A new campaign funded by BT and Virgin Media and backed by the UK government launches today, urging telecare users in the UK to identify themselves ahead of the digital switchover.
An estimated 2 million vulnerable people rely on lifesaving telecare alarms to call for help. These typically elderly and disabled people and their supporters are being urged to get in touch with their landline providers so companies can provide additional support for them during the switch to digital landlines.
The switch from analogue to digital landlines is being rolled out across the country ahead of the withdrawal of the PSTN.
BT and Virgin Media have said they will send an engineer to carry out the switchover and personally test the telecare alarm. This will ensure telecare alarms continue to work once a household has moved onto the digital network.
Landline providers will also offer vulnerable customers a free battery back-up device so their landline can continue working in an outage.
Sir Chris Bryant, the telecoms minister, commented, “We cannot afford to leave anyone behind during the vital transition to digital landlines. I have personally set a strict checklist of safeguards for industry to comply with before they migrate any telecare user.
“This industry-led campaign marks a further step towards keeping people safe as we boost the resilience of our networks for the digital age.”
Claire Gillies, consumer CEO, BT Group, said, “Moving customers onto newer digital services is a necessary step as the reliability of the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile – therefore the time to act is now.
“The digital switchover project requires team collaboration, so we’ve been working hard with industry partners and are really pleased to have the support of Government in helping us raise awareness and drive action. It’s incredibly important that nobody gets left behind, and we encourage telecare users and their carers to contact their provider to ensure a smooth switch.”
Rob Orr, chief operations officer, Virgin Media O2, added, “This major new campaign marks a significant moment where two industry leaders have come together to raise awareness of the digital landline switchover.
“With traditional analogue landlines becoming less and less reliable, the programme is essential step to safeguard services for the future. Inaction would mean putting services at risk.
“Our message is clear: if you or someone you know use a telecare alarm, pick up the phone and talk to your provider. Let us know, and we’ll support you every step of the way.”
Many local authorities and private telecare operators have already signed data sharing agreements with landline providers to ensure that as many telecare users have been identified as possible. The companies said that over two thirds of landlines have now been migrated, so this campaign is the final layer of protection to identify any additional users.
In November 2024, an industry charter was signed by BT, Virgin Media and other providers that committed to completing safeguards before transferring customers from old analogue phone lines onto a digital network, reducing the risk of them being disconnected during the migration.