The 2 million vulnerable people who rely on lifesaving telecare alarms to call for help have today been urged to get in touch with their landline providers so companies can provide additional support for them during the switch to digital landlines
The switch from analogue to digital landlines is being rolled out across the country as copper networks become increasingly unreliable and spare parts are no longer available.
Putting safety at the centre of the switchover, landline companies will send an engineer to carry out the switchover and personally test the telecare alarm, ensuring it continues to work once a household has moved onto the digital network.
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Landline providers will also offer vulnerable customers a free battery back-up device so their landline can continue working in an outage.
It comes as a major new campaign funded by BT and Virgin Media and backed by the UK government launches today (Monday 2 June), urging the millions of telecare users in the UK– typically elderly and disabled people – as well as their support network to identify themselves so nobody gets overlooked.
Many local authorities and private telecare operators have already signed data sharing agreements with landline providers to ensure that as many telecare users have been identified as possible. With over two thirds of landlines already migrated, the campaign is the final layer of protection to identify any additional users.
Following a fall last year, Ann, who is in her 90s and from Stockport, became reliant on her telecare device. She is backing the campaign after her provider successfully migrated her landline last year.
Ann said:
Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:
Since 2017, UK operators have been carrying out work to retire the decades old copper home phone network and move customers to digital landline services ahead of the analogue switch-off. Analogue landlines are reaching end of service life, becoming increasingly unreliable and spare parts are no longer available. Recent Ofcom data reveals faults rates substantially increased by 45% in 2024.
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The campaign launched today and builds on the voluntary industry charter signed by BT, Virgin Media and other providers and the checklist agreed in November 2024. The checklist commits providers to complete a strict checklist of safeguards before transferring customers from old analogue phone lines onto a digital network, reducing the risk of them being disconnected during the migration. This includes engineer visits and issuing battery backups.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said:
Claire Gillies, BT Group’s Consumer CEO, said:
Rob Orr, Chief Operations Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
Amy Low, CEO at AbilityNet, said:
Matthew Evans, Director for Markets and Chief Operating Officer at techUK, said:
Alyson Scurfield, chief executive of telecare advisory body, TSA said:
Notes to Editors
More information on the digital switchover and the new awareness campaign video.
From today, adverts will appear across TV, newspapers, social media and select radio stations around the country running over the next few months to ensure widespread reach. This is coupled with newly created posters which will be on display in GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies and post offices.
The campaign has been created following extensive research with telecare users and their carers, as well as charities, to ensure the messaging is suitable for healthcare alarm users. The advertising campaign is expected to be seen by 95% of all adults in the UK, including 98% of those over 65.
In 2023, BT and Virgin Media (and other major communication providers) voluntarily signed up to the government’s Public Switched Telephone Network charter to protect vulnerable people when they are moved onto digital services. In November 2024 the major communication providers agreed a checklist of specific safeguards to protect people during the migration.
Since then, both companies, which together make up the vast majority of landline users in the UK, have worked with Ofcom, government and charities to improve their policies and processes. They have developed comprehensive support measures to support vulnerable customers including providing free of charge battery backup solutions to provide connectivity during power outages.
To find out more about the support available, customers of all major providers can easily find contact information on the newly created digital landline website: www.digitalphoneswitchover.com.