British Telecom Pulling Plug On Dial-up on September 1

By Jane McEntegart
published

Say goodbye to dial-up.

While dial-up is a thing of the past for many of us, not everyone's dial-up days are in the past. Still, that's not stopping British Telecom in its plans to pull the plug on dial-up in just a couple of weeks' time. The company is cutting off its dial-up service on September 1.

The Telegraph reports that BT has reached out to its customers still on 'narrowband' connections to warn them that their service will end come September 1. British Telecom has offered to switch these customers to broadband where broadband service is available. For those that live in areas where broadband is still inaccessible, they'll have to switch to the BT-owned (but independently operated) PlusNet. Unfortunately, BT won't be helping customers to make that switch, and will instead be leaving them to contact PlusNet themselves. 

BT says only 1,000 of its customers will find themselves needing to get in touch with PlusNet because where they live is not rigged for broadband. For others, the company says its cheapest broadband package is actually cheaper than dial-up (£10 per month as opposed to £17.25 per month).

Jane McEntegart
14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • knightmike
    What's dial-up?
    Reply
  • Chetou
    You wouldn't know, there's no Facebook status of it.
    Reply
  • house70
    Just because there are only 1000 customers using dialup, BT should have done the right thing in helping them make the switch. BT would have looked like it cares about it's customers (I would go on a limb here and say old faithful customers, too, since they're still on dialup), instead of saying "we'll cut that off you're on your own, we don't give a damn because it's not profitable for us to maintain it anymore".
    Reply
  • Someone Somewhere
    @house

    It's 1K who have dial-up and live in areas where broadband isn't available.

    The actual number is likely somewhat higher.
    Reply
  • house70
    11424935 said:
    @house

    It's 1K who have dial-up and live in areas where broadband isn't available.

    The actual number is likely somewhat higher.

    You're probably right, I was just making a reference to the idea in the article.
    Reply
  • Grandmastersexsay
    11424905 said:
    Just because there are only 1000 customers using dialup, BT should have done the right thing in helping them make the switch. BT would have looked like it cares about it's customers (I would go on a limb here and say old faithful customers, too, since they're still on dialup), instead of saying "we'll cut that off you're on your own, we don't give a damn because it's not profitable for us to maintain it anymore".

    What about doing the right thing for their stock holders? It amazes me that some people don't understand a business is in business to make money. They are not in business to provide jobs, provide a service, or help people. They exist solely to make money.
    Reply
  • ddpruitt
    11424952 said:
    11424935 said:
    @house

    It's 1K who have dial-up and live in areas where broadband isn't available.

    The actual number is likely somewhat higher.

    You're probably right, I was just making a reference to the idea in the article.

    BT has to pay maintenance on outdated equipment that they probably can't find anymore and keeping even a few thousand customers on dial up is too much hassle. There are other cheaper and easier to deal with ways of getting internet even if broadband isn't an option.
    Reply
  • one-shot
    THIS IS OUTRAGE!!!
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    11424935 said:
    @house

    It's 1K who have dial-up and live in areas where broadband isn't available.
    And are direct subscribers to BT dial-up.

    I'm guessing there are thousands more on other dial-up ISPs who aren't going to be affected by this.
    Reply
  • softplacetoland
    To the BT immensely sympathetic, compassionate commenters

    I ask are you a shareholders? Is that hard to sympathize with people who get screwed by this decision more than with some corporate benemoth? I always wondered why are people today so broken that they know all the reasons why bloodsuckers need to suck blood and don't know either one why that blood would be important to the victims. Well, obviously, people are that broken and today, if myth about David and Gloliath was truth I know whose fan would they be.
    Reply