DIGITAL VOICE

justjoined
justjoined Online Community Member Posts: 15 Connected
in Everyday life

I got a postcard saying i was changing to digital voice, i am really worried, i have a wired phone and bt smart hub 2 with no green plug at the back like the postcard said. i am worried if there is a power cut and i can't contact anybody as i don't have a mobile, i can't have anything new in the house due to ocd so can't get a new hub with the green button in the back

Comments

  • justjoined
    justjoined Online Community Member Posts: 15 Connected

    its a bt smart hub type A

  • veriterc
    veriterc Online Community Member Posts: 253 Empowering

    Like you, I am worried that I will have problems. I am very disaabled, and seldom leave the house. I have landline

    connections all over my flat, so I can reach the phone when it rings, wherever I am sitting. This costs me £26 per month.

    If I have a Smartphone, \i understand from friends this will cost considerably more per month. So why should BT force me to pay more?

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,235 Championing

    If your current hub isn't compatible and you can't have anything new in your home, then you won't have a landline service after the switch to Digital Voice.

    Battery backups are available in event of a power cut.

    It's not expensive to have a mobile, I pay £5 per month to Lebara which gives me a few GB data, plus unlimited calls & texts. 30 day rolling SIM only contract.

    I buy sim free handsets so I'm not tied to one network.

    When buying a new handset I retain the previous one, using a PAYG sim on another network as my back up.

    I got rid of my landline over a year ago.

  • justjoined
    justjoined Online Community Member Posts: 15 Connected

    i don't understand the technical terms about sim only and rolling day, could you please answer if the phones are free with the monthly money you pay and do they have a smooth surface for washing, i would only wash it once because i know some of the mobile are waterproof, i wouldn't take it out of the house

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,235 Championing
    edited April 24

    I buy mobile handset from Amazon or Argos etc, paying for it in full.

    I then get the sim card from network provider, and pay them £5 every 30 days.

    If I want to cancel, I have to give 30 days notice, then no more money would be due after that.

    There are several places where water can get into a mobile so I'm not willing to give any advice on washing- beyond maybe wipe it carefully with a disenfectant wipe, avoiding areas where moisture could get in and damage the phone.

  • Tesslynne
    Tesslynne Online Community Member Posts: 78 Contributor
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1020891#Comment_1020891

    I don't know about most of this except I agree, to maybe wipe it carefully with a disinfectant wipe, avoiding areas where moisture could get in and damage the phone, please don't wash it.

  • egister
    egister Posts: 931 Pioneering

    https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/learn-about-broadband/different-types-of-bt-hub

  • TomZee
    TomZee Online Community Member Posts: 20 Connected

    I have the new digital telephone and it works well. It is coming anyway but they have to provide you with a backup solution in the case of a power cut. I think they also provide any equipment you need to get the system running including a new router if essential.

    https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/landline-phones/future-of-landline-calls

    It is also important to let any providers of a care alarm system know, although I was asked this. Does your broad band provider know you have additional needs? This really helps regardless.

    I cannot help with your difficulty with new equipment but they do keep this to an minimum. All mobiles I know should be capable of being cleaned in the same way you may clean your existing phone.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,208 Championing

    I've cleaned mobile phones many times with either anti-bac wet wipes or Dettol spray and kitchen roll. Never had any problems doing that. I wouldn't fully submerge it in water though. You could do the same with a new BT Hub and battery back-up.

    I'm still on a very cheap Pay & Go deal for the mobile, costs me less than £1 a year (no that's not a typo!) but that tariff is no longer available sadly. The minimum now does seem to be £5 a month. And the phone handset wouldn't be included at that price.

  • wendy1
    wendy1 Online Community Member Posts: 128 Empowering

    Yes Kimi87,

    That's what I was going to post, that it doesn't have to cost you a fortune to have a mobile phone. I only pay £10 every 30 days and know that I get good value for my £10.

    I also bought my phone outright so it's just my mobile plan I pay for.

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