BT defies critics to restart rollout of controversial digital phones

Trouble calling... As 29 MILLION lines face switch to digital, BT is warned phone shake-up puts vulnerable at risk

TELECOMS giant BT is set to quietly restart its controversial digital home phone rollout, which could leave customers unable to call emergency services if there is a power cut, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. BT’s so-called ‘digital voice’ project will see up to 29million households switched over from traditional handsets to new digital ones which are plugged into an electricity supply and need a broadband connection.

That means if there is a power cut, the phone line also stops working, leaving households unable to call ‘999’ emergency services on their landline.

Those wearing health pendants at home may find their device does not work if it is connected to a landline phone while fire and burglar alarm systems linked to emergency service phone lines may also stop working.

Digital phones must be plugged into an electricity supply, adding to household bills. BT was forced to pause the rollout last April, after an investigation by the MoS. Thanks to our reports, the industry watchdog Ofcom was alerted to the serious flaws in BT’s plan and intervened.

Yet the telecoms giant says it will recommence the rollout next month. It has promised not to force the most vulnerable to switch over for at least a year – and that it will offer support to those who need it. In a message published in a BT blog, the telecoms giant admitted it was ‘expanding our trials’ in April.

Initially, it will target only those with full fibre broadband – expanding the rollout region by region from this summer.

It claims that, after consulting with a ‘digital voice advisory group’, those aged over 70 or who wear a health pendant will not be targeted until at least next year. Customers who do not use the internet, and those who have no mobile phone reception in their area, will also have a 12-month reprieve.

Geva Blackett, an independent councillor in Aberdeenshire – an area where storms caused blackouts for hundreds of homes for days last year – believes that delaying the rollout has solved nothing.

‘BT still does not understand what a lifeline traditional phone lines can be for the most vulnerable,’ she says. ‘We are not against progress, but cannot support this dangerous change as people may lose their life if they are isolated with no way of contacting others.’

Blackett believes areas where there is no mobile phone reception must have a signal before the rollout can be restarted.

BT had previously said that during a power cut, if the landline is down, customers should use their mobile phone – an insult to the six million adults who do not own one. Some 1.5million homes also do not use the internet. BT now says it will connect those customers for free – only charging for the use of landlines and not for going online.

Once households are transferred over, the vast majority of existing phones will become redundant. BT says it will provide a free handset to households affected to make the switch easier. But customers still ultimately pay for this free equipment through their phone bills – which are due to soar by 14 per cent next month. Even phone customers who are mid-contract are being hit by this fee hike. The cost of renting a phone line will not change due to the switchover. Pay-as-yougo customers pay £23.05 a month, which is rising to £26.35 in April. Phone numbers will remain unchanged. BT charges £30 for an additional digital handset, or £45 if you also want a call blocking and answering machine service.

Most should not notice much of a difference in sound quality with the new digital phone lines – and in some cases it may even be clearer.

But if the internet goes down, there is a power cut or you turn off the electricity at the socket, the phone line will go dead. Dennis Reed, director of action group for the elderly Silver Voices, says: ‘No senior citizen should be left without a working landline to use in an emergency or with an alarm system that is not compatible with this new technology.’

Reed adds: ‘BT is promising that people will not be abandoned without a safety net after the switchover – so no one will be stranded without being able to communicate. We will hold it to this pledge.’

Ofcom has told BT it must ensure customers can contact emergency services if a power cut lasts for more than an hour.

BT charges £85 for power-pack batteries that offer a back-up. However, you can insist that it provides a unit for free if you are vulnerable and living in an isolated community. BT can also supply free hybrid phones that can be switched from internet to mobile signals if there is a power failure, though chargers still rely on electricity.

Consumer expert Martyn James says: ‘It is incredible how badly the rollout of digital voice is being handled. It is as if BT is not ready and does not want to publicise what is going on. It seems determined to keep the whole programme a big secret.’

BT has so far tackled two million homes, but has an initial target of ten million by 2025. In total, 29million homes must go digital as part of the Government’s ‘public switched telephone network’. The rollout was launched four years ago, but has made slow progress.

Although BT owns the vast majority of the phone line and internet network across Britain, other providers such as Virgin Media are also involved in turning to digital. Virgin has five million customers and is about a quarter way through its digital programme.

BT has said: ‘Since pausing the digital voice programme last year, we have listened to our customers’ questions, concerns and specific needs to make sure we have the right options and equipment available. We understand any change can be unsettling. That is why we are here to offer support every step of the way – to make the experience as seamless as possible.’

If you feel a telecoms provider is bullying you to switch against your needs, you can report it to Ofcom on 0300 123 3333.

‘It’s as if BT wants to keep it all a secret’