The traditional “analog” landline network is being switched off gradually between now and January 2027 – not that far away!  This is not as scary as it sounds – you will still have a landline number – the same one as now – and your old phone handsets will probably still work just the same.  It’s just that all calls will be routed over the internet – brought to you by broadband.  This is known as VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol.  BT call it “Digital voice”.

The biggest question that most people have about this prospect is: what happens during a power cut?  The old analog phone system carries its own power supply and carries on working during a power cut.  But if landline calls are going over your broadband (which needs electricity to work), then you won’t be able to make or receive landline calls during a power cut. 

For rural villages like ours, which have experienced significant and lengthy power cuts in recent years, this is a genuine concern.  But there are solutions.

Brightling Parish Council has arranged for a representative from BT to come and talk to us about this.  Chris Hockley of BT / Plusnet will explain the whole switch-over project, what you can do to protect yourself and what they are doing to protect the “vulnerable” (which includes anyone over 65, anyone with a poor mobile signal, and various other things – so it covers many of us!)  There are also some things that all of us – vulnerable or not – can do to ensure that we stay in touch during power cuts, and I will be giving a short demo in addition to Chris Hockley’s main talk.

There may also be concerns if you have a burglar alarm or telecare alarm that works over the existing phone system, and Phil will also address this in his talk.

There will be lots of time for questions. 

Do come along on Wednesday 11 June at 7:00 pm.  Everyone welcome. If you know someone who would be interested, do tell them about it or bring them along.