BT Group has announced a revision to its timetable for moving all customers – consumers and businesses – from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to digital fixed lines. The move follows the introduction of a number of improvements to the program to better protect vulnerable customers and customers with additional needs, including telecare users.
BT Group’s consumer division has again started moving idle landline customers who have a broadband connection to the Digital Voice landline service. This follows an industry-wide pause and the introduction of the Government Charter to Protect Vulnerable Customersparticularly telecare users as they switch from analogue to digital landlines.
BT Consumer customers (other than fixed-line only customers, customers using Telecare or those who have additional needs) will be contacted and offered the option of switching to a digital fixed-line connection, delivered via fiber broadband, where available. This move is in line with BT Group’s wider strategy to provide customers with its future-proof full-fibre broadband, which will be available to 25 million locations by the end of 2026.
BT Business is urging all its customers to engage early and work with the company before making the switch, particularly where it may be necessary to test existing equipment or upgrade to new equipment to ensure compatibility with a digital line.
The revised approach will result in a one-time switch from copper to fiber for the majority of customers (businesses and consumers). It is expected that all customers will move away from the old analogue public telephone network by the end of January 2027.
Howard Watson, Chief Security and Networks Officer at BT Group, said: “The urgency to transition customers to digital services is increasing by the day as 40-year-old analogue landline technology becomes increasingly fragile. It is critical to manage customer migrations from analog to digital as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary arrangements for customers with additional needs, including telecare users.
“Our priority remains to do this safely and the work we are doing with our colleagues, local authorities, telecare providers and key government organizations is vital. But more needs to be done and we need all local authorities and telecare providers to tell us the phone lines where they know there is a telecare user.”
Digital change requires collaboration between different industries and organizations
During the voluntary pause, the company continued to raise regional awareness of the UK’s digital transition by holding hundreds of events across the country and meeting thousands of its customers in person.
In January, BT Consumer led the launch of the Telecare Action Board (TAB), which has brought together around 30 organizations from government, the telecoms and telecare sector, industry bodies, local authorities and regulatory stakeholders to support telecare users and those with additional requirements identify and protect needs before moving to digital.
Coming together was the first step, collaboration was the second. The entire industry must now work to provide customers with the necessary transparency in line with the Charter, which is crucial to the success of this program. To date, only around a quarter of local authorities and telecare providers have disclosed which telephone lines have telecare devices; It is now imperative that each and every one of these organizations does the same so that these customers receive the right support at the right time.
A gradual approach to change
April 2024, BT Consumer has resumed non-voluntary migrations for customers who have not used their landline in the last 12 months, who do not identify as being at risk or have additional needs, who have not contacted an Alarm Receiving Center (ARC) in the last 24 months and live in an area where there is a data sharing agreement with the local authority or telecare provider that identifies vulnerable customers and recognizes alert numbers. The transition to a digital fixed line, provided via full fiber, where available, will initially be on an opt-out basis.
From summer 2024BT Consumer will increase non-voluntary migrations for customers who do not classify themselves 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 broadbandwhich includes landline-only customers and business customers with specific connectivity needs, including some alarm systems, elevators and emergency lines, ATMs and payment terminals, the company is working on an interim dedicated landline service1 Designed to keep these customers connected while keeping them off the analog PSTN.
New equipment will be installed in local telephone exchanges that will allow residential and business customers who do not have broadband to use their landline connection in the same way as they do today until a digital solution becomes available, or until 2030, if earlier. Trials have already begun and nationwide rollout to eligible customers is expected this fall.
BT Business encourages all of its business and public sector customers to do this Register your interest in a test This temporary “pre-digital phone line” product can work with them to understand specific business use cases.
From spring 2025BT Consumer will contact customers who are identified as being at risk or have additional needs related to the switchover, in areas where data sharing arrangements are in place with local authorities or telecare companies and in-home support is available for telecare users.
All customers will be contacted at least four weeks in advance of the switch to ensure they are ready to move to a digital landline. Technician appointments are arranged prior to the changeover and additional support is provided on the day to ensure customers have a working Telecare device.
Support for companies
The company encourages business customers large and small to act now and move to fully digital networks to future-proof their operations and realize the benefits of a digital business.
Business customers are encouraged to review their technology footprint and find out what else is connected to the public telephone network. BT Business has a team of experts to help you with this and every business can test your equipment for free at its R&D test center at Adastral Park in Suffolk. If possible, you should then convert all existing devices to an all-IP alternative.
BT’s business team also works with Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) customers in sectors such as energy, water, transport, health and national security to seamlessly move them away from the PSTN and towards more reliable, resilient and future-ready technology.
Towards the UK’s full fibre future
For both residential and business customers, this unique, nationwide upgrade ensures everyone stays reliably connected now and in the future. The UK’s full fiber future is a national mission and BT Group is committed to supporting its customers every step of the way.
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Notes for editors
Continuous support for customers
The company will continue to adhere to its strict policies to protect Telecare users and vulnerable customers, provided they are informed of their status, and will continue to provide resilient solutions for customers who rely on their landline. These include:
- Providing free battery backup units for customers with additional needs, e.g. B. with health tags, over 70 years old or without cell phone reception. Battery backup units allow calls in the event of a power outage. Later this year we will be launching an advanced battery backup unit that will survive most power outages and have battery life well beyond Ofcom’s minimum requirements.
- Offers customers a hybrid phone with an eight-hour battery backup and enables calls over the cellular network in the event of a power outage.
- Continued investment in our leading 4G network, which aims to cover 90% of the UK’s geographical landmass by the mid-2020s, increasing the resilience of our core network and providing reliable connectivity to rural communities through the Shared Rural Network program.
- Technical appointments for all clients who identify as vulnerable and have additional needs, with the possibility of nominating a family member, friend or carer to help them with the transition and receive all the information about the transition on behalf of the client. Customers at risk will automatically receive the equipment they need and will not be switched until they have spoken to an advisor and made an appointment.
- Home support for Telecare users, known as Prove IP Telecare, is set to launch in spring next year. This involves an Openreach engineer assisting a customer with the transition from an analogue to a digital landline and ensuring the Telecare device is working before leaving the property. If the Telecare device does not work, the technician switches the customer back to an analog landline connection.
BT Consumer will not move any of its customers who are known to be at risk or have additional needs until spring 2025 at the earliest, once the necessary data sharing arrangements have been made with local authorities or telecare companies and in-home support for telecare users is in place available.
1 The dedicated landline service is not compatible with broadband and allows customers without broadband to stay connected.