Digital Voice isn’t just for full fibre: it works on all modern broadband connections

You’ve probably heard of the stop sell by now. As the old PSTN (Packet Switched Telephone Network) is removed from sale and eventually service, traditional landlines will no longer be available. And if you have a home telephone, soon it will no longer work.

The PSTN is the old copper telephone network that delivers analogue landline services, and it will be switched off completely by the end of 2025. 

Understandably, many Zen customers are concerned that, after the PSTN switch off, if they don’t have a modern full fibre broadband connection, they’ll no longer be able to have a home telephone. The two services - full fibre and Digital Voice – have become almost synonymous with each other, to the extent that many people believe that one can’t be had without the other.

We’re about to clear up that misconception.

1. If you don’t want a phone line, you won’t need one

By the end of this year, there will be two types of broadband available, depending on where you live.

You may have access to full fibre broadband, which is the most modern type of broadband connection, using fibre optic cables to connect your home to the nearest exchange for ultra-reliable, ultrafast broadband with download speeds up to 900Mbps.

If you’re not currently in a full fibre area, instead you’ll have access to a new service called SOGEA (or Single Order Generic Ethernet Access). That’s quite a mouthful, but SOGEA broadband is very similar to existing Fibre to the Cabinet broadband (FTTC), just without the phone line part.

So, if all you need is broadband, and you don’t require a home telephone service, full fibre and SOGEA will give you exactly what you need.

2. If you want a phone line, you can have one

Digital Voice (also known as a VoIP phone service) is the modern alternative to traditional copper phone lines. It ensures that you can keep your home phone service if you need it. But lots of people believe that a full fibre broadband connection is needed for Digital Voice.

However, that isn’t the case. Because Digital Voice uses the internet instead of phone lines to operate, all you actually need is a modern, data-only, home internet connection; in other words, full fibre or SOGEA. So, you’ll find that if you’re a Zen broadband and phone customer, if you haven’t already, in the future we’ll be helping you to upgrade your broadband and migrate your phone service to Digital Voice. If you’d like to speed up that process, you can get in touch and we’ll look to get you migrated sooner.

If you’re a Zen broadband customer without a phone service, just contact us and we’ll help you to add Digital Voice to your package. And if you’ve not yet found your Zen, we have plenty of available options. Click here for more on broadband, and here to read more about Digital Voice from Zen.

So, just to confirm. If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to get a home phone service if you don’t have full fibre broadband, Digital Voice will be available with all our full fibre and SOGEA home internet connections. And given that, in the next couple of years, those will be the only types of home broadband connection available, you’ll be ok to add Digital Voice to whatever service you’re using.