BT Digital Voice rolling out in Northern Ireland

The Openreach switch-off of the PSTN service which they aim to complete in 2025 means lots of changes at hundreds of telephone services. BT is by far the largest and is handling its Digital Voice roll-out on a region by region basis to help with the level of queries the switch can create.

We fully expect the switch-over to be straightforward for the vast majority of people, and a lot will use this as a chance to evaluate whether they keep a telephone number at all, or switch it to the Digital Voice or equivalent with their current provider or port the number to a 3rd party VoIP service. 

The reason for the roadshows, and help lines is that just as with the Digital TV switch many years ago what is simple for some is complicated, confusing or even physically impossible for some.

BT customers in Northern Ireland will benefit from a tried and tested service, with around two million BT customers already having made the switch and benefitting from the many advantages of digital home phones from advanced scam call filtering capabilities to crystal-clear call audio.

For almost everyone, moving to Digital Voice will be a simple and free transition with no home installation work required. If you feel you need additional support with the transition or you think you are vulnerable, please do tell us. We will be with you every step of the way.

Initially, BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• • Customers with a healthcare pendant
  • Customers who only use landlines
  • Customers with no mobile signal
  • Customers who have disclosed any additional needs

BT will take extra time and will provide additional support to customers who are over 70 and are ready to make the switch.

Vicky Hicks, Senior Engagement Manager at BT

The key as we’ve said before is to ensure if you have family or a neighbour who you think may need help to see if they’ve had the letter yet, and make sure they understand what is needed before agreeing to the switch. In the majority of cases, it is just unplug your phone from the wall and into the back of the BT Smart Hub 2, but as we’ve covered before there are a range of variations that can result, hence the need for some a bit of preventative planning. You do not need the BT Digital Voice handset, unless you think it will be useful to you, so if you’ve got a set of DECT handsets you are happy with now, you can keep using them.

If you want to go and ask someone from BT some questions there are a range of events in Northern Ireland, firstly some pop-up events:

• 20^th September:

o   10:00 – 14:00: Enniskillen Library, Halls Ln, Enniskillen BT74 7DR

o   10:00 – 14:00: Lisburn City library, 23 Linenhall St, Antrim, Lisburn BT28 1FJ

o   10:00 – 14:00: Coleraine Library, Queen St, Coleraine BT52 1BE

• 27^th September:

o   10:00 – 14:00: Ballymena Central library, 5 Pat’s Brae, Ballymena, Antrim, BT43 5AX

o   10:00 – 14:00: Newry City Library, 79 Hill St, Newry BT34 1DG

o   10:00 – 14:00: Portadown Library, Church St, Portadown BT62 3LQ

There is also a demonstration vehicle doing a tour with the following dates and locations:

• 1^st to 4^th September: Belfast, Cityside Retail & Leisure Park, 100-150 York Street, BT15 1WA
• 5^th and 6^th September: Antrim, The Junction Retail Park, 111 Ballymena Road, BT41 4LL
• 7^th and 8^th September: Bangor, Bloomfield Retail Park Bangor, South Circular Road, BT19 7HB
• 9^th and 10^th September: Belfast, Connswater Shopping Centre Newcastle, Bloomfield Avenue, A20, BT5 5LP
• 11^th and 12^th September: Banbridge, The Boulevard, Cascum Road Outlet Park, BT32 4LF
• 13^th to 16^th September: Lisburn, Sprucefield Retail Park, Hillsborough Road, BT27 5UQ
• 17^th to 19^th September: Omagh, Omagh Town Centre, 1 Omagh Street, Market Square, BT78 7EE
• 20^th to 22^nd September: Londonderry, Lisnagelvin Shopping Centre – Limavady, Lisnagelvin Road, BT47 6DF
• 23^rd and 24^th September: Antrim, Junction Leisure & Retail Park, 111 Ballymena Road, BT41 4LL

We have covered a range of the good and bad arising from the Digital Voice (internet calling or voice over broadband are names from other retailers) and have created a guide to cover some of the issues we’ve already seen raised around extension wiring and power backup for those have a corded phone now that works during a power cut.

A VoIP retailer has sent out a press release, which is pretty blunt:

Many people in the UK already rely on VoIP technology without even realising it, and fewer and fewer people are using the old analogue systems.

It is sad to see the scare-mongering and negative dialogue surrounding the switch when we are already living in a fibre-based world.

The transition to VoIP may sound scary, but change always is, and there are substantial reasons behind the upgrade to internet-based telephony and a reason the old network will be deactivated.

Vulnerable people who only have a landline, without a mobile phone or signal at home, will be offered a solution by their provider should a power cut occur to make sure they can contact the emergency services.

Also, any new equipment needed to make a landline phone work – such as a new router, new telephone handset or if a new broadband service is required to be installed, will be arranged by a provider.

Providers will be at hand to assist in helping everyone migrate to the new service and offer the necessary support and alternatives so no one will be left in the dark.

There is plenty of time to prepare ahead of the Big Switch in two years’ time which will have enormous benefits for millions of people

Juliet Moran of VoIP phone experts TelephoneSystems.Cloud

We are shocked but not shocked to see a VoIP provider saying everything will be OK, and that there will be people at hand to help everyone that needs help. It does not feel like the rosy picture portrayed based on the recent experiences I’ve been privy to. As things stand it is all too easy for people to believe it will be alright on the night talk, but then on the switch day for something to go wrong, or just get confused.

As things are today, it looks like someone who has full fibre via BT and qualifies for power cut support needs two different UPS devices, one to power the ONT and one to power the BT Smart Hub 2 if using the kit BT supply. This arrangement will then support a corded phone plugged into the Smart Hub 2 during a power cut or a Digital Voice handset with its own battery. 

Arrangements for the vulnerable also seem to vary from retailer to retailer, with some making no mention of support for the vulnerable or suggests for kit that will keep the line running in a power cut.

So while we expect perhaps 90% of people to get through the PSTN switch-off with no hiccups, we will not be ignoring the issues that will arise for other people, our aim being to help be a source of information for the public and where telephone providers are not taking their responsibilites seriously that a light is shone upon them.