Digital Switchover

What is the digital switchover?

The digital switchover is happening. BT’s infrastructure company, Openreach, plan to switch all UK phone lines from analogue to digital transmission by 31st January 2027 (this date was originally the end of 2025). For many households this means changing the copper phone line to a fibre optic one, but copper lines are being switched too.

At the same time, the mobile network is being expanded and it is planned that 99% of the population will have good mobile reception by the time the switchover is complete.

These changes are necessary because the amount of data we use is increasing and the BT equipment used in telephone exchanges to run the copper (PSTN) network is old and becoming more difficult and expensive to maintain. Digital lines offer clearer calls, fewer faults and greater bandwidth to handle the increasing amount of voice and data traffic we send. 

Careline digital home alarm base unit and pendant.

What should I do?

Progress of the switchover is subject to change and the different telecoms providers are supporting their customers in various ways, but we recommend that these 3 steps should be taken by all care alarm users:

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3. Consider changing to a digital alarm. Digital alarms don’t require a phone line and have a backup battery inside, so will still work even in a power cut. They will also connect more reliably than an analogue alarm. Call us to discuss this or to get a quote.

Already been switched?

Despite the PSTN charter agreed in February 2024, some customers with analogue telecare alarms have already been switched to digital lines, or are being switched when their landline phone contract runs out. If you have an analogue alarm and a digital line, it will continue to work if connected to an internet router as shown in the diagram on the left, but only while the router/hub has power*. In the event of a power cut, the alarm has a backup battery, but routers usually do not, so the alarm will not be able to call our monitoring centre through the router.

To connect your analogue alarm to a router, follow these steps.

Step 1 

Plug your mains adaptor into the nearest available plug socket and into the back of your Careline Alarm.

Step 2 

Plug the supplied telephone lead into the back of the Careline Alarm.

Step 3 

Plug the other end of the telephone lead into the back of your router in the phone port.

Step 4 

Plug your telephone into the adaptor and then into the back of your Careline Alarm.

Step 5 

Test your alarm by pressing your pendant or by pressing the help button on your Careline Alarm. Once connected notify them you are just testing the alarm. These instructions are summarised in the video below.

*Ask your telecoms provider for a battery backup for your router (hub), or a hybrid phone that will allow you to make calls over the mobile network in a power cut. Some will provide these free of charge for anyone with a care alarm. Consider changing to a digital alarm, as these will still work for 40-70 hours during a power cut.

Contact us if you need further help.

© Careline Community Service | Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk