KEY TAKEAWAYS
- BT’s analogue PSTN network will be permanently switched off on 31 January 2027, affecting every UK landline customer.
- 1.8 million customers use copper-connected telecare systems that may not work correctly on a digital line.
- Digital Voice routes calls over broadband via VoIP, meaning it fails during power cuts unless a battery backup unit is installed.
- BT has committed to free battery backup units and engineer visits for eligible vulnerable customers ahead of the deadline.
BT confirmed in March 2026 that over three million UK households have successfully migrated to Digital Voice, the broadband-based replacement for the ageing public switched telephone network.
As BT’s official newsroom confirmed, all remaining customers must move off copper before the industry-wide deadline of 31 January 2027.
While the transition is seamless for most, 1.8 million telecare users face significant risks from infrastructure gaps and a rise in digital fraud, including a recent Virgin Media O2 warning about scams.
This shift places elderly and disabled individuals at the greatest risk until safety and security challenges are fully resolved by BT and Ofcom.
Why Power Cuts Make Digital Phones Dangerous for Vulnerable Users
The fundamental technical problem, as the Express confirmed, is that Digital Voice requires both a working broadband connection and mains electrical power.
Traditional copper landlines draw power directly from the telephone exchange, remaining operational during a power cut without any action from the user. But a VoIP handset connected to a broadband router does not.
For elderly or disabled users whose pendant alarms or telecare devices automatically dial out in an emergency, a power cut that silences the phone line is a potential life-safety failure.
Storm events across the UK in early 2026 left tens of thousands without power for up to four days in rural areas where mobile coverage is limited or absent, exposing exactly the scenario campaigners had warned about.
This vulnerability mirrors the broader cyber security exposure affecting the UK, where awareness gaps are likely to place older and less digitally confident users at disproportionate risk.
The Government Charter and What Providers Must Now Do
As The Guardian confirmed, the UK government secured a PSTN Charter of Commitments from BT, Virgin Media O2, and other major providers, committing them to pause forced migrations for identified vulnerable customers until appropriate safeguards are confirmed.
Under the Charters, the providers must give customers a minimum of four weeks’ notice before any migration, separately support telecare users through dedicated processes, and offer free in-home engineer visits where required.
BT has signed data-sharing agreements with 99 per cent of local authorities to identify customers using telecare services before migration begins.
More than 4,000 Openreach engineers have been specifically trained to manage telecare customer transitions ahead of January.
Legacy copper line prices are set to double by October 2026, adding financial pressure to the process, another dimension of the cost pressures currently affecting UK finances.
What Customers Should Do Before the January 2027 Deadline
BT’s guidance is direct: do not wait to be contacted. Any customer using a telecare device, pendant alarm, or security system connected to a landline socket should inform their provider immediately.
In this way, the appropriate migration pathway, including engineer support and compatible equipment, can be arranged well in advance.
Most BT handsets are compatible with Digital Voice and simply require replugging into the broadband router rather than the wall socket.
For landline-only customers without home broadband, BT is piloting SOTAP, Single Order Transitional Access Product.
It keeps the phone operational via the copper pair at the exchange level, without requiring a home internet connection. A wider rollout is expected later in 2026.
Users who are uncertain about their status should contact BT’s Digital Voice support line and the Ofcom consumer page. While the UK Sovereign AI programme prioritises landline resilience, the January 2027 deadline remains fixed, requiring users to migrate the networks soon.
Source: BT joins forces with Clare Balding to launch the “Don’t Put Off the Switch”
