As we should all be aware by now the copper telephone is being 'retired' by the end of 2025 which will mean migrating to an internet based fibre optic based communication system though users don't need to worry about the technical details!

We have received the following report from one of our members:

I have a friend who changed to BT Digital Voice recently. It was not made clear to her that she would be given a changeover date and she switched equipment too soon. There also appears to be a fault with the line and it is taking a week before an engineer will call. So she will have been without landline and internet for at least two weeks, with the potential of it being a lot longer.

Could we suggest to members that if they are changing to 'BT Digital Voice' or a similar service (there are a number of other providers) that they carefully check what is being offered and the timescales involved. If you are at all unsure then do get a friend or family member who is 'tech savvy' to help.

Do remember that if you have any medical devices or alarms that link to the telephone system then you need to contact the supplier of these systems so they can help sort any issues.

Remember that if the power fails then with these systems your phone lines fail as well, so remember to keep your mobile phone charged! If you don't have mobile signal then the provider needs to provide a power backup system to keep the phone running for a short time.