Zen and PSTN switch off

I'm currently on a grandfathered Unlimited Fibre 4 plan (from their old g.fast plans) and am wondering what impact the PSTN switch off might have on that.

I don't actually use my phone service and only have the phone line to access the internet, so I don't care to replace the "phone" part of my service with anything else, but I'd like to stay on my grandfathered plan as the availability of g.fast means I'm lower priority for FTTP, and as Zen no longer offer g.fast any plan changes would either mean a downgrade to VDSL or an ISP switch after 20 years.

It's also not clear to me what happens to the "line rental" component of the bill.

Maybe I'll have FTTP as an option by the time 2025 rolls around, but I won't hold my breath.

In reply to a post by MrDoom:

I'm currently on a grandfathered Unlimited Fibre 4 plan (from their old g.fast plans) and am wondering what impact the PSTN switch off might have on that.

I don't actually use my phone service and only have the phone line to access the internet, so I don't care to replace the "phone" part of my service with anything else, but I'd like to stay on my grandfathered plan as the availability of g.fast means I'm lower priority for FTTP, and as Zen no longer offer g.fast any plan changes would either mean a downgrade to VDSL or an ISP switch after 20 years.

It's also not clear to me what happens to the "line rental" component of the bill.

Maybe I'll have FTTP as an option by the time 2025 rolls around, but I won't hold my breath.

My understanding is that the PSTN switch off is intrinsically tied to the FTTP rollout. If they can't move you to FTTP, they can't pull out the PSTN kit.

So, short of Zen pulling a fast one, you can remain on your current service until FTTP becomes available, which should be by 2025.

There's no line rental on FTTP, you just pay for a VoIP service for whichever provider you choose. This is quite interesting, as the line rental was always to pay for the installation an upkeep of the copper network, so it seems there's no "fund" anymore for the upkeep of the FTTP network.

AndyPandy

PSTN switch off is NOT intrinsically linked to FTTP rollout. It will happen regardless of whether you have FTTP!

If you only have FTTC or ADSL2+ you will be moved to a VOIP service over those mediums.over the copper. The new service is agnostic to the underlying delivery path, ( It could also be delivered over a fixed 4g/5g mobile service if that is all you can get, as in BB USO areas).

The upkeep of the copper network will be funded from the BB price which do not decrease from the bundled BB+ PSTN price by a significant factor.

Weird, I thought I had edited my reply to include this fact. i.e. SoGEA if FTTP not available.

There's still to the stop-sell at 75% FTTP availability though.

In reply to a post by AndyPandy:

Weird, I thought I had edited my reply to include this fact. i.e. SoGEA if FTTP not available.

There's still to the stop-sell at 75% FTTP availability though.

Which makes zero difference to any property where FTTP is not available. You can continue to order, modify, and cease copper services at these properties, indefinitely, until such time as FTTP is available.

However, there is a completely separate PSTN stop-sell, which applies nationwide from Sep 2023. From that date, copper users will only be able to order SOGEA or SOGFast - or SOTAP where those aren't available.

Also importantly this doesn't mean that people will have FTTP by 2025.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Which makes zero difference to any property where FTTP is not available. You can continue to order, modify, and cease copper services at these properties, indefinitely, until such time as FTTP is available.

However, there is a completely separate PSTN stop-sell, which applies nationwide from Sep 2023. From that date, copper users will only be able to order SOGEA or SOGFast - or SOTAP where those aren't available.

This is the position I have been left in by Oprenreach. They will not supply FTTP unless I pay an stupid amount for the ducting they chose to not install at the time. They have a stop sell on the copper lines but BT did not give me a choice of SoGEA, but rather re-instated my old landline phone plus the VDSL 80/20

When my contract is up later in the year, it will be interesting to see what BT offer by way of a Broadband supply. I don't need a phone line and would be quite happy with SoGEA which I assume will be at a lower cost.

I lay the blame for all this squarely with Openreach and the stupid planning of ducting to the area.

SOGEA is not a meaningfully lower price than WLR3+FTTC, maintaining the copper pair still needs to be paid for somehow.

In reply to a post by Adduxi:

This is the position I have been left in by Oprenreach. They will not supply FTTP unless I pay an stupid amount for the ducting they chose to not install at the time.

I've previously seen your post below, how far exactly would the ducting need to go? have you contacted the CEO department at Openreach and if so what did they say, I had some DIG and run the ducting myself but it was all on private land where I suspect yours isn't.

In reply to a post by Adduxi:

Our copper is also DIG, and Openreach refused to cable the last two houses on the road, mine included, as the ducting from two doors up runs in the opposite direction to serve the other 99% of houses. They would, of course, install the ducting at my expense for a mere +£6K .....

Moral of this - Don't expect to get FTTP even if the Openreach checker says you can !!

In reply to a post by Adduxi:

When my contract is up later in the year, it will be interesting to see what BT offer by way of a Broadband supply. I don't need a phone line and would be quite happy with SoGEA which I assume will be at a lower cost.

If you're with BT (retail) then the service will be be SoGEA plus digital voice, and I'd expect it to be charged exactly the same as FTTC plus analogue voice.

If they decide to start offering a data-only SoGEA service, then I'd also expect it to be the same price, as the only difference is to drop the digital voice OTT service, which doesn't really cost them anything (indeed, it generates them incremental extra revenue, should you ever make or receive any calls)