BT confirms major change to its plans to axe landlines affecting millions of customers

BT has issued a major update to its plans to axe traditional landlines across the UK.

The telecoms giant has confirmed that it is resuming the rollout of its digital phone services after pausing it last year.

PA

It’s part of BT’s Digital Voice Changeover plan and requires all households to have an internet connection.

The move comes as part of an industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines, where calls are made over a broadband line.

This will see the decades-old, analogue equipment replaced with more digital technology.

Nearly all other landline customers in the UK, including Virgin Media O2, are due to make the switch.

BT Group has re-started switching “zero-use” landline customers who have a broadband connection to its digital service.

It comes after an industry-wide pause and the introduction of the Government’s Charter to protect vulnerable customers.

Back in December 2023, as ordered by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, all non-voluntary migrations were halted temporarily.

This is due to concerns that some customer’s telecare service won’t continue to work.

Around 1.8million customers who use health pendants – emergency alarms worn around the neck – are deemed vulnerable because in the case of a power cut, or if the internet fails, the gadgets may stop working.

BT has confirmed that customers (except landline-only customers, those who use telecare or who have additional needs) will be contacted and offered the chance to switch to a digital landline provided over full-fibre broadband, where available.

This move aligns with BT Group’s wider strategy to build and connect customers to its full-fibre broadband, which will be available to 25million homes by the end of 2026.

BT said its revised approach will result in a single switch for the majority of customers – from copper to fibre – with all customers now expected to have moved off the old analogue PSTN by the end of January 2027.

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.”

It said its priority is still to do this safely and it’s working with local authorities, telecare providers and Government organisations to do so.

But the telecoms giant said it wants local authorities and telecare providers to share with the phone lines where they know there’s a telecare user.

Who is affected and when?

In April 2024, BT resumed what it calls “non-voluntary” migrations for customers who haven’t used their landline in the last 12 months.

BT will be switching them to a digital landline provided over full fibre where available on an opt-out basis initially.

These are people who don’t identify as vulnerable or have additional needs and have not contacted an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) in the last 24 months.

From this summer, BT says it will ramp up these non-voluntary migrations.

For customers who don’t use broadband, which includes landline-only consumer customers, the company said it’s 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 until a digital solution becomes available or 2030, if that comes sooner.

Trials have already begun with a nationwide rollout for eligible customers expected this autumn.

From spring 2025, BT will contact customers who identify as vulnerable or with additional needs about the switch.

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.

This includes households with:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant
• Customers who are over 70
• Customers who only use landlines
• Customers with no mobile signal
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs

Which areas have already been moved over?

Households have been invited to make the switch to a digital service on a region-by-region basis.

The firm had already begun moving millions of households over.

Homes across the UK, including in Salisbury and Mildenhall moved in the summer of 2023.

Yorkshire and the Humber switched in August and those in Northern Ireland made the move in September.

Those in Greater London and the North West also began moving in November and December before the pause was introduced.

Before switching, everything that is connected to phone lines is reviewed such as door entry systems and alarms.

Customers who are ready and keen to make the switch to a digital landline can contact the telecom giant and do so at any given time.

BT launched its Digital Voice programme back in 2019, with the plan being deemed controversial.

For the vast majority of customers, the move to Digital Voice simply involves connecting a landline phone to a broadband router.

The firm said that more than 99% of handsets are compatible with BT’s digital home phone service.

Just under 10million lines still need to move to the new system before BT switches off the old analogue system for good.

Last year, BT revealed that any new customers will no longer be offered traditional phones.

On top of that, any existing customers who switch to a new BT deal will get a digital rather than traditional landline.

What if I’m not with BT?

BT has originally stated it would retire its dated landline system by December 2025.

This means other providers that use BT’s network would follow the same timescale, although now this has been pushed back.

Other companies with their own networks such as Virgin Media plan to follow a similar programme which will have its own timescale.

Virgin is making further improvements to the measures it has in place before the switchover restarts.

It has not yet been confirmed when migrations will restart.

Other providers affected by the pause include Sky and TalkTalk.

To find out when you’ll need to take action, contact your own landline provider directly.

Meanwhile,  BT customers are devastated as a free popular service running for 140 years has been axed.

Plus, Plusnet, which is part of the BT Group, is axing its landline services for good.

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