The Great British Switch Off: Your questions answered

Whatever you've heard it called - ISDN switch off, PSTN switch off or something else - with the Great British Switch Off (GBSO) starting to gather momentum and more and more people aware of what’s about to happen, we’ve started to receive lots of questions from our customers.

To help you more easily get to grips with what you need to be aware of right now, here’s a selection of some of our most heard questions… and the answers.

What do you mean by ‘stop sell’?

You’ve probably heard countless times about the impending stop sell, but what exactly does that mean?

As far as the GBSO is concerned, stop sell means that from 2023 certain products that rely on the Openreach copper network will no longer be sold.

That includes things like traditional (copper) ADSL broadband and Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) connections. If you're not a full fibre user, then that probably means the internet connection you're using right now. It also means that traditional phone lines will be going away (no more connecting your phone to the master socket). By September 2023, you’ll no longer be able to place an order for any of these products, and they’ll be withdrawn completely by the end of 2025.

When will my broadband and telephone line be switched off?

The switch off isn’t going to happen everywhere at the same time. Instead, a phased approach is being taken, so your exact switch off date will depend on where you are.

Openreach has a plan of which areas will be switched off when but rest assured that you won’t be switched off without an alternative product being available. So if you’re currently using an ADSL or FTTC broadband connection for example, there will be an alternative product (Full Fibre or SOGEA) in place for you to choose.

We’re keeping customers informed about when their area will be switched off, so when your switch off takes place it shouldn’t come as a surprise, and we’ll be able to help you migrate to a suitable alternative.

Why is the switch off happening?

The old copper telephone network that has provided the backbone to our communications (and more recently internet connections) for many, many years is finally being withdrawn from service.

It’s a network that’s existed in some form or another for more than a hundred years and compared to some of the modern technology that’s around today, it is beginning to show its age - and there are now better alternatives.

Full fibre (FTTP) broadband, for example, has the benefit of being much faster, more reliable and less prone to interference. As our reliance on not only high-quality broadband connections but also more feature rich voice communications increases, it provides a much better platform than old fashioned copper can.

The new technology that is currently rolling out should see us through the next few decades, while the old copper network would be unable to cope with our changing demands.

Am I ‘switch off ready’?

If you’re already using any of the following connectivity products, you’re already prepared for the switch off. Your connection will continue to work as normal throughout the switch off period, and there's nothing else you need to do:

• Ethernet
• Full fibre broadband
• SOGEA broadband

If you're using any of the following connections, you'll need to be upgraded before the switch off happens:

• ADSL (copper) broadband
• FTTC broadband

What alternatives are available when my voice line is switched off?

For most users, Digital Voice (click here if you're a business user) will be the closest like-for-like replacement for traditional line rental. In fact, as far as the user is concerned, the only real difference is that the phone will plug into the back of the router instead of the master socket.

The FRITZ!Box router you received with your Zen broadband connection should already be compatible, and there should already be an adapter to allow you to connect an analogue phone included in the box.

If you’re a business user wanting to do more with your voice communications, like managing multiple users and keeping track of statistics, you might benefit from a switch to CloudComms.

Will I have to change my telephone number?

We’re pleased to say that there will be no need to change your landline number when the switch off takes place. Moving to a Digital Voice or CloudComms service doesn’t mean losing your identity. You’ll be able to keep your familiar number which means no disruption for your friends, family or customers.

Do I need to wait to switch to a new service?

If full fibre or SOGEA is available in your area today, there’s no need to wait until the switch off happens to make the switch. In fact, the sooner you switch the sooner you’ll be ready, and that means not having to worry about it in the future.

The same goes for your voice service too.

What is SOGEA?

We’ve mentioned SOGEA a fair amount in this article, but you might be wondering what it is.

While the full fibre rollout is taking place, it won’t be available to every UK address. Where full fibre isn’t available, SOGEA will be used to provide broadband connectivity instead.

It uses the same technology as Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), only without the phone line part. Just like full fibre, it is a data only service so you’ll need to take Digital Voice or CloudComms separately if you need to make and receive calls. 

Have you found the answer to your question in this article? For much more on the Great British Switch Off, visit our dedicated page here.