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BT has significantly postponed its efforts to compel customers to transition from traditional copper-based landlines to internet-based services, citing concerns raised by vulnerable individuals. The company halted the switch at the end of last year following incidents where telecare devices ceased functioning. In the UK, nearly two million people rely on personal alarms connected to landlines.
Initially aiming to complete the national switchover by the end of 2025, BT, which also manages EE customers, has now abandoned this timeline. They now plan to finish the transition by the end of January 2027. However, critics, including the elderly advocacy group Silver Voices, view this extension skeptically, calling it "a token concession" and arguing that the new deadline of January 2027 remains premature.
Dennis Reed, head of Silver Voices, expressed concerns about the lack of defined safeguards for vulnerable customers and emphasized that telecom companies have not adequately identified who qualifies as vulnerable.
The transition is contentious due to potential service outages, particularly in rural areas, where landline phones may cease to function, endangering those reliant on personal alarms. BT has introduced several measures to protect vulnerable customers, such as providing free battery backups and hybrid phones that can utilize both broadband and mobile networks. However, these solutions have been criticized by campaign groups like the Digital Poverty Alliance as insufficiently clear and potentially costly for older and less tech-savvy users.
BT's digital voice changeover plan necessitates that all households have an internet connection, although it remains uncertain if other telecom firms will adopt similar measures.
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