I am looking at being dragged into the 21st century by gettig fibre broadband. We currently have just the usual ADSL broadband via the copper BT network and it is woeful.
Two questions:
I presume that installation of fibre will mean we no longer have copper cabling to the house for telephone and will need a new phone (VOIP)?
Is the cabling for phone extensions now redundant? or can I connect phones to the router via an interface?
If you are getting/using BT to provide the Fibre then as part of the contract they will offer a couple of wireless (DECT) handsets. Hopefully you have been offered a small discount (£2 or £3 per month) for making the shift. Yes the wired cable to your home becomes redundant - expect it to be recovered at sometime in the future. The theory is that you can connect a wired 'phone into the socket on the router.
If it's BT you will now get 2 boxes in the house - the ONT which is fixed to the wall and a new Router with one Red and 3 Yellow LAN ports on the back (+ other sockets). Both require mains power from your house. The ONT box has a LAN cable to the Red socket on the Router. Think where you want the boxes to be fitted as otherwise OpenReach will fit such with the minimal amount of work leaving you with an untidy mess of cables. (my suggestions are that you ask them to put the ONT (and therefore Router) either behind the TV or somewhere close to the centre of the house. I had mine installed in the understairs cupboard close to the ceiling but I did a lot of prepwork for that to happen.
Don't forget you are now supplying the power to operate the Broadband and 'phone systems in your house. If you have an electric power cut you will loose service until power is restored.
BT has taken the decision to retire its PSTN by December 2025 and this means other providers that use BT’s network must follow the same timescale. Other companies with their own networks such as Virgin Media plan to follow a similar timescale.
Interesting... I thought I'd go and check before replying. The wording on
HMG's website is, shall we say, indicating that it's an industry decision but is somewhat different to what was the briefing to my work area when I worked for BT. But of course had BT been allowed to progress with their original plans to provide FTTP from the mid-'90's on then the work would have been complete by now instead of this rush by several competing companies 'throwing' the cable in anywhere with the assistance of Government money.
That’s going to be a long time yet ..,. 2025 not a chance ….I’ve just done a new build and the phone line ( new install ) was a standard copper line …. How I read into this ….all the exchanges will be digital by this date and they can’t guarantee older equipment to work on this …
The rate at which I see Fibre being installed by companies - sometimes by competing companies in the same road at the same time - there is a good chance that it won't be much after.
Make I make one correction - All (BT) Telephone exchanges completed the changeover to digital by 1998 - principally System X and AXE family with one or two specialist systems for specific purposes (Operator Services for one). Other operators installed Digital exchanges from the time they started.
Digital to the customers premises is what is happening now.
