In a move to better protect telecare users, BT has announced a revision to its timetable for moving all customers off analogue phonelines – also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) – and onto digital landlines.

Now, all BT customers are expected to have moved off the old PSTN by the end of January 2027. This instead of the January 2025 deadline for most other telecare users.

BT’s Consumer division has restarted switching zero-use landline customers who have a broadband connection to its Digital Voice landline service. This follows an industry-wide pause and the introduction of the UK Government’s Charter to protect vulnerable customers, especially telecare users, while making the switch from analogue to digital landlines.

Howard Watson, Chief Security and Networks Officer, BT Group, said: “The urgency for switching customers onto digital services grows by the day because the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile.

“Managing customer migrations from analogue to digital as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary provisions for those customers with additional needs, including telecare users, is critically important.

“Our priority remains doing this safely and the work we’re doing with our peers, local authorities, telecare providers and key government organisations is key. But more needs to be done and we need all local authorities and telecare providers to share with us the phone lines where they know there’s a telecare user.”

In January, BT Consumer led the formation of the Telecare Action Board (TAB), which has brought together around 30 organisations from government, the telecoms and telecare sectors, industry bodies, local authorities, and regulatory stakeholders to identify and protect telecare users and those with additional needs before they switch to digital.

BT states that the whole industry must now “step up” to deliver for customers in the spirit of the charter, providing the transparency which is critical to the success of this programme.

So far, only around a quarter of local authorities and telecare providers have disclosed which phone lines have telecare devices on them, according to BT; the firm underlines that it is now imperative that every single one of these organisations do the same so that these customers receive the right support at the right time.

BT’s timetable for the digital switchover

April 2024

BT Consumer resumed non-voluntary migrations for customers who have not used their landline in the last 12 months, who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, have not contacted an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) in the last 24 months, and live in an area where a data sharing agreement numbers is in place with the local authority or telecare provider. BT switched them to a digital landline provided over full fibre where available on an opt-out basis initially.

Summer 2024

BT Consumer will ramp-up non-voluntary migrations for customers who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, in areas where data sharing agreements have been signed with the local authority or telecare provider.

For customers who do not use broadband, which includes landline-only consumer customers and business customers with specialist connectivity requirements, the company is working on an interim, dedicated landline service designed to keep these customers connected while moving them off the analogue PSTN.

New equipment will be installed in local telephone exchanges that will allow consumer and business customers who do not have broadband to use their landline in the same way as they do today until a digital solution becomes available or 2030, if that comes sooner.

Spring 2025

BT Consumer will contact customers who identify as vulnerable or with additional needs about the switch in areas where data sharing agreements with local authorities or telecare companies are in place and in-home support for telecare users is available.

All customers will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch to ensure they are ready to move to a digital landline. Engineering appointments will be made ahead of the switch and additional support will be provided on the day to ensure that customers are left with a working telecare device.