Ending landline phones ‘would cut off rural areas’

ARURAL pressure group is warning against plans to cut off traditional landline telephones within five years.

The Countryside Alliance says mobile and broadband coverage in many countryside areas is too poor to manage without landline links.

The Alliance was responding to reports that the traditional landline telephone call will be consigned to history from 2025, as all UK phone calls make the transition to digital.

It says this would mean every household and business in the country that wants to maintain a phone line will also need to be connected to the internet.

Reports suggest that millions of Britons will be forced online for the first time – or will have to rely on a mobile phone. According to the latest Ofcom research, there are still 1.5 million UK homes without an internet connection.

The Countryside Alliance said it is concerned about the impact such a move could have for people living in rural areas and those who currently don’t have access to a mobile phone. Parts of the Westcountry are still notorious as mobile “not spots” where coverage is poor or non-existent and broadband is slow, intermittent or non-existent.

The Alliance said: “Poor mobile coverage in certain parts of the country, particularly in those more remote areas, means there are people who depend on a working landline for basic contact with the outside world.”

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “The most important issue to consider in these early stages is the safety of our most vulnerable and those that live in rural areas with poor connectivity.

“It may sound like a natural next step, but we need to acknowledge that even basic broadband connectivity is still lacking in parts of the country.”

He added: “While much of the country has transitioned to carrying out numerous, everyday functions online, a significant number have not and cannot.

“At no point can we risk subjecting this group to a communications blackout. A highly publicised, thorough consultation must be carried out before this can be taken forward.”

The Alliance has long stressed the importance of delivering superfast broadband and improved mobile phone coverage across the countryside. Those left behind risk increased isolation and social exclusion.

It says continued poor connectivity in rural areas also represents a huge, missed opportunity for economic development. The current lack of broadband infrastructure serving small firms threatens the expansion of the rural economy, currently worth £400bn annually. The business opportunity includes 28 per cent of all UK firms and over one million small businesses.