Keeping PSTN landline with FTTC in rural areas

[Cleeb]

I live in an area where FTTP isn't planned within the next year and there is no mobile signal.  My wifi/broadband drops out regularly, so my only way of calling in an emergency or making/getting calls reliably is through the old style land line, though that is very crackly as well.  I've talked to Sky customer service several times about how to get more reliable broadband and they've recommended FTTC, which apparently is available in my area now, but they have been unclear about whether my old landline will continue to work if I switch (I have Sky talk as well as broadband and mobile).  As I'll still be on the copper cables to the house (which is quite a way away from the cabinet), I'm also not confident that the broadband will be more reliable if I switch to FTTC and don't want to risk losing my landline, as it's my only (semi) reliable form of communication in a rural area. Does anyone have experience of moving to FTTC broadband and keeping their PSTN landline?  Also wondering if those switching to FTTC in an area where wifi/broadband is awful has made any difference.  Thank you. 

[Mark39]

@Cleeb you won't lose your landline phone service, but it will be delivered via the Internet, so your phone handset will plug into the phone socket at the back of your broadband Hub, rather than a wall socket. That does mean that in the event of a power failure or a broadband outage, you'll lose your phone service too.

Broadband should be more reliable as the distance forom your home to the cabinet is likely to be somewhat less than the distance from your home to the exchange you're connected to.

[Cleeb]

Thank you for your speedy reply Mark39.  I am concerned that the landline would switch to an internet connection. I'm not worried about power cuts, as they're rare, but the internet frequently drops out (often 5-10 times a day when it's at its worst) , so relying on that risks regularly leaving me without any form of communication.  I suppose the question is how much more reliable the FTTC will be and whether I can switch back if it isn't working reliably enough. 

[Mark39]

@Cleeb difficult to predict how reliable FTTC will prove to be. You might be able to switch back to an ADSL service, but in reality it would only be relatively temporary, as the old analogue phone service is scheduled to be switched off completely next year. 

[TimmyBGood]

@Cleeb 

The current target date for nationwide PSTN switch-off is still January 31st 2027: as far as I'm aware there's no concept of individual, local or regional exceptions.

This is not the same project as the retirement of copper lines after their replacement by optical circuits, which by definition also includes the move from copper broadband (ADSL, FTTC and G.fast) to FTTP.

[LotusGreg]

I can emphasis wirh you entirely on this. We too have no likelihood of FTTP in the forseeable future (local politics and conservation area preventing either new poles or a simple trench for the 400 odd yards needed)

I recently spoke to Sky regarding a better deal for Broadband and was, without my 100% consent, switched to on-line calling. I called their retention unit and got through to a person whose first language was English which made a huge difference. - Don't get me wrong, I am in no way racist, I just prefer to be able to clearly understand who I am talking to.

Having explained that our mobile signal was very poor and relied on WiFi calling to make and receive calls and, that having an old fashioned telephone line was the only other option to make emergency calls, it was agreed to switch our line back for the interim period.

Recently, O2 have announced a satelite service for outlying areas and those areas with poor mobile coverage. Sky piggy back on O2 and, theoretically, Sky should be able to  benefit from this. If this is the case and our mobile coverage improves, then there should be a viable option to on-line calling only. 

We're not holding our breath on this but, it looks as though the likes of us 'country dwellers' may get a resolution.

[TimmyBGood]

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@LotusGreg wrote:

Recently, O2 have announced a satelite service for outlying areas and those areas with poor mobile coverage.

I find it mildly intriguing that absolutely nowhere on the 'O2 Satellite' page does the word 'Starlink' appear ; )

Sky piggy back on O2 and, theoretically, Sky should be able to  benefit from this. If this is the case and our mobile coverage improves, then there should be a viable option to on-line calling only. 

I'd caution that Sky Mobile is an MVNO on the 02 network and isn't necessarily going to offer such a service any time soon: they still don't do eSIM for Apple watches, for example.

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