The intention is to get someone's attention in a way that all previous efforts from their CP (letters, phone calls, emails) haven't. That's the only reason such a heavy handed approach would be deployed. The alternative is for someone's phone to work perfectly until the exchange is switched off and they lose service.

You hit the nail on the head. "Heavy handed". We'll agree to disagree.

My point is that it's less heavy handed than someone losing their phone service completely. When PSTN is withdrawn the line goes dead, there won't be some special part left running in case someone needs to call 999 or presses the emergency button on their care pendant.

We've got two years before the TV and newspaper advertising campaign needs to start, and I expect Ofcom to make noises about holding CPs liable if they fail to show that they have tried to contact their customers to get them to make the switch.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Your summary. Firstly it's a trial so if the feedback is poor then it won't go any further, but also it's going to be a last resort action before a customer loses their connection.

The alternative would be for people's service to disappear one day and they have to join a (probably fairly long due to lots of people being in the same boat) queue to get a new service provisioned.

If someone's ISP hasn't done anything proactive to migrate customers away from services that are being removed, and there's three months until the deadline, what alternative do you propose?

Maybe getting rid of the long 24 month contracts may help and not do stupid prices for doing so.
this is one of the things that pout me off going to FTTP.
If they want people to go onto FTTP then they have to make it worthwhile, no good saying faster speed, because a lot of people are not interested in faster speed.
What I don't understand is this article is about Digital voice, well surly all they have to do is get people to pop their phone into the back of the router when it is time.

In reply to a post by Banger:

You hit the nail on the head. "Heavy handed".

If only we could leave the migration open ended

We all know even from the comments on this board (by some) what would happen so there has to be an end to all migrations and the possible outcome of this trial is a good option and yes "heavy handed" but it has to be done.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

If they want people to go onto FTTP then they have to make it worthwhile, no good saying faster speed, because a lot of people are not interested in faster speed.

Correct. But in those two cities, the copper is about to be switched off, so its a case of change, or have nothing except mobile phone. OR aren't pushing FTTP as purely about speed, its just replacing/upgrading the network. OR sell the same speeds on FTTC & FTTP. The ISP/CP is the one limiting these options.

What I don't understand is this article is about Digital voice, well surly all they have to do is get people to pop their phone into the back of the router when it is time.

The concern here is about battery backup and elderly, not about the technology. (The loss of the 50v from the exchange batteries in power cuts). Many younger customers already don't have landline phones, (especially those of us with Virmin Media) so won't be planning for a phone to work in a power cut when we are in our 90s.

But as with analogue TV switch off, change is much harder as you get older.

Edited by jchamier (Fri 27-Jan-23 22:49:32)

Contract duration is a retail decision, Openreach sell FTTP on one-month contracts. Take it up with Ofcom.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Many younger customers already don't have landline phones, (especially those of us with Virmin Media) so won't be planning for a phone to work in a power cut when we are in our 90s.

I'm not fully convinced that people understand at the moment that if they use cordless phones they will stop working when the base station loses power, despite most of them having stickers on the bases explaining this.

In reply to a post by Banger:

There is an article on ISPr about Openreach limiting FTTC speeds to 2mb/s in trial areas and blocking outgoing calls to get people to switch. I think it's outrageous but you may be next Adrian. Linky

Not allow to do this. You pay for the service FTTC 40/10, 80/20, G.fast via FTTC Pod 160/30 or 330/50.

Openreach - YOU ARE DISGRACEFUL. I BE READY TO SUED YOU IN COURT if you do limit my speed at 2Mbps!

hehe, what happens when they do this in areas with no FTTP available?