Traditional landlines axed by 2025 as all UK phone calls go digital

[Mark W.]

How would no landlines work for businesses with a dozen lines?

 

[Idaho44]

Long story, short. During "springtime" in Montana, the phone boxes in my neighborhood (Bozeman) would be flooded by the melting snow and when inundated with water, there was no 'landline'. This was "pre-cell phones"! Lived in more than a few places with no phone service of any kind. It was peaceful and no tele-marketers!

 

[Mikej]

Blue orange green brown slate
white red black yellow violet

Good GOD MAN! That brings back a blast from the past! I think? Resistor stripe colors?.....All I remember is the way to remember. Couldn't tell you the values though. The jingle went "Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly".
LOLz

 

[Cavedweller]

I was travelling at the time, but during the ice storm last winter my kids reported that the POTS landline did not work. We have two direct-wired telephones (one a base station for a cordless system and the other a simple desk phone that I keep for emergency back-up) and neither would get dial tone.

I'd be willing to bet that there was a short or break in the line of some sort because generally the "remotes" will remain more than 8 hours with no AC power.

So many trees fell in the Salem area that lines were down all over the place. Both telephone and TV cable lines came down, so it didn't matter what kind of service you had. It took weeks to restore service to everyone.

Power was out too, so many could not charge their cell phones. I was charging mine in my car. Went through the better part of a tank of gas before power came back on. Did learn from my S-I-L how to create a WiFi hot spot with my cell phone, though. Came in handy.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Been in the phone biz since 1984. Met the guy that invented VoIP in 1995 in Florida a couple years ago. Really down to Earth guy. I don't see POTS lines going away anytime soon. I've heard it all over the years. "All phones will be wireless by the year 2000, all faxes will be via email too!" Umm, no.

We still have business owners objecting to going to VoIP because they don't want their phone calls 'listened in on and recorded.' That always makes me chuckle. We put in a new VoIP system and then have to tie in lines from the late 1870s.

ALL communications in the US are monitored, everywhere. Analog or IP, doesn't matter. But try convincing a customer of that fact. In fact it is debatable that every (modern-post 2011 or so) mobile phone is listening/reporting all keywords when not in use. Most in the tech side would say yes.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Been in the phone biz since 1984. Met the guy that invented VoIP in 1995 in Florida a couple years ago. Really down to Earth guy. I don't see POTS lines going away anytime soon. I've heard it all over the years. "All phones will be wireless by the year 2000, all faxes will be via email too!" Umm, no.

We still have business owners objecting to going to VoIP because they don't want their phone calls 'listened in on and recorded.' That always makes me chuckle. We put in a new VoIP system and then have to tie in lines from the late 1870s.

ALL communications in the US are monitored, everywhere. Analog or IP, doesn't matter. But try convincing a customer of that fact. In fact it is debatable that every (modern-post 2011 or so) mobile phone is listening/reporting all keywords when not in use. Most in the tech side would say yes.

Convo inbound, I started in 82 down in Fla...

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

By looking at a pic you once posted it appeared you are in the area of Lower Bridge Road/Holmes Road.

If that is the case I am surprised there is no cell service there.

Yep. We're in a bit of a canyon that creates a dead space. You may get a bar if point your phone just right. Climb the ridge, out of the canyon and there is excellent service.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Long story, short. During "springtime" in Montana, the phone boxes in my neighborhood (Bozeman) would be flooded by the melting snow and when inundated with water, there was no 'landline'. This was "pre-cell phones"! Lived in more than a few places with no phone service of any kind. It was peaceful and no tele-marketers!

 

[Burt Gummer]

When I retire I'll get stack of phones like Saul Goodman, make a call and then break it in half lol.

 

[wjv]

Been using MagicJack for years.
Handles the 5-6 "landline" calls we get every month.
And we pay ~$40 a year vs $75 a month with Bell (or whomever)

 

[Tony617]

My wife's family lives in Singapore and we were using AT&T reach out world plan for more than 20 years. Took that plan off and signed up her cellphone for international calling for an extra $15 month instead. Saves a lot of money since you had to pay for the plan and minutes you used to call Singapore. There were a lot of taxes as well with the AT&T plan.

 

[WAYNO]

One of my pals from my working days still has wired landline service. He doesn't "do" computers or cable TV. He's one of the very few on his block to yet have it. Whatever carrier that assumed the legacy for this service had to come out to repair it a couple of years ago. The wire from the pole into his house was corroded. The tech was telling him he was the only one nearby getting the service and that the lines were in pretty bad shape.

I still have a wired telephone landline. I almost never use it. I hate giving personal information over the phone, but when I have no choice, I prefer a wired phone that is not broadcasting the conversation over the airwaves. Also, during the ice storm last winter, when the cell towers were overwhelmed, my wired landline still worked.

 

[titsonritz]

I used to live in a cell phone dead zone, had land line. People would come over and their smart phone was useless.

 

[Tony617]

I am pretty sure you can buy a cellphone booster which can booster the range of your cellphone. Not sure how costly they are.

 

[The B]

Ive literally never had a land line in my life.. last one i had anything to do with was at my house growing up. Still remember the phone number!

at 40, cellular was becoming a common-man thing when i was coming into adulthood.. when i got married, the wife and i decided our cell phones were adequate, and then a few years ago when i moved WAY out into the country and had no signal for miles around, i just did data cellular on my phone thru the internet. Never even occurred to me to get a land line - i think i probably would have assumed those didnt really exist anymore, at the rural residential level.

so bring it. Doesnt affect me

 

[Certaindeaf]

My wife's family lives in Singapore and we were using AT&T reach out world plan for more than 20 years. Took that plan off and signed up her cellphone for international calling for an extra $15 month instead. Saves a lot of money since you had to pay for the plan and minutes you used to call Singapore. There were a lot of taxes as well with the AT&T plan.

I recently had a cousin die in Vietnam and my 15 minute call to the embassy was BIG $.
RIP, Mike.

 

[Mikej]

I don't get how people can deal with horrible sound quality, and other intermittent crap with cell phones. I have people call my land line from their cell phone and it's terrible. Even worse if their in their cars, and the absolute worse is cell phone to cell phone. I guess if all you do with them is text then it's no issue. And THAT texting crap, IMO, is why most people under thirty can't carry on a coherent face-to-face conversation with others.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Cell boosters - antennas - can work but only if they is at least a faint, but consistent signal. Musk's low orbit satellites - Skylink or whatever they call it is pretty promising. Not cheap at $150/mth, but 150/20mbps in most areas and getting better monthly. If I was lucky enough to leave out in the sticks somewhere OTG it would be nice to still have VoIP phones, internet.