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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. " Hmmmm.... "interesting" agenda | |||
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"Apparently, this coming weekend, everyone with a mobile phone will experience a very loud and persistent emergency warning. Their phone will receive a message flashing up on screen along with a persistent and loud sound. Don't worry, it's only a test. However, it is all part of being prepared for national emergencies such as floods, landslides, terrorist events and, erm, WW3 breaking out. Now my Dad is 90. He has a mobile phone. One of those with pressy buttons. But no touch screen. He can't handle a touch screen. Pressy buttons work well. When he makes a phone call, he likes to dial in the number, just like in the good old days. The phone is what techie people would call "2G only". Now, these emergency tests which are going to be sent to all mobile phones are intended to warn people of impending danger, and hopefully allow those people to seek a safe place to shelter. It sounds like a good idea. After all, Dad only watches the 9 O'Clock news on the BBC. And if an emergency situation strikes at 10:00 am, he's gonna be "long gone" before he finds out about it some 11 hours later on the telly. I admire my governments "care" for the welfare of my father. Only there's 1 problem. 1 fatal flaw in the idea. ...... The emergency alerts are only sent to 4G and 5G capable and enabled phones. Which means that in the event of a life threatening emergency, my Dad, one of the people who that alert is of most value to, will not receive the alert. And will presumably suffer the consequences. Nice one. "He’s 90, he’s had a good innings 🤷🏻♂️ | |||
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"Apparently, this coming weekend, everyone with a mobile phone will experience a very loud and persistent emergency warning. Their phone will receive a message flashing up on screen along with a persistent and loud sound. Don't worry, it's only a test. However, it is all part of being prepared for national emergencies such as floods, landslides, terrorist events and, erm, WW3 breaking out. Now my Dad is 90. He has a mobile phone. One of those with pressy buttons. But no touch screen. He can't handle a touch screen. Pressy buttons work well. When he makes a phone call, he likes to dial in the number, just like in the good old days. The phone is what techie people would call "2G only". Now, these emergency tests which are going to be sent to all mobile phones are intended to warn people of impending danger, and hopefully allow those people to seek a safe place to shelter. It sounds like a good idea. After all, Dad only watches the 9 O'Clock news on the BBC. And if an emergency situation strikes at 10:00 am, he's gonna be "long gone" before he finds out about it some 11 hours later on the telly. I admire my governments "care" for the welfare of my father. Only there's 1 problem. 1 fatal flaw in the idea. ...... The emergency alerts are only sent to 4G and 5G capable and enabled phones. Which means that in the event of a life threatening emergency, my Dad, one of the people who that alert is of most value to, will not receive the alert. And will presumably suffer the consequences. Nice one. "Wouldn't you call him to make sure he was okay and knew of impending danger? There will never be a situation that affords everyones incompatibilities. | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. " Alright I'll bite What is 'it' that we are believing in connection with this test warning? | |||
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" Wouldn't you call him to make sure he was okay and knew of impending danger? There will never be a situation that affords everyones incompatibilities. " Good point. And indeed, since phones fall back to 2G for voice when 4G and 5G are too weak, I could indeed, theoretically speak to him. Only one problem with that. I live in North Wales. At home, I have been unable to get the interweb on my mobile phone ever since they turned off 3G. 4G never has worked at my home and 5G is still very much a figment of the imagination for much of North Wales. So, I'm not gonna get the emergency alert! | |||
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" Wouldn't you call him to make sure he was okay and knew of impending danger? There will never be a situation that affords everyones incompatibilities. Good point. And indeed, since phones fall back to 2G for voice when 4G and 5G are too weak, I could indeed, theoretically speak to him. Only one problem with that. I live in North Wales. At home, I have been unable to get the interweb on my mobile phone ever since they turned off 3G. 4G never has worked at my home and 5G is still very much a figment of the imagination for much of North Wales. So, I'm not gonna get the emergency alert!" I'm out of ideas 
At least both of you won't know at the same time | |||
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"I read the BBC news several times a day on my phone and always respond to all texts and emails but this is the first I have seen any mention of an emergency alert test. How are we supposed to respond ?" It depends what it says. If it offers free money you may want to respond but I’d still exercise caution as the government can’t necessarily be trusted. If it asks you to report for duty on the Eastern front I’d be inclined to ignore it. | |||
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"I read the BBC news several times a day on my phone and always respond to all texts and emails but this is the first I have seen any mention of an emergency alert test. How are we supposed to respond ?" By not watching the BBC..... | |||
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"Must remember to stick my phones on aeroplane mode for the weekend. Then I can come on here on Monday and say I never heard it!" You can just go into Settings and disable the emergency alerts. It was one of the first things I did when I got this phone. Sadly I forgot to change the work phone, so I got woken up at 3am. I shan't be making that mistake again. | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. " Really… thank god you don’t live in the us Tornado warning, flash flood warnings, active shooter warning to name but 3…. I sometimes think people like to type shit just for the sake of it Sometimes people just need to take the tin foil hat off .. it’s been a long prepared test, they don’t just pluck it out of air! | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. Really… thank god you don’t live in the us Tornado warning, flash flood warnings, active shooter warning to name but 3…. I sometimes think people like to type shit just for the sake of it Sometimes people just need to take the tin foil hat off .. it’s been a long prepared test, they don’t just pluck it out of air! " It’s the UK. The worst thing that’s going to happen is a fence panel might blow down. The UK is probably just below Somalia in the list of places nobody wants to invade. | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. Really… thank god you don’t live in the us Tornado warning, flash flood warnings, active shooter warning to name but 3…. I sometimes think people like to type shit just for the sake of it Sometimes people just need to take the tin foil hat off .. it’s been a long prepared test, they don’t just pluck it out of air! It’s the UK. The worst thing that’s going to happen is a fence panel might blow down. The UK is probably just below Somalia in the list of places nobody wants to invade." They are doing a test, to help to validate its effectiveness. In real life, you could be alerted to a range of things - invasions are less likely. Your phone could also pick up alerts when abroad. Just as when somewhere when a fire alarm goes off, you won't need to activate fire extinguishers etc. They're just testing. Though aliens may see it as their chance to land spaceships and we'll ignore the warnings  . Watch the skies to be sure | |||
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"Apparently, this coming weekend, everyone with a mobile phone will experience a very loud and persistent emergency warning. Their phone will receive a message flashing up on screen along with a persistent and loud sound. Don't worry, it's only a test. However, it is all part of being prepared for national emergencies such as floods, landslides, terrorist events and, erm, WW3 breaking out. Now my Dad is 90. He has a mobile phone. One of those with pressy buttons. But no touch screen. He can't handle a touch screen. Pressy buttons work well. When he makes a phone call, he likes to dial in the number, just like in the good old days. The phone is what techie people would call "2G only". Now, these emergency tests which are going to be sent to all mobile phones are intended to warn people of impending danger, and hopefully allow those people to seek a safe place to shelter. It sounds like a good idea. After all, Dad only watches the 9 O'Clock news on the BBC. And if an emergency situation strikes at 10:00 am, he's gonna be "long gone" before he finds out about it some 11 hours later on the telly. I admire my governments "care" for the welfare of my father. Only there's 1 problem. 1 fatal flaw in the idea. ...... The emergency alerts are only sent to 4G and 5G capable and enabled phones. Which means that in the event of a life threatening emergency, my Dad, one of the people who that alert is of most value to, will not receive the alert. And will presumably suffer the consequences. Nice one. " | |||
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" The UK is probably just below Somalia in the list of places nobody wants to invade." You mean Ethiopia was going to invade us in 2006, but opted for Somalia instead? Phew, we would've had the Al Shabab insurgency, which would have been even worse than UKIP! | |||
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"Just disable on your phone. It’s easy to do. " Exactly what I did just turned off the alerts. | |||
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"Some great comments, thankyou! I'll come to the best comments shortly. But first, for clarity..... Dad has one of those old fashioned pushy button phones. No touch screen. No interweb. No email. No camera. Just voice phone callas and text messages. Basically, the same functionality as a Nokia 3310. The point of my original posting is that my Dad, who doesn't have access to constant news updates and is very technophobic, would be one of the small quantity of people who would truly benefit a lot from the emergency alert system. However, because his phone is a simple, pushy button phone, it uses the very old fashioned 2G system. And apparently, the emergency alerts are only sent to 4G and 5G phones. Therefore, suggestions that he should very simply turn off emergency alerts are silly suggestions if his phone can't receive the emergency alerts in the first place. However, I notice that a couple of people have suggested that it is possible to buy pushy button, simple phones which are 4G & 5G enabled. I'm not sure, but it's something I'll spend the rest of this evening googling." I think we got dad's from an on line retail site with the same name as a river of Tesco. I can't remember which. | |||
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"Apparently, this coming weekend, everyone with a mobile phone will experience a very loud and persistent emergency warning. Their phone will receive a message flashing up on screen along with a persistent and loud sound. Don't worry, it's only a test. However, it is all part of being prepared for national emergencies such as floods, landslides, terrorist events and, erm, WW3 breaking out. Now my Dad is 90. He has a mobile phone. One of those with pressy buttons. But no touch screen. He can't handle a touch screen. Pressy buttons work well. When he makes a phone call, he likes to dial in the number, just like in the good old days. The phone is what techie people would call "2G only". Now, these emergency tests which are going to be sent to all mobile phones are intended to warn people of impending danger, and hopefully allow those people to seek a safe place to shelter. It sounds like a good idea. After all, Dad only watches the 9 O'Clock news on the BBC. And if an emergency situation strikes at 10:00 am, he's gonna be "long gone" before he finds out about it some 11 hours later on the telly. I admire my governments "care" for the welfare of my father. Only there's 1 problem. 1 fatal flaw in the idea. ...... The emergency alerts are only sent to 4G and 5G capable and enabled phones. Which means that in the event of a life threatening emergency, my Dad, one of the people who that alert is of most value to, will not receive the alert. And will presumably suffer the consequences. Nice one. "all that to have a dig at a tory policy | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. " Lol I need an eye roll emoji... these emergency alerts work well across different countries. Ive had one for a tsunami alert when away after an earthquake.... When I was a child I remember the emergency siren being tested every so often ..at least with this test we know it's just a test. I remember not having heard the warning on the local radio that the sirens would be tested and thinking we were going to be bombed. The emergency test signal is a positive | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. Lol I need an eye roll emoji... these emergency alerts work well across different countries. Ive had one for a tsunami alert when away after an earthquake.... When I was a child I remember the emergency siren being tested every so often ..at least with this test we know it's just a test. I remember not having heard the warning on the local radio that the sirens would be tested and thinking we were going to be bombed. The emergency test signal is a positive " Here you go 🙄 | |||
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"Need to keep the fear mongering going to keep the masses pliable. It worked during Covid. I’m sure there is still a small percentage of the population who will believe it. Russia, Pandemics, Climate Change, the “Far Right”. I’m sure the government has teams of people working on what can be used to scare the peasants next. Lol I need an eye roll emoji... these emergency alerts work well across different countries. Ive had one for a tsunami alert when away after an earthquake.... When I was a child I remember the emergency siren being tested every so often ..at least with this test we know it's just a test. I remember not having heard the warning on the local radio that the sirens would be tested and thinking we were going to be bombed. The emergency test signal is a positive " I’ll definitely be grateful for some advance warning of the possibility of a tile blowing off my roof. Perhaps I’ll get a risk assessment done just in case. As well as a hard hat and six months’ worth of food in case it’s not safe to venture outside. Well worth however many millions of taxpayers’ money this has cost. | |||
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"Can’t understand why age has anything to do with ability to use a phone. My dad is in his late 80s and has a smart phone and uses Linux on his computer. Has done for years. He isn’t an expert but manages perfectly fine. Modern technology is simple and cheap." Poor eyesight and reduced sensation in his hands is the reason my dad struggles with a mobile, he's 98. He uses a lap top for surfing, listening to music, YouTube and making calls via Facebook messenger but due to the aforementioned problems makes mistakes that we regularly need to fix. Modern tech is only simple if you understand it and I would argue that it's far from cheap. | |||
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"Can’t understand why age has anything to do with ability to use a phone. My dad is in his late 80s and has a smart phone and uses Linux on his computer. Has done for years. He isn’t an expert but manages perfectly fine. Modern technology is simple and cheap. Poor eyesight and reduced sensation in his hands is the reason my dad struggles with a mobile, he's 98. He uses a lap top for surfing, listening to music, YouTube and making calls via Facebook messenger but due to the aforementioned problems makes mistakes that we regularly need to fix. Modern tech is only simple if you understand it and I would argue that it's far from cheap. " This is where AI could really play a part in managing the applications and devices the elderly use in their day to day. Those fixes you need to do could be done by AI if they are common place or flagged to be fixed if it was a physical fix. Reminders alerts or test alerts could be replicated at the same time with the same information through a smart speaker or laptop / other devices. However I would imagine this would be a bottom of a list problem to solve, not enough money in it.... | |||
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 . I dread to think of the consequences of him even having a smart speaker would be | |||
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"^^ my father and AI would not be a good partnership . I dread to think of the consequences of him even having a smart speaker would be"That really did make me laugh | |||
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"Can’t understand why age has anything to do with ability to use a phone. My dad is in his late 80s and has a smart phone and uses Linux on his computer. Has done for years. He isn’t an expert but manages perfectly fine. Modern technology is simple and cheap." In some ways, I agree. After all, I'm almost 60 and even I know how to use a phone, microwave, telly remote and how to drive a car. However, it is perfectly true for me to say that my Dad never could use a touch screen, or a mouse. Or even a TV remote. You wouldn't believe how many times my Dad has told me that the remote is faulty. It must be, because the telly speakers stop working of their own accord. And he has DEFINITELY not pressed any buttons on the remote before the speakers stopped working. However, I have personally witnessed my Dad falling asleep with the remote in his hands and I've personally witnessed his fingers pressing down on random buttons on the remote whilst he was falling asleep. Now of course, I agree that some people in their very old age will understand Linux and be able to operate a touch screen telephone. But each person in the world can only be good at what they know how to do. My Dad can service the engines of a Spitfire, Lancaster and Comet. But he simply can not operate a touch screen or even a telly remote control. | |||
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"^^ my father and AI would not be a good partnership . I dread to think of the consequences of him even having a smart speaker would be"Mine would make the speaker wear a 3 piece suit (complete with waistcoat) and a tie which is tied in the Full Windsor Knot. | |||
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" He’s 90, he’s had a good innings 🤷🏻♂️" Oooo brutal | |||
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"Was supposed to be sent at 3.00pm I got it at 3.10pm Hope they're not gonna use it for the 4 minute warning "I don’t even have my own 30 second warning alarm I’ll need to sort that .  | |||
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"Can’t understand why age has anything to do with ability to use a phone. My dad is in his late 80s and has a smart phone and uses Linux on his computer. Has done for years. He isn’t an expert but manages perfectly fine. Modern technology is simple and cheap. Poor eyesight and reduced sensation in his hands is the reason my dad struggles with a mobile, he's 98. He uses a lap top for surfing.." He’s 98 and he still surfing😳 RESPECT.  | |||
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" He’s 98 and he still surfing😳 RESPECT. "I'm 80 and still use the plywood belly board I've had since my teens. Much better than the modern buoyant types! | |||
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"Which means that in the event of a life threatening emergency, my Dad, one of the people who that alert is of most value to, will not receive the alert. And will presumably suffer the consequences. Nice one. "I hear your frustration. There are a number of options for the elderly that work well, not only for alerts but also in case they require help. Always not great for anyone let alone the elderly. It is very difficult having elderly parents but with some gentle persuasion, they often use them. There are many care facilities that can be used like pendants with a call button for assistance and some having fall detection which sends the alert and GPS position to a central call hub. They will then send emergency services to help. Other than those, I'm certain, if there was an imminent threat of danger, the local Police will go out to make sure everyone is alerted. I know there are devices connected in most elderly persons homes with two way voice communications with a central hub. No idea if they would send the alert to all connected devices, but might be worth a bit of investigation. I worked for a while in Australia, and these emergency alerts worked fantastically. Saved many lives where there were bush fires etc. So for me, I think its a great technology that should be used by everyone where possible. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system." Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial." Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? Not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time." Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone." To receive national alerts? | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? Not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time." There is, the newer ones just use 4G not 2G or 3G. | |||
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"Clearly, since I have a 4G phone, I will receive the Emergency Alert. And for the avoidance of doubt, I would also attempt to telephone Dad if I received such an alert. However, since I live nearer to Capenhurst than he does, I might very easily be dead whilst he is still alive. The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system." The alerts for mobile devices is one route, radio, TV, online services and word of mouth will still play their part. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. To receive national alerts? " Yes, but, he is a pensioner. He's not wealthy and a Samsung S - twentywhatever is way beyond his monthly pension allowance. Yes, he does get pension credits. He already owns a 2G phone. He is not the only pensioner in this situation. Why on God's earth is the emergency warning NOT sent to 2G phones. Why on God's earth, is it not possible to send an early warning alert to every 2G and later phone in the world? | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. To receive national alerts? Yes, but, he is a pensioner. He's not wealthy and a Samsung S - twentywhatever is way beyond his monthly pension allowance. Yes, he does get pension credits. He already owns a 2G phone. He is not the only pensioner in this situation. Why on God's earth is the emergency warning NOT sent to 2G phones. Why on God's earth, is it not possible to send an early warning alert to every 2G and later phone in the world? " 2G is being phased out. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. To receive national alerts? Yes, but, he is a pensioner. He's not wealthy and a Samsung S - twentywhatever is way beyond his monthly pension allowance. Yes, he does get pension credits. He already owns a 2G phone. He is not the only pensioner in this situation. Why on God's earth is the emergency warning NOT sent to 2G phones. Why on God's earth, is it not possible to send an early warning alert to every 2G and later phone in the world? " A quick google brought this up... Networks and emergency services already use “reverse 999” style systems in localised incidents to ring landlines or mobiles with recorded safety messages. all you need to do is register your dad's number with the services that provide this capability. Police, Fire, Local authority, Environment agency. Maybe citizens advice could help. | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. To receive national alerts? Yes, but, he is a pensioner. He's not wealthy and a Samsung S - twentywhatever is way beyond his monthly pension allowance. Yes, he does get pension credits. He already owns a 2G phone. He is not the only pensioner in this situation. Why on God's earth is the emergency warning NOT sent to 2G phones. Why on God's earth, is it not possible to send an early warning alert to every 2G and later phone in the world? 2G is being phased out." OK, I'll bite..... Wouldn't it be simpler and easier to phase out old age penioners? | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. To receive national alerts? Yes, but, he is a pensioner. He's not wealthy and a Samsung S - twentywhatever is way beyond his monthly pension allowance. Yes, he does get pension credits. He already owns a 2G phone. He is not the only pensioner in this situation. Why on God's earth is the emergency warning NOT sent to 2G phones. Why on God's earth, is it not possible to send an early warning alert to every 2G and later phone in the world? " I don't know the answer to your questions but I believe I pointed you on the direction of a basic, big button phone such as we bought for my pensioner father as soon as we realised that 2g was being phased out. I do think older people are marginalised by advancing tech but twas ever thus | |||
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"The fact that the emergency alert is not issued across the 2G network is a complete fail of the system. Rubbish. There is no good reason these days not to have a 4g phone. All types are available including accessible ones and the cost is trivial. Is there no such thing now as a basic talk and text phone? not everyone needs a pocket computer all the time. Dad has a Doro big button phone. But it is only 2G. It works perfectly. Whenever he needs to speak with me, he can. It works and does the job it is supposed to do. I see no reason why he NEEDS 4G phone. To receive national alerts? Yes, but, he is a pensioner. He's not wealthy and a Samsung S - twentywhatever is way beyond his monthly pension allowance. Yes, he does get pension credits. He already owns a 2G phone. He is not the only pensioner in this situation. Why on God's earth is the emergency warning NOT sent to 2G phones. Why on God's earth, is it not possible to send an early warning alert to every 2G and later phone in the world? I don't know the answer to your questions but I believe I pointed you on the direction of a basic, big button phone such as we bought for my pensioner father as soon as we realised that 2g was being phased out. I do think older people are marginalised by advancing tech but twas ever thus " Nicecouple, that is correct and indeed you did point me in the direction of a suitable phone which I could go out and buy. However, Dad could NOT go out and buy such a phone as he is housebound unless I am there. I previously believed that big button phones only worked on 2G. Here, in leafy North Wales my daily commute to my father's home takes me along the A548 (coast road). I fully know that the telecom companies have maps showing coverage and that 5G should be available along the route. However, when riding on the top deck of the local service bus, I can confirm through bitter experience just how many times even 2G voice calls from my 5G phone are dropped. I fully agree that older people are marginalised by advancing tech, but surely, if we value older people, this must stop at some point? Why does 2G need to be phased out? Likewise, copper land line telephones are being phased out, and my old Dad is gonna lose his 01...... landline number sometime soon. but if that is the case, why are the old copper overhead wires being left in place? | |||
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"From the Gov.Uk website The technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is being switched off by the telecommunications industry by January 2027. Landlines (and other devices reliant on the PSTN) will require upgrading to new digital technologies." Indeed but from an end user perspective they'll still have a landline. Their service provider will handle the switch to fully digital. From the same website... "For most people this change will be straightforward. Someone using a landline to make voice calls today can continue to use their landline in the same way in the future. " "The exact migration process will depend on your communications provider and the equipment they use. If you already have an internet connection, the change may be as simple as plugging your phone into your broadband router rather than the socket on the wall. In some cases, an engineer visit may be required to ensure devices are functioning correctly. If you don’t use broadband, some providers will offer their customers an interim, dedicated landline service designed to keep them connected while moving them off the analogue PSTN network. This interim solution allows those customers to use their current landline in the same way as they do today until a digital solution becomes available or 2030, if that comes sooner." Any service provider is going to handle this transition as smoothly as possible rather than lose customers or get bad press for abandoning vulnerable customers. | |||
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"From the Gov.Uk website The technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is being switched off by the telecommunications industry by January 2027. Landlines (and other devices reliant on the PSTN) will require upgrading to new digital technologies. Indeed but from an end user perspective they'll still have a landline. Their service provider will handle the switch to fully digital. From the same website... "For most people this change will be straightforward. Someone using a landline to make voice calls today can continue to use their landline in the same way in the future. " "The exact migration process will depend on your communications provider and the equipment they use. If you already have an internet connection, the change may be as simple as plugging your phone into your broadband router rather than the socket on the wall. In some cases, an engineer visit may be required to ensure devices are functioning correctly. If you don’t use broadband, some providers will offer their customers an interim, dedicated landline service designed to keep them connected while moving them off the analogue PSTN network. This interim solution allows those customers to use their current landline in the same way as they do today until a digital solution becomes available or 2030, if that comes sooner." Any service provider is going to handle this transition as smoothly as possible rather than lose customers or get bad press for abandoning vulnerable customers. " What they conveniently don't mention is that the landlines and therefore router based internet connection will no longer work if there is a power cut. | |||
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" What they conveniently don't mention is that the landlines and therefore router based internet connection will no longer work if there is a power cut." Thankyou, I suspect we see the same issues! | |||
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" What they conveniently don't mention is that the landlines and therefore router based internet connection will no longer work if there is a power cut. Thankyou, I suspect we see the same issues!" There are many very good reasons for keeping the PSTN, not least the resilience in emergencies (separate network with its own power supply). However this is a different issue to the original post about a 4G or better mobile phone being required for the emergency messaging. This is a non-issue whereas the PSTN turn off is a bigger problem. In the same way, terrestrial television will be turned off in a decade or so. This will reduce consumer choice/ rights and place power in the hands of the content providers while increasing reliance on one connection (Internet). | |||
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