BT is roll out its new home phone service, Digital Voice, to Yorkshire and the Humber.
The region will be the second in the UK to receive the new service, following the East Midlands, as BT rolls out the digital service on a region-by-region basis.
The industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines will see BT and other telecoms operators in the UK provide services over a broadband line, similar to work taking place in many other countries around the world.
The “once-in-a-generation” upgrade to future-proof the UK’s landlines is essential, and will replace technology that is fast becoming obsolete, says BT.
The provider adds that for most customers making the switch simply involves plugging your phone into a broadband router instead of into a wall-mounted phone socket, with no home visit required.
The new service will, says BT, bring new benefits such as advanced spam call blocking, and for almost all customers, Digital Voice will have no impact on how they use their home phone. They’ll still have the same service, and price plan and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99 per cent of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order.
Customers in Yorkshire and the Humber will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch to ensure they are ready to move to Digital Voice, and BT says that, where it has such information available it will not practively be switching customers with a healthcare pendant, customers who are over 70, customers who only use landlines, customers with no mobile signal or customers who have disclosed any additional needs.
Vicky Hicks, senior engagement manager at BT, said: “BT customers in Yorkshire and the Humber will benefit from a tried and tested service, with around two million BT customers already having made the switch and benefitting from the many advantages of digital home phones, from advanced scam call filtering capabilities to crystal-clear call audio.
“For almost everyone, moving to Digital Voice will be a simple and free transition with no home installation work required. If you feel you need additional support with the transition or you think you are vulnerable, please do tell us. We will be with you every step of the way.”
BT will also be hosting a series of town halls and touring a demonstration van around towns and cities in the region throughout August to explain the changes. Details can be found in the Digital Voice section of the BT website.
