Path: csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder8.news.weretis.net!reader5.news.weretis.net!news.solani.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Richmond Newsgroups: uk.telecom Subject: Re: BT Digital Voice with no router Date: Mon, 04 May 2026 16:41:51 +0100 Organization: Frantic Message-ID: <824ikn9o74.fsf@example.com> References: <381ktk9jo6kkmsu7vorq77ba7h2scskfd8@4ax.com> <10rd676$1nn8o$1@dont-email.me> <828qaterep.fsf@example.com> <10rdga8$1pm5d$6@dont-email.me> <10re055$1uk4t$1@dont-email.me> <10re0q6$1vpfr$1@dont-email.me> <10rg02b$2ghjg$1@dont-email.me> <10rio1n$3a35r$1@dont-email.me> <1rtibg1.1slarp4hfxrlsN%liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> <10t7ebv$2sml1$2@dont-email.me> <10t8hp7$37vja$1@dont-email.me> <1rul1zp.14rrgxn1p0lxc6N%liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Info: solani.org; logging-data="147748"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@news.solani.org" User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Cancel-Lock: sha1:kSC+dIL8Hm3xdpS5JQXDe4LAxgs= sha1:ce1cSQaInxTLIpKA21zp2YkfIZc= X-User-ID: eJwNxcEBwCAIA8CVoCYB1kHL/iPo545Lrh0QBQ7n+18Yw4nOaliY5sHjkZ4q5SILTMNu6wsCLA/C Xref: csiph.com uk.telecom:39454 Theo writes: > Liz Tuddenham wrote: >> It appears you have little knowledge of the strenuous efforts that >> went into ensuring the POTS system was reliable under the worst >> conditions for the best part of 80 years. If you read through >> back-numbers of POEEJ (particularly around the WWII period) there was >> a well-justified pride in giving a reliable service which is >> completely lacking now. >> >> The worn-out undefunded wreck, which we now think of as POTS, bears >> little resemblance to the technically-primitive but properly >> maintained and trusted system we had before the 1960s. > > My point is that that was then. Wired telephones were the only > (practical) comms, and when something is important for national > security then you put a lot of effort into making it robust. > > Now everyone has a battery-backed multi-network wireless comms > terminal in their pocket, and so that is the easiest route forward to > making a robust comms system that works in times of crisis. > > Keeping old-tech going that increasingly fewer people use does not do > that job. First, many people no longer have a landline phone. > Second, for those that do, they are not ready for a crisis - even if > they have a wired POTS connection with a battery at the exchange, > they're using a DECT handset that'll die as soon as the power goes > out. > > You can solve that problem in the short term with battery backup > boxes, and in the longer term with house batteries (something I think > we'll increasingly see, for national defence and resilience as well as > lower bills). But people are no longer turning to landline phones in > time of crisis, so that effort is like backing the lame horse in the > race. > > I'm not saying the 'digital voice' switch hasn't been an utter > disaster: > https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/may/02/landline-phone-users-voice-fears-over-digital-switchover > > but whatever you can do to make that better, keeping going with POTS > is just not practical long term. For one thing, buying new POTS kit > is going to be increasingly difficult as the world moves on. > Has anyone calculated how much it costs to run a mobile phone? Claude estimates £250-£450 per annum. So if mobile is the backup plan you have to add that on to VOIP. And you have to add on the cost of fibre too. As there is hardly any reception in my house, mobile phone calls are expensive VOIP calls.