The following is by way of explanation and is correct to the best of our knowledge.
After making a representation to our MP Chris Hichliff, we now know that Openreach is in the process of replacing 800 metres of stolen copper cable.
Openreach does not have a public interface, and only provides a fixed set of functionality to service providers such as BT, Talktalk etc. This set of functionality assumes that the network is intact, and thus has no awareness of theft of main copper cable. If you complain about loss of landline to your service provider, they will ask Openreach to investigate, but will probably deny the existence of any general failure.
When Openreach repairs the cable, then landlines will function again. But each main cable may contain say a thousand individual wires supporting multiple landlines. Each wire has to be individually reconnected, which can result in lines being connected to the wrong premises. Once landlines start working again, it may be necessary to keep reporting faults to service providers to force them to pressure Openreach to fix specific lines.
If a broadband fibre optic cable is damaged during a cable theft, then it is much easier to repair and restore service.
Landlines are due to be phased out so that all the traditional call processing equipment at the exchange and all the main copper cables can be removed. As individual contracts for broadband plus landline expire, customers will have to move to a new contract which either has a digital house phone connected over broadband or has no house phone at all. Any customer still using copper all the way to the exchange for broadband will have to move over to Fibre to the Cabinet, whereby only the local copper cabling to the premises is utilised.
Note that as a customer, you will be told when your house phone is going digital. Normally, you cannot instigate it, unless you are changing service provider or renewing your contract. If they do respond to a request it may be that they were about to get in touch with you anyway.
Broadband over fibre is not dealt with by the traditional call processing equipment at the exchange. Openreach are planning to get all the broadband plus phone customers dealt with by 2027 so that they can retire that traditional call processing equipment.
Once all the broadband customers have been dealt with, it will be the turn of those customers who only have a land line and no broadband. If they cannot be converted to a digital house phone by 2027, they will go onto an interim product called PDPL (Pre Digital Phone Line).
PDPL still uses copper all the way to the exchange, but there it will be interfaced in to the new digital systems that everybody else is using. It is faster to install because all the work is done at the exchange without a visit to individual premises.
PDPL is due to be phased out by 2030, after which everything is digital and the main copper cables are redundant.
Some telecare type phone systems rely on being able to close down an open phone call, so that they can establish a connection to a call centre. This will not work with digital house phones, but will still work with PDPL. Other telecare type systems may use audio frequencies which are not supported by the new digital networks. These will not work properly with digital house phones nor with PDPL.