Warning to anyone with a UK landline ahead of ‘big change' being rolled out nationwide
Virgin Media is in the process of sending out new advice to all its customers who use the ageing devices.
Advertisement
1
Digital Voice is an initiative that is being rolled out across the UK and affects everyone with a landline, regardless of who supplies the service
It comes as the service provider continues to move all landline phones over to a high-speed broadband connection.
Digital Voice, a UK-wide initiative, is forcing everyone with a landline to go digital.
This affects anyone with a landline phone, regardless of who their supplier is.
Landlines were traditionally wired in through the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) via legacy copper networks.
Advertisement
In recent years the country has been outfitted with fibre broadband networks, and now landlines are being moved to work on these networks instead as the PSTN is too old and expensive to maintain.
'To make sure all your services are tip-top for the future, we're switching all our customers to our fibre phone network,' Virgin Media said on its website. 'This upgrade is rolling out nationwide, and we want to make sure everyone's ready.
'The Digital Voice Switchover is a big change, but it's designed to make landline services more reliable and future-ready.'
That means if you have a landline, it will need to be switched to work over your home broadband connection instead of being plugged into your home's phone line socket.
Advertisement
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
Exclusive
Tested
Thousands of homes warned of old landline switch off happening in 84 locations
The firm's advice mirrors that set out by BT and the UK government.
Virgin said there is 'no extra cost' to switch, and that your phone number will stay the same.
'To keep you connected to all the people and things that matter, we need your help to change how you plug your phone in and switch over to our new, ultra-reliable fibre network,' Virgin said.
'When you switch, your phone will need to be plugged directly into the WiFi Hub.'
Advertisement
The WiFi Hub is the name of Virgin's home WiFi
The firm says if you don't already have a Hub, it will send one to you.
If you do not have home broadband, you are unlikely to have the Hub, but it is necessary to have one in order for your landline service to switch to a digital connection.
Virgin Media confirmed you will not be forced to buy a broadband plan if you don't want one, it's just that you need the WiFi Hub in your home to plug your
Advertisement
'If you've already switched over to our fibre phone line, meaning your phone line is already connected to the WiFi Hub, then you're up and running on our new network, and there's nothing for you to do,' a spokesperson for Virgin said.
'To make sure you continue to get the great service you expect, you'll need to follow a few simple instructions from us when the time comes.
"So, it's important that you keep your eye on your letterboxes and inboxes so you don't miss this information.'
What to do in an emergency
Virgin says landlines will stop working on the new technology if there is a power cut.
In a statement, the company said: 'In the unlikely event of a power cut or a network disruption, you won't be able to make or receive calls on your landline.
"Always keep a mobile phone charged and handy.'
The firm directs customers without a mobile phone, and those with accessibility needs who rely on landlines, to
ask about the provision of an emergency backup line
, a battery-powered second phone line.
You should be on the lookout for a letter or email from Virgin Media concerning your specific switchover date.
Advertisement
Read more on the Irish Sun
'On this day, you'll need to use an adaptor to plug your landline into our WiFi Hub,' Virgin said. 'We'll either send you the adaptor and step-by-step instructions or arrange for an engineer to carry out the switch for you.'
Digital Voice is said to be a better quality
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Eir seeks £67m in damages from rival BT relating to dispute over NI public sector contract
Irish telecoms giant Eir was kept 'unlawfully in the dark' by its rival BT when tendering for the biggest public sector contract in Northern Ireland, the High Court in London has heard. On the opening day of the hearing, in which Dublin-based Eir is seeking damages from BT of £67 million (€78 million), the background to the long-running dispute was outlined, with Eir's barrister arguing that BT had a 'wealth' of secret information that led to it winning the £400 million contract in 2018. 'Eir went from being one of Northern Ireland's largest public sector players to being marginalised completely from the market ... and BT effectively stepping into their shoes in what was a role reversal,' Eir's barrister, Robert O'Donoghue, KC, said on Thursday. The tender process for the lucrative nine-year Northern Ireland Public Sector Shared Network (NIPSSN) contract ran between April 2016 and March 2018. READ MORE Schools, Stormont departments, health trusts and councils were among 150 organisations who would avail of the service. In 2020, Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, fined BT £6.3 million for unlawful anticompetitive practices during the procurement process. During his opening submission, Mr O'Donoghue referenced the Ofcom ruling and 'turbocharged' legal obligations it had previously placed on BT to ensure a level playing field for its competitors. 'Interestingly and prophetically BT objected to this additional obligation at the time,' he told the court. Eir, which is controlled by the French billionaire Xavier Niel, claims that Openreach (the network arm of BT) discriminated against it by failing to provide it with key information on costs and BT's fibre-to-the-premises on-demand product (FOD). BT and Eir were the only two bidders for the contract. For BT to portray its bid team as 'mavericks' in using FOD was 'self-serving nonsense', claimed Mr O'Donoghue, as the product 'is just another type of fibre that has been around many years'. 'The issue was that BT made it difficult to get a handle on costs ... Eir were kept unlawfully in the dark while BT had access to secret information on costs ... and the notion that the BT bid team had uniquely stumbled across some Holy Grail or secret source of FOD is obviously untrue.' The case is listed to run for four weeks. Some 14 witnesses, a 'considerable quantity' of expert material and complex technical background will be detailed, the court heard. 'It must be like staring at the foothills of the Matterhorn at the start of a climb,' Mr O'Donoghue told Judge Adam Johnson. 'But we submit that the points of this case are not actually that complicated, and to a material extent, not actually in dispute. 'The long and the short of it is, that everything matters, is admitted by BT. The starting point is that BT admitted the infringements to Ofcom.' The case continues.
Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson and former Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay cleared in Nama misconduct trial
Three men, including loyalist activist Jamie Bryson and former Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay, have been cleared at Belfast Crown Court of charges relating to misconduct in public office. Mr Bryson (35), from Rosepark, Donaghadee, Co Down, and co-accused Thomas O'Hara (41), from Lisnahunshin Road, Cullybackey, Co Antrim, were found not guilty of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. The charges related to a Stormont finance committee hearing that examined the sale of the National Asset Management Agency's (Nama) Northern Ireland assets in 2015. Mr McKay (43), from Loughan Road, Dunnamanagh, Co Tyrone – who was chairman of the Stormont finance committee at the time – was found not guilty of misconduct in public office. Daithi McKay outside Belfast Crown Court on Thursday. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mr Bryson and Mr McKay said there were questions for the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to answer over why the prosecution was brought. Trial judge Gordon Kerr KC said he believed Mr Bryson had lied while giving evidence in the case, but said he was not involved in a criminal conspiracy. The long-running trial related to Mr Bryson's 2015 appearance before the committee, chaired by Mr McKay, which was investigating the sale of Nama's Northern Ireland assets to US investment fund Cerberus for £1.2 billion. The criminal inquiry opened after the publication of leaked Twitter messages between Mr Bryson, Mr McKay and the account of Mr O'Hara, who at the time was a Sinn Féin activist in north Co Antrim. Mr McKay quit as an MLA within hours of the messages being published in August 2016. Thomas O'Hara outside Belfast Crown Court on Thursday. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Giving evidence to the committee in 2015, Mr Bryson used Assembly privilege to name former DUP leader Peter Robinson as a beneficiary of the sale. The then-first minister strongly rejected any suggestion he benefited from the deal. All other parties involved in the transaction also denied wrongdoing. Delivering his judgment in the non-jury trial on Thursday, Judge Kerr said: 'Despite his lies in court, I am sure that Mr Bryson was at all times communicating with Mr McKay. 'I am sure that the communications were designed to give Mr Bryson the best advice and guidance to maximise his chances of giving evidence. 'My analysis of the messages do not show any occasion where Mr McKay undertook to say or do anything outside his duties as chairman to ensure Mr Bryson's evidence would be in open session.' Clearing Mr Bryson, the judge said the evidence did not establish there had been a criminal conspiracy between him and Mr McKay. 'In the absence of an agreement, the conspiracy charge must fail.' Turning to Mr McKay, the judge said there was 'no doubt he deliberately misled the committee to ease the way for Mr Bryson's presentation'. The judge pointed out the Assembly had its own code of conduct and said there was 'no precedent for a prosecution in these circumstances'. 'I do not consider it my role to expand the offence,' the judge added. He said the evidence against Mr O'Hara 'fell well short' of anything which would convince him of his guilt. Asked outside the court about Judge Kerr's view that he had lied during his evidence, Mr Bryson said: 'Absolutely not, I told the truth about all of my evidence. 'I absolutely didn't; the fact is this, no crime, I am innocent, that is the end of the matter.' He added: 'To drag us through the gutters for 10 years and to top that off with a seven-week trial raises massive questions for the Public Prosecution Service.' Mr McKay's lawyer, Michael Madden, said his client had been vindicated by the judgment. 'Daithí McKay has already paid a heavy price for the decision of the PPS to prosecute this case. He was placed in a legal pressure cooker for 10 years and has had to endure a seven-week trial.' – PA
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Cork-headquartered Adapt IT acquired by Ekco
Cork-headquartered Adapt IT has been acquired by managed service provider Ekco. The new deal, which marks Ekco's sixth acquisition in two years, brings its total acquisition investment to €57m in that period. Operating for more than 20 years, Adapt IT employs 37 people at its Cork headquarters and specialises in SME services. Its 300-strong customer base operates in industries such as manufacturing, retail, hospitality, legal, and finance. The acquisition of Adapt IT brings Ekco's global headcount to more than 1,000 employees and adds a seventh Irish location to its growing regional network. In addition to its three sites in Dublin, Ekco now operates in Cork, Waterford, and Laois, as well as across the UK, Netherlands, South Africa, and Malaysia. The deal is the latest in Ekco's wider acquisition strategy for growth and brings the total number of businesses acquired by Ekco in the last two years to six. Earlier this year, the company announced the purchase of Predatech, a UK-based cybersecurity consultancy. In 2024, it added UK legal IT specialist CTS to its portfolio of companies. The year before saw the additions of MSPs Radius and Bluecube, as well as cloud migration and cybersecurity specialist iSystems. Cian Prendergast, CEO at Ekco MSP, said: 'The acquisition of Adapt IT is the latest move in our aggressive expansion strategy which targets key acquisitions combined with sustained business growth. "This strategy reflects an investment in innovation that will make us in Ekco, and our acquired companies, stronger as a result. We're building a modern, security-first MSP that helps ambitious businesses to operate with confidence and resilience." John Levis, Managing Director at Adapt IT, said: 'We are delighted to join the Ekco group, an Irish-founded business which is on an impressive growth trajectory. This will enable us to continue to deliver top-tier services to businesses, backed up by the skills and resources of a larger group.
