Damian has welcomed the pause in further Digital Voice switch-overs, for customers who don’t want to make the move right now.
The new home phone service means that calls are made over broadband, rather than the old analogue Public Switched Telephone Network, and this presents particular difficulties for people who live in power cut-prone areas or places with poor mobile reception.
Commenting, Damian said:
“Extreme weather events like Storm Eunice have highlighted vulnerabilities in the existing Digital Voice set-up, particularly relevant to more rural areas like East Hampshire, and I have highlighted this to the regulator, OFCOM.
“I accept there are reasons for transitioning away from the Public Switched Telephone Network (i.e. the copper lines network) but it is important that those living in more remote rural areas can maintain confidence in the dependability of their landline. I will continue to stress this point.”
The programme will be restarted once additional measures are in place to improve the resilience of Digital Voice during power outages, including the roll-out of longer-lasting battery back-up units for use in the event of a power cut, and home mobile landlines for people without broadband and hybrid home phones.
More information at: https://newsroom.bt.com/were-pausing-our-digital-voice-plans-for-consum…