BT has been accused of “bullying” customers by temporarily cutting off their broadband to pressure them to upgrade to a digital landline, as telecoms providers race to move households to voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services before the January deadline.
Companies are working to complete a large-scale migration from the old copper network to VoIP, which carries landline voice calls over a broadband connection. So far, telecoms firms have migrated about 16–17 million lines in what is being described as the biggest technological upgrade since the early 2000s switch-off of analogue television.
Critics say some customers have experienced short-term broadband interruptions when engineers visit to upgrade or test equipment, and allege these outages are being used to push consumers into accepting the newer digital landline service. BT denies it is deliberately disconnecting customers to force upgrades.
The industry-wide transition must be completed by the end of January, and providers are accelerating migrations to meet that deadline. The shift to VoIP is intended to modernise the network and support future services, but consumer groups have raised concerns about communication, consent, and the potential impact on vulnerable customers who rely on traditional copper-based lines.
Regulators and campaigners are calling for clearer information for customers about the process, stronger safeguards for those who need additional support, and transparent redress if people experience service problems during the switch to digital landlines.
Source: theguardian.com
