Bye bye to traditional wired telephone lines in Finland. Telephone companies are increasingly removing wired phone lines, so phones are thrown out and phone connectors stay lonely unused on the wall.
Wired phones are replaced with desk-phone looking cell phone. 4G data is sold as replacement for ADSL (some lucky ones can get fiber).
In this way we can keep the number one place for mobile data http://www.epanorama.net/newepa/2015/03/12/finland-number-one-in-mobile-data/
11 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Converting a Military TA-1024A/U Field Telephone for Regular Phone Use
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h-TOQAOY_I
How to convert the very cool TA-1024A/U digital military field phone for regular civilian use.
Warning for sensitive souls: beautiful digital military electronics that can’t be used get replaced with cheap analog consumer innards. I make no effort to reverse engineer the classified digital military transmission protocol either. This is just a quick conversion how-to for civilian use.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ask Hackaday: With Landline Use In Decline, What’s To Be Done With The Local Loop?
https://hackaday.com/2020/10/12/ask-hackaday-with-landline-use-in-decline-whats-to-be-done-with-the-local-loop/
Telco physical plant equipment can be divided into two broad categories: the inside plant and the outside plant. The inside plant is, as the name implies, everything that resides under a roof. This includes the switchgear itself, the main distribution frames where the incoming local loop wires are connected, plus all the support gear for so-called BORSCHT functions, an acronym for:
Battery (nominal 48 VDC to power the local loop);
Overvoltage protection from surges on the local loop;
Ringing voltage (about 89 V RMS);
Signaling or Supervision, which detects on- or off-hook conditions at the subscriber end and decodes DTMF tones;
Coding, which provides support for digital encoding and decoding algorithms;
Hybrid, which transforms the two-wire local loop into a four-wire connection;
and Testing, which allows field techs to connect a subscriber directly to testing gear in the central office.
Things tend to change within the inside plant fairly rapidly as technology advances.
Outside Plant
Outside plant refers to everything the telephone company installs outside the central office. If it’s strung up on poles, buried in the ground, or sitting on a tower on a mountaintop somewhere, it counts as outside plant.
The most obvious bit of outside plant is the miles and miles of wire that form the local loop. In the early days of telephone service, and probably clear up to at least the 1980s or early 1990s in North America, the local loop was exactly that — a single pair of copper conductors stretching from the main distribution frames in the central office to the demarcation point at the subscriber’s premises. When a phone was taken off the hook, the loop was completed and the process of making or taking a call began.
But the surge in DSL connections was really a last hurrah for the copper local loop. Fixed landline subscriptions have fallen in the US since 2000 from nearly 200 million (about 70% of the population at the time) to only 116 million lines in 2018. People just don’t have a valid use case for a landline phone anymore. This explains the specifics of my observations during my morning walk: a few days ago, a cable construction crew showed up near one of the pedestals I found open and set up a signboard announcing the arrival of a new fiber-optic network by Ziply. It turns out that Ziply bought the operations and assets of Frontier Communications in my area back in May, and are investing $500 million to upgrade the network.
Your Turn
From what I’ve seen, Ziply is primarily interested in leveraging the rights-of-way of the outside plant they inherited from Frontier. Those few remaining landlines seem to be little more than a source of cash to finance the build-out of their new network. My question is: what’s to become of all those copper lines?
It seems a shame to just abandon such a valuable asset in place, but maybe it only seems valuable to someone who isn’t running a fiber-optic company. Perhaps all the copper will one day prove to be just a nuisance, something to suck up maintenance budget while returning little value. Maybe at that point it would make sense to scrap it — pull all those carefully installed and slavishly maintained cables off the poles and out of the conduits and sell it off for its scrap copper value.
Or is there perhaps another plan for such a seemingly valuable asset? Could copper networks still have a place in the communications ecosystem, one that takes advantage of their unique position of connecting virtually every home and business?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/05/25/kupariverkko-jaa-kokonaan-syrjaan-nopeampien-tielta/
Kupariin perustuva puhelinverkko alkaa vetämään viimeisiään edes internetin loppuliittymänä taloyhtiön sisäistä verkkoa lukuun ottamatta. Uusimpana DNA ilmoitti siirtävänsä kupariliittymät kuituun, kaapeli-tv-verkkoon tai radioyhteyksiin vuoteen 2025 mennessä.
kokonaisuudessaan muutostyöt toteutetaan vuosien 2021–2025 aikana.
”Kupariverkko on palvellut televiestintää yli 160 vuotta, aina lennättimen käyttöönotosta lähtien. Nykyteknologialla on toteutettavissa parempia tiedonsiirron väyliä, joko radiotekniikalla, kaapeliverkolla tai optisilla kaapeleilla, sanoo DNA:n liityntäverkoista ja laitetiloista vastaava johtaja Mikko Kannisto.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DNA korvaa jäljellä olevan kupariverkkonsa nykyaikaisilla ratkaisuilla vuoteen 2025 mennessä – työ alkaa Raisiosta marras–joulukuussa 2021
https://corporate.dna.fi/lehdistotiedotteet?type=stt2&id=69910163&scrollTo=UJpEOgFgPw1f&fbclid=IwAR0qaISKndfi1tOoEmuCVhDFc_A8WGhStxKpShArQuys2Vdg813G0LjyYDw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elisa aloittaa kupariverkosta luopumisen
https://bbs.io-tech.fi/threads/elisa-aloittaa-kupariverkosta-luopumisen.303619/
Törmäsin aamulla Elisan tiedotteeseen, jossa ilmoitetaan kaikkien ADSL- ja VDSL-yhteyksien lopetuksesta ja siirrosta mobiiliverkkoon. Tieto tästä tuli ainakin minulle ihan puskista. Itse olisin odottanut siiirtoa ennemminkin toiseen kiinteään yhteysmuotoon, eli valokuituun tulevaisuudessa. Monilla alueilla 4G ei vastaa lähellekään ADSL-yhteyksien nopeuksia tai luotettavuuksia. Oma nettiyhteytenikni olisi ollut iltaisin alle 10Mb/s ilman juuri valmiiksi saatua Avointa Kuitua asuinalueellani. Mutta näin se kaiketi menee, että 4G-yhteyksien ylläpito maksaa operaattoreille vain murto-osan siitä mitä langattorien. Ovatko muut operaattorit tekemässä samaa?
Elisa sanoi:
Kiinteän laajakaistaverkon kupariyhteyksiin perustuva ADSL- ja VDSL-tekniikka on vanhentunut, eikä se vastaa enää tämän päivän käyttötarpeita. Elisalla on kattava mobiiliverkko, jonka kehittämiseen panostamme jatkossakin. Vanhan tekniikan liittymän tilalle suosittelemme mobiililaajakaistaa ja mobiilireititintä.
Uuttakin on tilalle tullut, mutta ehkä siinä oikeassa että voi tehdä tiukkaa korttelikuidullakin.
Josta taasen tulee mieleen että noitahan ne on markkinoineet kuitu sanalla….
Elisa sanoi:
Kaikki kuparipohjaiset liittymät suljetaan lähivuosien aikana. ADSL-liittymien sulkeminen on aloitettu syksyllä 2020. VDSL-liittymien sulkeminen on aloitettu talvella 2021 ja sulkeminen etenee alueellisesti.
Saat muutoksesta tiedotteen kirjeellä postitse noin kuukausi ennen liittymän sulkeutumispäivää.
Mobiililaajakaista kuparipohjaisen laajakaistayhteyden tilalle
https://elisa.fi/asiakaspalvelu/aihe/laajakaista/ohje/adsl-tekniikka-vaihtuu/
Kiinteän laajakaistaverkon kupariyhteyksiin perustuva tekniikka on osittain vanhentunut, eikä se vastaa enää tämän päivän käyttötarpeita. Elisalla on kattava kuitu- ja mobiiliverkko, jonka kehittämiseen panostamme jatkossakin. Vanhan tekniikan liittymän tilalle suosittelemme joko kuitu- tai mobiililiittymää riippuen alueellisesta saatavuudesta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DNA korvaa jäljellä olevan kupariverkkonsa nykyaikaisilla ratkaisuilla vuoteen 2025 mennessä – työ alkaa Raisiosta marras–joulukuussa 2021
https://corporate.dna.fi/lehdistotiedotteet
DNA korvaa jäljellä olevan kupariverkkonsa nykyaikaisilla verkkoratkaisuilla vuoteen 2025 mennessä. Muutostyöt alkavat Raisiossa kuluvan vuoden marras–joulukuun vaihteessa. DNA tiedottaa kupariverkkoasiakkaitaan erikseen ennen muutostöiden alkamista ja tarjoaa korvaavia palveluita. Kokonaisuudessaan muutostyöt toteutetaan vaiheittain vuosien 2021–2025 aikana.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DNA nopeuttaa puhelinlankojen katkomista
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14958-dna-nopeuttaa-puhelinlankojen-katkomista
DNA tiedotti maaliskuussa, että kupariverkon, eli ns. lankapuhelinverkon purkaminen Itä-Suomessa alkaa loka–marraskuussa 2023. Nyt operaattori ilmoittaa, että purkamisaikataulua on Kuopion osalta aikaistettu. Lankapuhelut päättyvät Kuopiossa jo marraskuun 2023 lopussa.
Kupariverkon purkamisen myötä niin sanotut puhelinlangat katoavat, vaikka sähköjohtoja teiden varsille yhä jääkin. Korvaavat kaapeli-, kuitu- ja mobiiliyhteydet kulkevat joko maan alla tai langattomasti.
Yhteensä kupariverkko on palvellut televiestintää jo yli 160 vuotta. Sitä on käytetty viime vuosina lankapuhelinten ja vanhan xDSL-laajakaistatekniikan yhteyksiin, joissa nopeus yltää korkeintaan muutamaan kymmeneen megabittiin. Kupariverkkoa ei siis tule sekoittaa nykyaikaisiin kaapeli- tai kuituverkkoihin, jotka mahdollistavat gigaluokan yhteydet, ja joihin DNA investoi jatkossakin merkittävästi. Nämä tekniikat yhdessä mobiiliratkaisujen kanssa ovatkin kupariverkon pääasiallisia korvaajia.
Koko DNA:n jäljellä oleva kupariverkko tullaan korvaamaan nykyaikaisilla verkkoratkaisuilla vuoteen 2025 mennessä. DNA tiedotti asiasta ensimmäisen kerran jo vuonna 2021. Varsinainen purkaminen alkoi vuonna 2022
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.dna.fi/tuki-kupariverkon-purkaminen
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/15392-dna-katkaisee-xdsl-yhteydet-maaliskuussa-2024
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scrapping The Local Loop, By The Numbers
https://hackaday.com/2024/06/11/scrapping-the-local-loop-by-the-numbers/
From its earliest days, the PSTN was centered around copper, with each and every subscriber getting at least one pair of copper wires connected from their home or business. These pairs, referred to collectively and somewhat loosely as the “local loop,” were gathered together into increasingly larger bundles on their way to a central office (CO) housing the switchgear needed to connect one copper pair to another. For local calls, it could all be done within the CO or by connecting to a nearby CO over copper lines dedicated to the task; long-distance calls were accomplished by multiplexing calls together, sometimes over microwave links but often over thick coaxial cables.
Fiber optic cables and wireless technologies have played a large part in making all the copper in the local loops and beyond redundant, but the fact remains that something like 800,000 metric tons of copper is currently locked up in the PSTN. And judging by the anti-theft efforts that Home Depot and other retailers are making, not to mention the increase in copper thefts from construction sites and other soft targets, that material is incredibly valuable. Current estimates are that PSTNs are sitting on something like $7 billion worth of copper.
That sure sounds like a lot, but what does it really mean? Assuming that the goal of harvesting all that largely redundant PSTN copper is to support decarbonization, $7 billion worth of copper isn’t really that much. Take EVs for example. The typical EV on the road today has about 132 pounds (60 kg) of copper, or about 2.5 times the amount in the typical ICE vehicle. Most of that copper is locked up in motor windings
What about on the generation side? Thirteen million new EVs are going to need a lot of extra generation and transmission capacity, and with the goal of decarbonization, that probably means a lot of wind power. Wind turbines take a lot of copper; currently, bringing a megawatt of on-shore wind capacity online takes about 3 metric tons of copper. A lot of that goes into the windings in the generator, but that also takes into account the wire needed to get the power from the nacelle down to the ground, plus the wires needed to connect the turbines together and the transformers and switchgear needed to boost the voltage for transmission. So, if all of the 800,000 metric tons of copper currently locked up in the PSTN were recycled into wind turbines, they’d bring a total of 267,000 megawatts of capacity online.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T to Retire Traditional Landlines by 2029 (Except in This State)
AT&T aims to retire a majority of its old-school copper networks by 2029, which will involve moving users to wireless, fiber, and even satellite technology. But there’s one big holdout.
https://uk.pcmag.com/wireless-carriers/155771/att-to-retire-traditional-landlines-by-2029-except-in-this-state
No more landlines? In a sign of the times, AT&T is preparing to retire its old-school copper networks across the country by the end of the decade.
AT&T mentioned the plan during Tuesday’s investors’ day as it prioritizes expanding more modern and far-faster fiber networks. “While building the network of the future, the company is actively working to exit its legacy copper network operations across the large majority of its wireline footprint by the end of 2029,” AT&T says.
In an investor presentation, an AT&T executive noted that “customers are voting with their feet and moving off of this 70-year-old copper service,” citing the higher satisfaction—and speeds— from fiber and wireless connectivity.
“In fact, only 5% of our residential customers are still using copper voice technology,” says AT&T EVP Susan Johnson. Phasing out copper-based phone networks also promises to reduce the company’s maintenance costs by about 35% while reducing its electricity use.
“The copper network is very inefficient,” she adds. “We are seeing declining reliability with storms and increased copper theft. Copper simply does not do well with water and flooding. And repairs are very labor-intensive. And unlike fiber, copper is an energy hog.”
However, AT&T cautioned that retiring the copper networks is dependent on “regulatory and contractual obligation.”
USA Today reports that the company’s landline business currently operates in 21 states, and by 2029, it expects the copper networks to be eliminated everywhere except California, where regulators have been fighting to keep the landline business alive.
In California, a key concern is that getting rid of landlines will hurt rural residents, who often struggle to access high-speed fiber or reliable cell signals. It’s why the local California Public Utilities Commission rejected AT&T’s request in June to end the landline service in the state, despite the carrier saying it was too costly to maintain.