If you have a home phone plugged into the wall, you may have heard that the old landline network is being switched off. It can sound worrying, but for most households the change is straightforward. Your phone keeps working; it simply connects through your broadband instead of an old copper line. This guide explains what is changing and gives you a short checklist to work through so nothing catches you out.
What is changing, and when?
For decades, home phone calls have travelled over copper wires from the local telephone exchange. That network is known as the PSTN. It is old and increasingly difficult to maintain, so the industry is moving calls onto digital connections that run over broadband. Ofcom, the communications regulator, has confirmed that the deadline for moving Openreach lines is 31 January 2027, as set out in its letter to providers in January 2026.
The date has moved before. The original target was December 2025, but in May 2024 BT pushed it back to the end of January 2027 to give more time to protect vulnerable customers and people who use telecare, as reported by ISPreview. If your line is on a different network, Ofcom explains on its future of landline calls page that other networks have not all set dates.
What does a digital landline mean for you?
A digital landline, sometimes called VoIP, carries your calls as data over your broadband. In most homes you plug your existing phone into the router, or into a small adapter, rather than the wall socket. You dial numbers in the same way and your number can stay the same.
The main practical difference is power. The old copper line carried its own electricity from the exchange, which is why a simple corded phone often worked during a power cut. A digital line relies on your router and fibre equipment having mains power. We cover this in more detail below.
Your home checklist
Work through these points at your own pace. Most take only a few minutes.
- Check what plugs into your phone socket. Look for anything connected to the wall socket besides your phone, such as a personal alarm, a telecare unit, a security alarm or an older satellite TV box. Make a note of each one.
- Ask about anything that is not a phone. Contact the supplier of each device and ask whether it will work on a digital line. Ofcom warns that telecare alarms might not work properly on a digital connection, so this one matters most.
- Tell your provider if anyone relies on the landline. This includes anyone with a telecare alarm, anyone without a mobile phone, and anyone who would struggle to use a mobile in an emergency. Our extra help page explains the support we offer.
- Check your mobile signal at home. A charged mobile is the simplest backup for calls, including 999. If the signal is weak indoors, mention it to your provider.
- Decide about your phone number. If you want to keep your landline number, tell any new provider when you order. If you rarely use it, you may decide you no longer need a home phone at all.
- Think about power cuts. Read the section below and decide whether a battery backup would give you peace of mind.
- Keep your address details up to date. Make sure your provider has your correct address registered for 999 calls, so emergency services know where to go.
Keeping your number
You have the right to take your phone number with you when you change provider. This is called number porting, and Ofcom explains the rules on its number portability page. In most cases, the new provider handles it for you once you ask.
If you switch home broadband and phone together, the One Touch Switch process means you contact only your new provider and they arrange the move. Our guide to One Touch Switch walks through each step, and our switching page explains how it works with us.
Power cuts and 999 calls
Because a digital landline needs mains power, it will stop working during a power cut unless your router has a battery backup. For most people, a charged mobile phone is the easiest way to call 999 when the power is off.
If you depend on your landline, for example because you have a telecare alarm or no mobile signal, Ofcom requires providers to offer at least one solution, free of charge, that lets you contact emergency services for at least one hour during a power cut. This is often a battery backup unit. Ask your provider about it, and read our power cuts and 999 page for practical tips.
Protections for vulnerable customers
In December 2023, BT, Sky, Virgin Media O2 and TalkTalk signed a charter with the government. They agreed not to force anyone onto a digital line until proper protections were in place, and that no telecare user would be moved without a working solution, as ISPreview reported at the time. The government keeps its updates on the PSTN collection on GOV.UK. If you or a relative uses a telecare alarm, please make sure both the alarm provider and the phone provider know.
How Cyber Fibre can help
Cyber Fibre provides full fibre home broadband, and you can add one VoIP phone line to it. You can keep your existing number or choose a new one, and we arrange the number transfer as part of your order. If your household needs several numbers or extra phones, our sister company Virtual Voice Office offers team plans.
When you order online, you can tick a box to tell us that someone at your address relies on a landline or alarm. You do not need to say why. We will call you before your installation to talk through power cuts and anything else that matters to you. You can see how our calls are charged on our call rates page.
Ready to get started?
There is no need to wait until the deadline. Check your address to see the full fibre packages available to you, or call our Sunderland team on 0191 543 3432 and we will talk you through your options at your own pace.