What does the transition from analogue to digital landlines mean for rural communities?
Over the next few years, landline telephone services in the UK will switch to a fully digital network. This means phone calls will be carried over the internet rather than through the existing analogue telephone system. Telecom companies plan to do this by 2025. What is being done to ensure rural areas are ready for the switch? Jessica Sellick investigates. ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
It was back in 1913 when the first long distance telephone cable was laid in Europe between Leeds and Hull. This was followed by the speaking clock in 1936 and the iconic red phone boxes (Kiosk No 6) from 1936. Following a Government inquiry after the death of five women in a house fire in 1935 the 999 emergency services number was launched. From there, in 1958, the first long distance call was made without the help of an operator (by Queen Elizabeth II via Bristol telephone exchange to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh). The last exchange closed on the Isle of Skye in 1976 which made the system fully automatic.
In 1980 the second national digital telephone exchange was installed in Baynard House, London (known as System X), with British Telecommunications (BT) formed in 1981. In 1985 an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) was launched enabling people to transmit voice, video, data and other services digitally through the existing phone network. This was followed, in 1986, by System Y, an AXE10 digital switch to provide competition for System X which was developed by a consortium of Plessey, General Electric Company, STC and BT’s state-owned predecessor, the GPO. In 1992 the first dial-up internet was provided – and in 2000 the first UK home broadband service was launched.
Since 2008 the transition from copper to fibre has been happening – and a housing development in Ebbsfleet was the first place in the UK to receive telephony and broadband services through optical fibre cables. In 2013, the Oxfordshire village of Deddington was chosen as a pilot location for the first fibre-only exchange.
What is the digital switchover and why can’t we continue to use the analogue network? The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) uses copper cables to carry landline voice calls between users. According to Ofcom, the PSTN has been in place for many decades and over the last 10-15 years telecoms companies have built modern internet protocol (IP) based networks which can support both broadband and landline telephone services. While some providers have maintained two separate networks – the PSTN for calls services and an IP network for broadband – other providers have replaced the PSTN and now carry phone calls over broadband. According to the telecoms industry, PSTN is reaching the end of its life and is becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain. It was back in November 2017 that the telecoms industry first announced its intention to retire the PSTN by the end of 2025. In 2021 BT began a major rollout of a digital service to replace old analogue technology. BT has described the digital switch on and analogue switch off as ‘a once in a generation upgrade to ensure that everyone stays connected now and into the future’.
In practice the switch over means instead of plugging a home phone into a wall mounted socket, customers will connect their handset to their broadband router. For most consumers, the switch over is expected to be straightforward, with the exact migration process dependent on their communications provider and the equipment they use. If, however, customers do not have or want broadband, the Telephony Universal Service Obligation in the 2003 Communications Act means all consumers in the UK will still have access to a landline service should they wish to do so.
How is the switchover from analogue to digital being rolled out? Back in 2019, Ofcom published guidance on the support that should be provided when migrating customers to digital services. This includes: giving adequate notice of service changes and offering to assist with the migration process if/where necessary (e.g., making a home visit to install a router). This was supplemented, in 2020, by guidance on treating vulnerable customers fairly. If a customer has other devices connected to their landline, such as an alarm system or telecare device, they may need to take steps to ensure they continue to function correctly following migration.
The migration programme is provider-led and underway. For some customers the switch has already happened (e.g. when they entered into a new broadband and home phone contract). New build developments are being constructed with fibre-optic cables for both internet and phone connectivity. From September 2023, no new analogue phone lines will be sold to new customers.
Analysis by Ofcom shows in August 2022 around 27% of landline services were being delivered over broadband, up from 15% on the previous year. In the year to August 2022 approximately 1.6 million customers migrated to a Voice over Broadband (VoBB) service.
Openreach has been trialling measures to prompt customers still using analogue phone lines to contact their provider to upgrade to digital alternatives. The trials have been taking place in Salisbury (Wiltshire) since December 2020 and Mildenhall (Suffolk) since May 2021. In both areas restrictions include the prevention of outbound telephone calls (with the exception of calls to the emergency services) and limits to broadband speeds (to around 2Mbps). Vulnerable customers are exempt from the trials. In both areas the PSTN will be switched off by October 2023 and Openreach believe that adjusting the performance of remaining analogue services will prompt customers to upgrade their lines before then. James Lilley, Director for Managed Customer Migrations at Openreach said: “Our trials in Salisbury and Mildenhall have been a great testing ground to identify and iron out issues, and we’ve already managed to upgrade the vast majority of customers in those areas successfully. Having said that, a small minority of customers are yet to upgrade despite several attempts by their service provider to contact them, so we’re planning some gentle measures which will nudge them to contact their provider and have a conversation about their future service.”
In September 2022 Ofcom published research to understand how customers had experienced the trial. The study found, with the exception of a minority of participants, awareness of plans for PSTN closure / copper retirement were low or superficial. Many participants flagged possible issues regarding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) not working during power cuts. While participants were satisfied with communications sent from providers, some participants reflected that they had made a decision to migrate to a VoIP service without being given sufficient information to make an informed choice.
Digital Voice is BT’s home phone service powered by a broadband connection. According to Ofcom, managed migrations by BT and Virgin Media accounted for just over half of total customers who moved to digital services in the year to August 2022.
What does it mean for customers in rural areas? Back in March 2022 BT announced that it was pausing its migration programme while it sought to address concerns raised by customers. BT described how they had underestimated the disruptive impact the upgrade would have on customers, particularly those who rely more heavily on landlines. BT also acknowledged that it wanted to do more work on getting back-up solutions in place for when things disrupt the service such as power cuts or storms.
Storms Arwen and Eunice, for example, highlighted how some customers – particularly in rural areas – with broadband only phone connections struggled to make calls. Ofcom mapped the most prolonged and consistent power outages during Storm Arwen by postcode, revealing how the storm had a severe impact on communication services in rural areas of Northern England and Eastern Scotland. In May 2022, the Electronic Communications Resilience and Response Group (EC-RRG) published a post incident review that outlined learnings and contained an action plan to improve the sector’s response to future storms.
BT is currently looking at the use of hybrid phones that can switch to a mobile network and have an in-built, long-lasting battery; providing in-home mobile landlines for people without broadband; continued investment in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) to address mobile ‘not spots’; and has launched a campaign so customers better understand the need to switch.
Data analysis by Ofcom shows that while there has been an increase in gigabit-capable coverage in both urban and rural areas, there has been a greater increase in urban areas. This is because some providers tend to focus their roll-out on urban areas. Similarly, while the majority of homes and businesses have access to at least decent broadband on a fixed line connection, around half a million premises, mainly in rural areas, do not. Ofcom is seeing small improvements in 4G coverage, partly as a result of initiatives such as the Shared Rural Network.
BT’s digital voice rollout resumed in April 2023, starting in the East Midlands. BT has said that it will not migrate anyone who falls into one of the following categories until it has worked with stakeholders to identify the support they need: customers who use a telecare device, customers who are over 70 years of age, landline only customers, customers with no mobile signal, and customers who have disclosed additional needs.
In July 2023 the Communications Consumer Panel (CCP) published ‘the struggle for fairness’, research documenting the experiences of people living in rural and remote areas across the UK using communication services. Researchers found communication services for rural dwellers were, at best, functional for the majority, and at worst very poor. The infrastructure was not in place to enable residents and businesses to manage effectively in a digital society. The research found the landline remains an important communication service for a few households, mainly those who are on broadband for calls and keep their analogue landline as an emergency backup. Amongst these, there remains some concern about the impending copper switch over in 2025.
Where next?Communication coverage levels remain lower in rural areas compared to urban areas. While the decision to migrate from analogue to digital has been led by the telecoms industry, there is a need to ensure that critical communications infrastructure continues to work for rural residents, before, during and after migration. Ofcom is exploring areas for further research into customers’ experiences of the migration to VoIP services. What does next generation digital calling mean for all rural residents? Watch this space.
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Jessica is a project manager at Rose Regeneration and a senior research fellow at The National Centre for Rural Health and Care (NCRHC). She is currently evaluating hospital discharge and hospital avoidance schemes, and a service that supports older people to maintain their independence. Jessica also sits on the board of a Housing Association that supports older people and a charity supporting Cambridgeshire’s rural communities.
She can be contacted by email jessica.sellick@roseregeneration.co.uk.
Website: http://roseregeneration.co.uk/https://www.ncrhc.org/
Blog: http://ruralwords.co.uk/
Twitter: @RoseRegen
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