Photo of an openreach engineer working on a green phone cabinet outside an office.

Digital Switchover

What is the digital switchover?

The digital switchover is in progress. BT’s infrastructure company, Openreach, are switching all UK landlines on its PSTN network from analogue to digital calling by 31st January 2027. Lines are being switched NOW, and you’ll usually get 2 weeks’ notice. For most households,  this change means plugging the landline phone into an internet router instead of the BT master socket from the day your line is switched. Once switched, your calls will be made through the internet.

This change is necessary because the equipment in BT’s telephone exchanges is old and no longer reliable. Digital lines offer clearer calls, fewer faults and fewer scam calls, but there are also risks to uses of care alarms. Follow our 4 step guide to stay safe.

What should I do?

Telecoms providers are supporting their customers in various ways, but we recommend that these 4 steps should be taken by all care alarm users:

  1. If you have an analogue alarm i.e. one that plugs into your phone line, call us on 01553 616200 or complete our enquiry form to request an upgrade to a digital alarm. Visits for upgrades are free of charge. Digital alarms don’t require a phone line and have a backup battery inside, so will still work if your digital landline fails (in a power cut, for example). They will also connect to the digital network more reliably than an analogue alarm.https://www.careline-cs.org.uk/enquire/
  2. Speak to your your telecoms provider (BT, Talktalk etc).  Tell them you have a care alarm and ask how they will be supporting you during the digital switchover. The best way to do this is to contact customer services. This can take some time so be prepared to be put on hold. It’s worth the time investment to help keep you safe.
  3. Test your care alarm by pressing the pendant button at least once a month to make sure the calls are going through first time. This is standard advice for all our alarms, but it is even more important during the switchover.
  4. Register with a Priority Services Register for your energy and water. These will entitle you to extra support when there’s an interruption to your services.
© Careline Community Service | Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk