Topic: The slow death of landline phones

[Simon]

British government workers are getting a two-day taste of life without fixed line phones. But how easily would the rest of us surrender our landline?

You pick up the phone on your desk and there is no dialling tone. Your colleague does the same.

It's a scenario repeated across the country, in a catastrophic nationwide communications failure caused by a natural disaster or cyber attack.

And this week it is happening. At least, it is for civil servants.

An exercise called White Noise, in which the "public switched telephone network" is disabled, is being simulated by Whitehall, in London, to test the response of government and the communications industry to such an emergency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8355504.stm

[Rik]

So they jam up the mobile network and the rest of us can't get through.

[Simon]

I think it would make a difference to business users, as they probably still use office landlines a lot, but if it weren't for Broadband, I would certainly manage without my home phone.

[Rik]

Though some numbers, eg 08xx, are much cheaper on landlines.

[Simon]

True.  Free, in fact, with some providers. 

[Rik]

I wonder when companies using 0800 will wake up to the fact that a lot of their callers will be using mobiles and, hence, paying?

[Simon]

I don't use 08xx on my mobile.  I always find the geographical number.  

[Rik]

I do where I can. IDNet, though, are careful to give both, others should follow suit.

[Simon]

I think I've got more numbers for IDNet on my phone, than anyone else!

[Rik]

I know what you mean.

[Clive]

No landline phone would be bliss!  No more illegal junk phone calls!   

[Rik]

Just junk SMS.

[Simon]

TPS is your friend, Clive. 

[Clive]

I'm on TPS Simon but some still get through. 

[Simon]

Really?  It's been quite successful for me, and I'm also extremely careful about ticking and unticking boxes on websites I order from, otherwise, once they get your number, you've had it.