The UK Landline Switch-Off Explained

The UK landline switch-off retires the old Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN, by 31 January 2027 and moves phone calls to digital services carried over an internet connection. Your home phone is not being banned. Most customers can keep a landline number and existing handset, but the phone will usually connect to a broadband router or adapter and may stop working in a power cut unless backup is provided.

What the landline switch-off means at a glance

When is the landline being switched off?

Openreach says providers must move customers from analogue to digital phone lines by 31 January 2027. The original industry target was December 2025, but it was extended after safety concerns about telecare users and people who rely on a landline. The House of Commons Library reported that residential customers still on the PSTN fell from 5.2 million in July 2024 to 3.2 million in July 2025.

Your own changeover can happen before the national deadline. The company that bills you for phone or broadband service should contact you, explain the date and provide any router or adapter it requires. Do not act on an unexpected caller demanding money or bank details. Citizens Advice says a provider will not charge you simply to change the phone line to digital service.

What is actually being switched off?

The PSTN is the ageing network equipment that provides traditional fixed-line voice calls. Digital Voice is a common brand name for its replacement; the general technology is Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. It turns speech into data and routes the call through the provider's broadband-based phone platform. Other companies use names such as IP Voice or their own branded voice service. Our Digital Voice explainer compares the names and practical home setup published by BT, Sky and Virgin Media.

The PSTN switch-off is not the same as removing every copper cable or completing full-fibre coverage. A property without fibre to the premises can still receive broadband over part of the existing copper access line while calls use a digital service. The January 2027 change concerns legacy phone service. Full-fibre construction follows a separate timetable, so a claim that every copper broadband connection dies on one day is misleading.

Will I lose my home phone or number?

You do not have to give up home phone service because of the digital voice switchover. GOV.UK says a landline-only option remains available for customers who do not want a general internet service. In practice, the provider may install an internet-based connection dedicated to carrying calls. Ask it to state the monthly price, included calls, equipment and power-cut arrangements before agreeing.

Tell the provider that you want to keep your existing number before any service is cancelled or moved. A routine migration with the same company should normally preserve it, but a house move or change of provider can require a separate number-porting process. Do not cancel the old line yourself until the gaining provider confirms how the number will transfer. Our UK broadband switching guide explains the managed switching process.

How a digital phone line works at home

Most households will plug a compatible telephone into a labelled phone socket on the broadband router. If the router and preferred telephone are in different rooms, the provider may offer an adapter or another installation option. The old extension sockets around the property may not work automatically, so ask before the migration if several rooms need a phone.

The router must be switched on and connected for the digital phone to work. Check the new dial tone, make an outgoing call and ring the home number from another phone on migration day. Test voicemail, caller display and any call-blocking feature you use. Keep the provider's fault number somewhere accessible away from the router.

What happens during a power cut?

A normal digital landline stops working when the router loses power. Ofcom requires providers to offer a solution that enables access to emergency organisations for at least one hour during a power cut for customers who depend on the landline because they do not have another way to call. The solution can vary, so ask exactly what it powers, how long it lasts and how it must be maintained.

BT says its battery backup provides at least one hour of power for its hub, allowing essential calls when the handset is connected correctly. Another provider may use different backup equipment or a mobile-network device. A battery is not a guarantee against every outage: it must be charged, connected to the right equipment and may run out during a long cut. Keep a charged mobile if coverage and ability allow, and test the agreed backup rather than leaving it boxed.

Telecare, alarms and other devices to check

Anything connected to a telephone wall socket needs an explicit compatibility check. That includes personal alarms and fall pendants, monitored security or fire alarms, lift emergency phones, fax machines, card terminals, entry systems and some accessibility equipment. A device producing a dial tone is not proof that its monitoring centre receives the correct signal.

Contact both the phone provider and the organisation responsible for each device before accepting a migration date. Citizens Advice advises personal-alarm users to ask the telecare provider whether the equipment works with a digital phone line. If it does not, the supplier may need to replace the unit or fit an adapter. Ask for an end-to-end test with the monitoring centre after installation.

Make a line-dependent device inventory

This inventory adapts a useful safety pattern from Australian and New Zealand copper-transition guidance: identify every dependent device, its responsible supplier and its separate power requirement. It avoids the common mistake of testing only the telephone handset while leaving a personal alarm or monitored device unchecked.

What vulnerable customers should do now

Contact the phone provider now if anyone at the address relies on the landline, cannot use a mobile, has poor mobile reception, uses telecare or needs extra help installing equipment. Ask it to record the circumstances on the account and explain the resilient calling solution. GOV.UK says providers should identify and support at-risk customers, while the industry's commitments include extra protections for telecare users. Use our digital switchover alarm checklist to identify the device, assign the compatibility checks and record an end-to-end test.

Use plain, specific questions: “How will this household call 999 in a power cut?”, “How long does your backup last?”, “Who installs and tests it?” and “Will you confirm that the migration is paused until the telecare supplier says the device is compatible?” Keep the answers and appointment date. If the provider does not resolve a safety concern, make a formal complaint and follow our broadband complaint and ombudsman guide.

Landline switch-off checklist

1. Wait for a genuine notice, but do not ignore it: verify it through the number on your bill or provider's official website.
2. List every connected device: check wall sockets, alarm panels, pendants, entry systems, fax machines and payment terminals.
3. Tell the provider about vulnerability: explain reliance on emergency calls, mobile coverage, disability or telecare before a date is fixed.
4. Ask each equipment supplier about VoIP: obtain compatibility and replacement advice for the exact model.
5. Agree the home setup: confirm the router location, adapters, extension-phone needs and who will install them.
6. Agree a power-cut plan: identify the backup device, minimum operating time, charging routine and alternative way to call.
7. Protect the phone number: confirm porting before cancelling any old service.
8. Test end to end: make and receive calls, then trigger supervised tests for every monitored device.

What to do if the switch goes wrong

Call the provider from another phone if the new line has no dial tone, cannot make emergency calls or has lost the existing number. For a telecare or alarm failure, contact the monitoring organisation as well and use the agreed alternative safety plan. Record times, error messages, equipment lights and the names of people spoken to.

Ask the provider to log a formal complaint when a fault or promised protection is not fixed. Ofcom collects reports and sets sector rules but does not decide individual compensation disputes. An unresolved complaint can go to the provider's approved alternative dispute resolution scheme after the applicable waiting period or sooner with a deadlock letter. Business users with ISDN, a PBX or non-voice equipment should follow the separate business PSTN migration and test plan.