Yeah I'm local to bournemouth and knew of the change, but i didn't look into much more about it, hence my "i think".

I had a new FTTP installed (using Zen as ISP) and was running FTTC & FTTP (on different ISPs) for a couple of weeks - I could have moved the coper line to just telephone if I wished, but instead moved number to a VoIP provider - the only disadvantage is if power goes so does telephone line,

Aberdeen here and indeed it did happen as we almost ran out of numbers. I use my mobile for calls so makes no differance about dialing the full number to me. Home phone used for the few incoming calls we get.
About to move providers to FTTP so keeping current line as is till it goes through & I can connect my equipment to the new provider, once it's done will see about moving the home phone over to a sip provider and cancelling the old FTTC line
No way the son could handle the internet being down for any length of time.

Just in case it wasn't obvious - you can keep the original voice service with any ISP (that offers both copper voice lines and FTTP) by just having the new FTTP service installed as a second line.

In reply to a post by andrum99:

Just in case it wasn't obvious - you can keep the original voice service with any ISP (that offers both copper voice lines and FTTP) by just having the new FTTP service installed as a second line.

However, do note:

(a) that is a very expensive way to do it. Expect to pay £15+ per month for the privilege of a copper voice-only landline.

(b) the baseband voice network will be switched off soon. Copper will remain but voice will be delivered digitally over broadband, meaning you'll need a router with a phone port. Voice-only copper lines will be converted to a slow broadband service (0.5Mbps up and down).

The switchoff will be completed by end of 2025, meaning that come 2023 it will become very hard to order or even renew an analogue voice service.

Therefore, it makes much more sense to port your number to a standalone VOIP provider and access it over the Internet. The monthly rental can be as low as zero (for Sipgate Basic) or £1.44 (AAISP).

You can test it out using a VOIP phone client on your PC or smartphone, then buy an ATA or SIP DECT base station. There's also a new generation of smartphone "native push" clients that don't need to run continuously in the background - Acrobits Groundwire.