Landline digital switchover: what you need to know

Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.

The UK's old copper telephone network is being retired and landlines are moving to a digital service that runs over broadband. You keep your landline and your number. The industry expects to complete the change by January 2027, and the two things to act on are power cuts and any personal alarm connected to your phone line.

What is changing

For over a century, home phones have worked over the public switched telephone network, or PSTN: copper wires carrying calls from the exchange to the socket on your wall. That network is old, increasingly prone to faults and hard to repair. The telephone companies that own it have decided to replace it.

In future, calls travel over an internet connection instead. You may see this called a digital landline, "Digital Voice", "VoIP" or "voice over broadband". Your phone plugs into your broadband router, or into a small adaptor, rather than the wall socket.

The current deadline

The original target was the end of 2025. In 2024 the industry put this back, and at the time of writing (November 2026) government guidance says the upgrade is expected to be complete by January 2027. Some services may not be switched off by then, and providers are moving customers area by area on their own timetables. For people with no broadband, some providers offer an interim dedicated landline service, which government guidance says will run until 2030 at the latest.

Dates have moved before, so check the latest position on GOV.UK's digital landline guidance or Ofcom's guide to the future of landline calls.

What you need to do

For most people, very little. Government guidance is that you do not need to do anything until your provider contacts you. When they do:

read the letter or email carefully; it is not marketing;
tell the provider if you have a personal alarm, rely on your landline, have no mobile phone or have poor mobile signal;
if you have broadband, the change is often as simple as plugging your phone into the router on the day;
if you do not have broadband, you will not be forced to take a broadband package. The provider supplies a simple connection for calls only.

The main providers say there is no charge for the switchover itself. Most existing handsets carry on working; see big-button phones if you want a new one.

What happens in a power cut

This is the most important difference. The old network carried its own low-voltage power down the line, so a basic corded phone still worked in a power cut. A digital landline depends on your router, which runs from the mains. No power means no landline, unless you have a backup.

Ofcom's rules require providers to make sure customers can still contact the emergency services during a power cut. For customers who depend on their landline, for example because they have no mobile or no mobile signal at home, the provider should offer at least one solution that gives access to emergency calls for a minimum of one hour, free of charge. This is usually a battery back-up unit for the router, or sometimes a basic mobile phone.

Tell your provider if you depend on your landline. They cannot know unless you say.
Keep a charged mobile phone if you have signal at home. A simple mobile on pay as you go is enough.
Ask how long the backup battery lasts and how you will know when it needs replacing.
Join the Priority Services Register with your electricity network operator, so you get extra help in a power cut.

Personal alarms and other devices on the phone line

Watch out: If you have a telecare or personal alarm, such as a pendant or fall detector that calls for help through your telephone line, tell your landline provider and your alarm provider before you are switched. Some older alarm units do not work reliably on digital lines, and none work in a power cut without backup.

Telephone companies have signed a government charter promising not to move telecare users to a digital landline without first confirming they have a compatible, working solution. That protection only helps if they know about your alarm, so:

Ring your landline provider and say, "I have a telecare alarm on this line." Ask them to record it on your account.
Ring your alarm provider, or the council or housing association that supplied it, and ask whether your unit is compatible with digital lines. Many are replacing older units with digital ones that use the mobile network.
After the switch, test the alarm straight away, and test it regularly as your alarm provider advises.

Other equipment that may use the phone line includes burglar and fire alarms that dial out, fax machines, some door-entry systems and extension sockets around the house. Ask the supplier of each. More on alarms in our personal alarms guide and fall-detection watches guide.

How to spot switchover scams

Criminals have used the switchover as a cover story. Typical tricks include a phone call saying your line will be cut off unless you pay a fee or "confirm" your bank details, a caller offering to sell you a new handset or special equipment you supposedly need, or someone at the door claiming to be an engineer who must come in.

Your provider will contact you in advance, normally in writing, with a date.
You should not be asked for bank details or card numbers over the phone to keep your landline working.
You will not be asked to pay to stay connected.
Engineers visit only by appointment, and carry identification you can check by ringing the provider.

If in doubt, hang up, wait a few minutes, then ring your provider on the number printed on your bill. More in spotting scams and doorstep selling rights.

How a family member can help

Find out who the landline provider is, and whether there is broadband in the home.
Make the two alarm phone calls above, with the account holder present.
On the day, plug the main phone into the router and test incoming and outgoing calls and the alarm.
Make sure there is a charged mobile and a torch where they can be found in the dark.

Common questions

Will I lose my phone number?

No. You keep the same number.

Do I have to buy broadband?

No. If you do not want broadband, your provider supplies a connection for calls only. If you would like to get online cheaply, see broadband social tariffs.

Can I refuse to switch?

Not indefinitely, because the old network is being withdrawn. But if you have an alarm or other needs, the provider should not move you until a working solution is in place. If you are unhappy with how you are treated, complain to the provider, then seek help from Citizens Advice.