telephone lines

Now here’s a different spin on the challenge of rural connectivity. This article tells us:

Plans for a digital switchover which will render traditional landlines redundant will leave rural communities at risk, according to campaigners.

Despite a delay, BT is planning to replace analogue phone lines with broadband based ones by 2025.

In Shropshire, where signal can be “patchy”, campaigners say older and more vulnerable people who rely on their landlines will be “cut off”.

BT said the move to digital was a necessary upgrade and more efficient.

Earlier this year the telecoms giant announced a delay to the rollout, recognising that “we have more work to do on getting better back-up solutions in place for when things disrupt the service”.

Councillor Heather Kidd, from Shropshire Council, is calling for the rollout to be held until there is a “solid plan” that can work for everyone.

She said it could leave people unable to call for help in the event of an emergency.

“Nobody has really come up with a way of making sure there’s good mobile phone signal, but that still doesn’t address those people that are not digitally enabled, who really can’t use smartphones that the world thinks we can all depend on,” she said.

“The landline for those people is an absolute.”