Gower calling... network set for landline switch

AN AREA of Gower will be one of the next places in the UK to have its landline network switched off.

- BRYANA FRANCIS AND EMILY WRIGHT

As part of major plans to replace the century-old copper telephone line network used for landline calls and home broadband across the UK, BT-owned Openreach has announced the next 94 locations that will undergo the switch-off. These changes will affect approximately 960,000 premises throughout the country.

The transition is part of Openreach's “stop sell” order, which will see the 94 areas moved away from copper-based landlines and broadband services over the next 12 months, moving towards upgraded next-generation full-fibre services.

After the upgrade, users will be required to switch to a broadband-powered telephone, using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to make calls - technology already used by applications such as WhatsApp, Skype, and Messenger.