telephone provider, BT, has announced that they will be putting an end to landline phones by 2025, in a movement that they’re calling ‘The BT Switch Off’.
In replacement of landline phones, the provider will be introducing a new ‘digital’ phone that’s powered by electricity and requires an internet connection to work. Branded the ‘Digital Voice’, BT has already begun its first steps towards switching off its traditional phone lines, the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). The new move has come with concerns from a number of charities that represent the elderly or vulnerable, who say that millions could be left isolated because of the switch.
“If there is a power cut, this digital phone line will no longer work and a potential lifeline for elderly people will be suddenly lost,” said Jan Shortt, GM of the National Pensioners Convention. “Those needing to make an emergency call or raise an alarm via a health pendant could be left stranded and unable to call anyone to ask for life-saving support.”
It’s believed that homeowners may need an engineer to visit homes in order to help them set up the new phones, while people with older phones could need to buy a new handset. “BT has no idea that many older people do not want a fancy smartphone or cannot afford one,” Shortt added. “It is wrong to discriminate against those—primarily the elderly—who are not wired up to the internet.”
According to a BT spokesperson, “precautions” have been put in place to exclude older or vulnerable customers from the Digital Voice migration, and they’re also looking into solutions that can help those who can’t access or don’t want broadband or mobile phones in their home.
