After a successful pilot, BT will be launching Digital Voice as an option for home phone customers on 31 January 2020.
This is part of the move to all IP Voice services by all communication providers and follows BT’s announcement in 2015 to move all of our customers to all IP by the end of 2025 as part of a broad upgrade to provide the best networks across the UK. Openreach announced that they will be withdrawing and closing the PSTN service from the end of December 2025, and offering customers Digital Voice is the first step in this long term transition.
BT’s Digital Voice is a high quality IP voice service, provided over a customer’s broadband line using BT’s Smart Hub 2 router. It will be available nationally as an option to new and existing customers who contact us when requesting superfast broadband. Digital Voice will not currently be offered to customers requiring a voice only service, they will remain on the PSTN network for the time being.
BT has been working with the Telecare and Alarm industries since 2017 to help them prepare and ensure special services equipment is ready for all IP networks.
Any special service customer wanting to take Digital Voice will be advised to contact their service provider and give details of their migration. In line with agreed industry best practice, service providers are best placed to offer advice to their customers about equipment compatibility. To note, that whilst special services equipment is the responsibility of the service provider not BT, we will continue working with the special services industry to help minimise disruption to our customers as they move to Digital Voice.
Service providers requiring further information should contact their equipment provider. For a list of providers who have tested their equipment in the BT Digital Services Lab and for further information on the all IP programme visit our website DigitalServicesLab .
Enquiries can be sent to: btdigitalvoice@bt.com
Digital Voice will bring higher quality calls and many additional services to its customers, and at BT Consumer we’re really excited to launch the service and provide our customers with better quality voice services and the range of additional features that Digital Voice brings.
