The Digital Switchover for Careline Alarm Users

Our national telephone network is going digital.

In 2017, BT announced that Openreach will be switching off the analogue telephone network by 2025 and replacing it with a fully digital network¹.

At the time, they said the old networks made up of copper wires (often referred to as the PSTN or ISDN networks) were no longer fit for purpose and that they needed to be updated in order to keep up with future demands. More specifically, calls will be made using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology².

Following recent telecare device malfunctions, UK phone companies temporarily paused the mandatory transition of vulnerable customers to digital landlines, initially planned to complete by 2025. Providers now adhere to a charter ensuring that individuals are only switched to digital lines if it doesn’t impact their telecare device.

Have you received a letter, SMS or email from your provider about your landline telephone service being upgraded? Has your landline already been upgraded to a digital one? If the answer to either of these questions is ‘Yes’ and you also use a personal alarm or careline service, please keep reading this guide.

BT has announced its phased approach for the transition to Digital Voice across the UK³.

Starting in Autumn 2023, the North West and London will be the initial regions to undergo the switch, followed by the West Midlands, South East, Wales, and East Anglia in Spring 2024. The transition will continue in Summer 2024, covering the North East, Scotland, and the South West.

BT aims to contact customers at least four weeks before the switch in each region to ensure they are adequately prepared for the move to Digital Voice.

For further assistance and up-to-date information, you can visit the Landlines Go Digital channel, where you can find handy guidance and fresh updates about the digital switchover and get updates about drop-off sessions with BT.

Once you have been given your switchover date by your phone company, it is crucial that you begin arranging the transition from your analogue personal alarm to a digital one.

If you are an existing Telecare24 customer and you have one of our older analogue plans, please give us a call to let us know you have received your switchover date. We’ll help you upgrade to one of our new digital plans over the phone.

Not a Telecare24 customer? Don’t wait for your switchover date. Protect yourself ahead of time and order a digital careline plan today.

Customers with our GO! GPS alarm or our legacy Buddi alarm (no longer available) don’t need to do anything. Your equipment is unaffected by the digital switchover as it uses a SIM card and the mobile network (GSM) to connect you to our careline monitoring team.

If you are a Telecare24 customer, please give us a call as soon as possible on 0800 180 82 20. We’ll guide you through what to do over the phone.

Customers of other careline services (i.e. not Telecare24) should contact their careline service provider or join Telecare24.

Rest assured, we are here to support you during the digital switchover and will do everything we can to make sure you continue to enjoy peace of mind with 24/7 access to our care team in an emergency.

As time has moved forward so has our dependence on the internet. Today, a fast connection to the web is a necessity for most people and businesses across the world.

Over the years, the internet added extra strain to the ageing ‘analogue’ systems that are based on old networks of copper wire. Calls have taken longer to connect, and the sound quality has degraded.

Maintaining the traditional networks is also costing more, with replacement parts for old equipment getting more expensive.

We’ve also become less patient when using the internet; we expect web pages to load quickly, we expect calls to connect instantly, and we expect calls to sound clear and of high quality.

The new digital telephone network will enhance your careline alarm service in several ways, ultimately resulting in a faster and more reliable lifeline that gives you even more peace of mind.

• Instant connectivity to our careline operators. As soon as you press your pendant you will be instantly connected to an operator. No more waiting for dial tones before getting the help that you need.
• Faster response to emergencies. Operators will be able to assess you much more quickly, getting you the help you need with no delays.
• Higher speech quality. Speech will be carried over a superfast digital network with crystal clear quality
• A more reliable service. Control Centres will be able to access the alarm remotely to resolve faults with the equipment.
• Enhanced features. New technology will enable many new telehealth solutions to assist users in their home.

Everyone who uses a traditional landline telephone will be affected by this change. In order to make calls on a home phone, you will need to have a phone that plugs into your broadband hub instead of the socket on the wall.

People moving house or getting new home phone lines will also be affected. In 2021, BT stopped offering analogue lines to new customers⁴.

Initially, BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant*
• Customers who only use landlines
• Customers with no mobile signal
• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs.

Customers who fall into any of these categories should contact BT to ensure their data is up to date.

*Careline alarm users who have equipment that plugs into a master telephone socket on the wall will be affected eventually. Once you are switched over, the equipment may need to be plugged into your smart hub or broadband router instead – unless you have a SIM-enabled device that doesn’t require either of these connections.

Existing Telecare24 customers should visit Upgrade Instructions for Existing Telecare24 Customers

By modernising the telephone network and switching from analogue to digital, your phone calls should connect to the other end faster than before.

You should also notice your calls sound clearer. If your copper phone line has degraded over time, you may notice crackling noises when you make calls today. After the switch, your calls should sound of a higher audible quality.

These changes may be especially noticeable if you make long-distance calls and you find that they take longer to connect, or that they sound distorted or quieter than normal phone calls.

Openreach aims to finish the switchover of all analogue telephone lines by 2025. To ensure a smooth transition, we know that BT will be upgrading their landline customers using a phased approach as and when the digital service becomes available in a local area. They should be in touch to let you know exactly when your switch over day is⁴.

If you are with a different service provider such as Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin, you can expect to hear from them directly to let you know when your switchover will be happening.