21–30 of 53 posts
In the UK, unless you're on virgin (there might be a few others I'm unaware of), you're pretty much forced to have a landline for which you're charged line rental, even if you don't or will never use it.
But if your VDSL signal is coming down the landline then you _are_ using it. At least that's what I told myself to try to feel better about it (FTTP now!)
In the event of a disaster (earthquake, flood, blizzard) is voip infrastructure more or less 'fragile' than a copper landline? I assume this deprication will probably be cost related but I am curious about the implications on the emergency side of things.
With VoIP, you tend to have your own, plugged-in wall box. Which becomes useless the moment your electricity stops, e.g. in case of natural disasters.
Also, analog telephony just sounds better than digital one. No downsampling happening.
maybe we should bring back phreaking just as a game. is there such a thing as a hacker museum? we could set up a mini exchange, payphones, pbx, conf lines, etc and let kids hack it. and there would be no website; you'd have to connect to the BBS to get information, or join a party line.
We now have an underground fibre to all the homes in our suburb.
US Robotics will always be special to me and nothing to do with robots.
Around 2012-2013, my 5/6-ish year old daughter found an old wired phone I kept around and she was astonished when I told her that wires used to connect phones. "You need wires to phone call? But why!" A few years back, in India, competition amongst the ISP/Telephone providers were heating up and everything became so cheap and readily available. I got Jio for fun, and then Airtel in hope to stop them from calling/text…
I still have a landline at home that I basically never use, "just in case". When I had a co-worker over a few years ago he brought his ~8yo, and it was a similar story. A wired phone was totally fascinating for him. Never mind that cell phones are tiny, are powered from a battery and make your voice travel through the air to as far away as you want, and even make it possible to see the person you're taking to. No, th…
Around 2012-2013, my 5/6-ish year old daughter found an old wired phone I kept around and she was astonished when I told her that wires used to connect phones. "You need wires to phone call? But why!" A few years back, in India, competition amongst the ISP/Telephone providers were heating up and everything became so cheap and readily available. I got Jio for fun, and then Airtel in hope to stop them from calling/text…
I still have a landline at home that I basically never use, "just in case". When I had a co-worker over a few years ago he brought his ~8yo, and it was a similar story. A wired phone was totally fascinating for him. Never mind that cell phones are tiny, are powered from a battery and make your voice travel through the air to as far away as you want, and even make it possible to see the person you're taking to. No, th…
“They have phones in booths now? What am I logging this thing around for!?” And throws away their cellphone.
In the event of a disaster (earthquake, flood, blizzard) is voip infrastructure more or less 'fragile' than a copper landline? I assume this deprication will probably be cost related but I am curious about the implications on the emergency side of things.
In the UK, unless you're on virgin (there might be a few others I'm unaware of), you're pretty much forced to have a landline for which you're charged line rental, even if you don't or will never use it.
It's not quite unsupported, but you can't sign up for a new copper landline plan unless there is no mobile coverage and no fibre coverage at your property. Otherwise, for anyone who really wants a "landline" you are getting VOIP over fibre or VOIP over mobile broadband.
87% of population have access to the new fibre network, and the old copper network is just redundant and unmantained in most built-up areas. Chorus recent started actively forcing remaining customers off it in some areas.
Personally, I've been without a landline for 10 years, and even my parents got rid of their landline a few years back. It's just cheaper to use a mobile phones instead (and in NZ, mobile phones come with the additional benefit of never receiving spam calls)