Fibre and old phones.

[Avro1]

Openreach have been very busy in our locality installing the new Fibre infrastructure that I understand will replace all the copper telephone cable circa 2025.
Obviously the "home phone" will have to be a VoIP. As I understand it, a standard land line operates on a 50V DC system. Fibre optics cannot carry voltage/current, it suggests that the "home phone" will have to be replaced unless a suitable adapter is available. Presently VoIP phones cannot offer all call features. My big concern is for my elderly relatives (91 &88) classed as vulnerable, will not be able to adapt to the new phone type. Can anyone please comment on what the VoIP home phone of the future will look like and what call features it will be capable of?

 

[Snax]

Usually, fiber used as ISP or Internet connection. For VoIP phone you use copper wiring with POE switches or non POE with phones power adapters. If you have existing analog phones these can be still used with new VoIP system as hybrid IP and analog telephone system. To me it sounds like they will replace just the Internet connection and it will not affect the existing telephones.

 

[Abu Baniaz]

All domestic phones will be internet based from 2024/2025. What feature on phone are you concerned about? You can plug most phones into the adapter at back of router.

The biggest concern with Internet phones is power related. If the MCB trips, router is off and phone goes offline. There are UPS solutions for such concerns, but "the powers that be" are satisfied most people have mobiles.

 

[Avro1]

Usually, fiber used as ISP or Internet connection. For VoIP phone you use copper wiring with POE switches or non POE with phones power adapters. If you have existing analog phones these can be still used with new VoIP system as hybrid IP and analog telephone system. To me it sounds like they will replace just the Internet connection and it will not affect the existing telephones.

Thank you for your reply, that is quite interesting. I thought that the whole copper system was being relaced with fibre!

 

[Avro1]

All domestic phones will be internet based from 2024/2025. What feature on phone are you concerned about? You can plug most phones into the adapter at back of router.

The biggest concern with Internet phones is power related. If the MCB trips, router is off and phone goes offline. There are UPS solutions for such concerns, but "the powers that be" are satisfied most people have mobiles.

Thanks for the reply. The concern is really about call waiting and messages plus being able to block nuisance calls. Hopefully the MCB won't be a problem. But s**t happens!!. Where the "powers that be" assume everyone has a mobile, they are sadly mistaken. I was always told never "assume" as it will make an "ass out of u and me"

 

[Snax]

Thank you for your reply, that is quite interesting. I thought that the whole copper system was being relaced with fibre!

You are welcome! I provide IT support for nursing homes and we have a mix and match of all kind of phone systems from very old to new VoIP systems. As for your elderly relatives I can recommend to install Google voice with OBi or similar system. OBiTALK I installed one for my father and it's been working great. Also, no nuisance calls vs his Mobil phone.

 

[Avro1]

You are welcome! I provide IT support for nursing homes and we have a mix and match of all kind of phone systems from very old to new VoIP systems. As for your elderly relatives I can recommend to install Google voice with OBi or similar system. OBiTALK I installed one for my father and it's been working great. Also, no nuisance calls vs his Mobil phone.

Thank you very much for the excellent info. I will defenitly research OBiTalk.

 

[Abu Baniaz]

Don't forget to consider using your current provider.

 

[Avro1]

Don't forget to consider using your current provider.

The current provider for my elderley relative is TalkTalk, they are struggling to get 10mbs at the master socket! The last reported router output speed obtained with an app on firestick suggests an output of 1.7mbs. Rebooting the router makes no difference. Another job for me tomorrow. Presently Full Fibre is not available in this area.

 

[kegnkiwi]

Just a little bit of info. I have one of these 5g routers and at the back of it is a phone socket. If i put my old standard home phone into it it works just like a standard line and rings when i dial the mobile number associated with the 5g sim.

 

[Avro1]

Thank you for your reply, that is a very useful piece of info.

 

[Avro1]

Thank you for your reply, that is quite interesting. I thought that the whole copper system was being relaced with fibre!

Had to go to the "elders" today trying to sort out their BB speed. As I was leaving I bumped into an Openreach enginer. He confirmed that when the fibre switch over happens all copper cable will be redundant, when I asked about the low BB speed he told me that in some areas they use aluminium cable!! Because of the resistance of the aluminium it reduces the Mbs. He also said when we switch to fibre we will be issued with a VoIP phone.

 

[Oggiman]

@Avro1

BT running public roadshows explaining VOIP rollout.

Have a read, full story HERE

 

[Avro1]

Thank you, a very informative read. I would respectfully suggest that every one reading this thread reads the full story, especially as the last sentence reads. "So while it may sound impressive on paper, even with stop-offs at a few hundred venues, BT is providing nothing more than lip service to its ten million customers".

 

[digidude]

Ive been working with BT for the last year, and this whole 'digital voice' is a step backwards for most places i visit

A lot of places i go to are rural, so, their landline broadband is next to nothing when it does work anyway, so, DV simply wont work

For older people who have not responded to BTs letters or calls, they have posted them a Smarthub 2 and DV handset. They are then sending engineers to install this for them, without a pre booked appointment, and FORCING the change over (ive refused to attend a single job of this type). Most older people who havent replied cant get to grips with it, as they have to dial full area codes to ring locally

If theres a power cut, then the phone doesnt work, AT ALL, yes, they have battery backup units available to connect to the hubs, but, theyre very limited, and bulky

Stay on the copper landline for as long as you possibly can if you rely on your phone for anything

 

[Avro1]

Thank you for your response, this is very interesting. By changing the whole infrastructure to fibre isn't necessarily going to improve the Mbps for everyone? One of the earlier posts on this thread has indicated BT's position on this roll out. When you suggest staying with copper, I assume when fibre goes live the only remaining copper will be between the house and the nearest pole. How would that work ? none DV phones require a voltage to work, as we know fibre cannot handle current. Another interesting question for me....... Are DV phones incapable of speed dial and dialling saved numbers?

 

[JonMMM]

Thank you for your response, this is very interesting. By changing the whole infrastructure to fibre isn't necessarily going to improve the Mbps for everyone? One of the earlier posts on this thread has indicated BT's position on this roll out. When you suggest staying with copper, I assume when fibre goes live the only remaining copper will be between the house and the nearest pole. How would that work ? none DV phones require a voltage to work, as we know fibre cannot handle current. Another interesting question for me....... Are DV phones incapable of speed dial and dialling saved numbers?

Once your area is changed to fibre then that area will improve with regards to broadband speed and reliability. Phone features and costs (with BT ) seem to be better and cheaper .

The real issue come with power cuts, luckily they are few and far between

 

[digidude]

The real issue come with power cuts, luckily they are few and far between

Not once you go to rural places and villages that are supplied by overhead lines. Every year, around april and november, some places can be without power for days due to winds. I live in a large village / small town (pop around 4k) at the top of a welsh valley, and powercuts are a normal occurrence at ANY time of the year, but expected between october and april. Its not unusual for the local TV mast and mobile phone towers to be offline for up to 10 days due to trees bringing power lines down, add a residential power cut to this, and theres then NO way to phone 999 in an emergency

 

[Avro1]

WE can't change the weather, but the world is doing a good job of its own!!! Over the last week there have been several weather warnings of danger to life. I don't understand how the "Powers that be" can railroad this new DV system in without due diligence to ALL. In a country like ours, that is supposed to be technologocally advanced its immposible to believe that millions like yourself are at such a dissadvantage when it comes to electical power and communication. Alledgedly the government has allocated £2.5 Billion to local councils to upgrade the infrastructure for the electric vehicle charging points. I hope for you and the millions like you, benefit from this. But unless the cables go under ground the problem still exists. How likely is it that's going to happen?

 

[JonMMM]

To be fair telephone lines can be overground and thus subject to the same issues