Digital Voice: what happens to your landline

What’s changing

The UK’s old copper phone network, the PSTN, is being switched off, with the programme due to finish on 31 January 2027. Home phone calls move to Digital Voice, which carries calls over your broadband line. For most people the change is simple: you plug your phone into your router instead of the wall socket.

What you need to do

• Wait for your provider to contact you, or ask it when your line will move.
• Plug your phone into the router, either directly or with an adapter, when your switch date comes.
• Tell your provider about any device that uses the line: a telecare or personal alarm, a security alarm, a card terminal or a fax.
• Keep a mobile charged as a back-up for emergency calls during a power cut.

Telecare alarms and vulnerable customers

Some telecare and personal alarms don’t work reliably on a digital line. Tell your provider before you switch. Openreach runs a service that sends engineers to test telecare devices on the new line before a customer is upgraded, and says it had moved more than 70,000 telecare users by September 2026.

Digital Voice stops working in a power cut unless there’s a battery back-up. If you rely on your landline, for example because you have no mobile signal, ask your provider for a battery back-up unit.

What if you haven’t moved by January 2027?

Openreach has said home phone lines won’t be cut off on 31 January 2027. People who haven’t moved will be put on a temporary emergency service as a last resort while they’re migrated. Don’t wait for it: moving early means you can test your phone and any alarms in good time.

Do you still need a landline?

Many households keep a landline number only out of habit. If you don’t make home calls, a broadband-only deal can be cheaper. Compare broadband deals at your address.