Digital landline switch 2027: what changes and what it costs

Last updated: 29 October 2026

The UK’s old copper phone network, the one that has carried landline calls for a century, is being switched off. BT Group plans to retire it on 31 January 2027, and government guidance says most homes should have moved to a digital landline by the end of January 2027. A lot of what’s written about it is either alarming or trying to sell you something. The plain version is shorter: for most people the switch is free, you don’t have to buy broadband, and the people who really need to act are those with a telecare alarm or something else plugged into the phone line.

Information, not advice. We don’t recommend products or providers. Check the official source linked below before you act.

What is the digital landline switch?

Until now your home phone has run over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN): copper wires that carry your voice and a small electrical current from the exchange. That network is old and increasingly fragile, and the industry is replacing it with phone calls carried as data, the same way broadband works.

BT calls its version Digital Voice. Sky, TalkTalk and others have their own names. Virgin Media runs its own cable network and is moving its customers on its own timetable. The idea is the same everywhere: your landline keeps working and keeps its number, but it travels over a digital connection.

Openreach said in February 2026 that about 2.8 million lines were still on the old network. BT said that 78% of its own customers had moved by January 2026. So if you haven’t heard anything yet, you’re not alone. Your provider has to contact you first.

When is the switch-off, and has it been delayed?

The date has moved once. The original plan was to finish by the end of 2025, but in May 2024 BT pushed it back to give vulnerable customers, including telecare users, more time, following the industry charter agreed with the government in December 2023. The current date is 31 January 2027. At the time of writing (29 October 2026) that is 94 days away. Government guidance still says “most customers” should be switched by then.

Two things are worth knowing about that date:

• It is not a single big switch-off night. Lines are being moved area by area and household by household. Your provider will write to you with your date. Under the modernisation charter that providers signed in March 2026, they’ve agreed to give you at least 60 days’ notice of a change that affects you.
• Not every line has to go digital by January 2027. The government says some customers without broadband are being kept on an interim landline service until a digital option is available, or 2030 at the latest.

Who’s affected, and who needs to act?

Everyone with a landline will be moved, but only some people need to act first.

Telecare and personal alarm users. Pendants, pull-cords and fall alarms that dial a response centre are the biggest risk. Some older analogue units don’t connect reliably over a digital line. Under the industry charter signed on 18 December 2023, BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media O2 and others agreed that no telecare user will be moved to a digital landline until a compatible, working alarm is confirmed. That protection only works if your provider knows you have one, so tell them.

Home security alarms. A monitored burglar alarm may send its signals down the phone line. Ask the alarm company whether yours does, and whether it needs a new communicator or a SIM.

Card machines, fax machines and lift lines. Government guidance names lift alarms, burglar alarms and card payment systems as things that can rely on the old line, and fax machines as things that may need an adapter or replacing. These matter mostly to small businesses and blocks of flats, where the managing agent should sort the lift line.

Anyone who relies on the landline in a power cut. This one surprises people. Old copper lines get power from the exchange, so a corded phone keeps working when the lights go out. A digital line runs through your router, which needs mains power. No power, no phone, unless there’s a battery back-up.

The one thing not to miss: your phone provider cannot see what’s plugged into your line. If you have a telecare alarm, a medical need, or no mobile signal, tell them, because that’s what triggers both the charter protection and your right to a free power-cut back-up.

Check what it means for you

Answer six questions and the checker will tell you what changes in your home, who to tell and in what order, what you’re entitled to free, whether you need broadband, and how to spot the scams.

What should it cost you?

The switch itself should cost you nothing. BT says customers move to Digital Voice for the same price. Virgin Media says the new line “will cost the same as your current home phone service” and replaces older hubs at no extra cost. Local councils and Age UK say the same: if your provider moves you, you shouldn’t face extra charges.

What you might pay for is equipment that isn’t the phone company’s. If your burglar alarm needs a new digital communicator, that cost comes from the alarm company. Ask for the price in writing before you agree. If your telecare alarm is council-arranged, ask the council whether it will replace the unit and whether there’s any charge.

The only other way the switch can cost you is if your provider stops offering a landline altogether and you have to move to one that does. Age UK warns that the new contract might cost more. If that happens to you, it’s a normal switch. Compare before you sign, and our guide to mid-contract price rises explains when you can leave a contract without a fee.

What you’re entitled to free

Here’s what you can ask for without paying, and the rule behind each one.

• A way to call 999 in a power cut, if you depend on your landline. Ofcom’s guidance (October 2018) says providers must offer at least one solution that gives access to the emergency services for at least one hour in a power cut. For customers who depend on their landline, it must be free. Ofcom’s examples of dependence: a disability or medical need that makes a 999 call more likely, or no other way to call, such as no mobile signal at home. Solutions include a battery back-up unit or a mobile handset.
• A telecare check before you’re moved. The December 2023 charter means you shouldn’t be switched until your alarm is confirmed working. BT says an Openreach engineer visit to check it is free, includes a battery back-up unit where needed, and that if the alarm won’t work the engineer moves you back to your old line until you have a compatible one.
• Extra help if you have additional needs. BT says customers with additional needs can have a hybrid phone (which switches to the mobile network and has its own battery) or a battery back-up unit free. You register through BT Connected Together on 0800 1234 150. Virgin Media says it gives a free emergency back-up line to people who rely on a landline or don’t have a mobile.

A worked example

Margaret is 84, lives alone, has a BT landline and no broadband, and wears a pendant alarm arranged by her council. Her mobile signal indoors is poor.

• What she pays for the switch: £0. She doesn’t need broadband. BT’s landline-only option is done at the exchange, so her phone stays in the same socket and BT says it keeps working in a power cut as it does now.
• Who she tells: first the council’s alarm team, to confirm her pendant unit works on a digital line. Then BT, so her account is flagged for a telecare migration.
• What happens on the day: if BT moves her to Digital Voice later, an Openreach engineer visits free, tests the pendant and leaves a battery back-up unit if it’s needed. If the alarm doesn’t work, she goes back to her old line until it does.

Her son, Rob, has Sky broadband, good mobile signal and a monitored burglar alarm. His landline moves onto his router at no cost. His only call is to the alarm company. If it quotes, say, £100 for a new communicator, that’s its charge, not Sky’s, and he can ask about a SIM-based unit before agreeing.

Do you need to buy broadband?

No. This is the most important answer in this guide, and the one most often fudged. BT offers a landline-only option done at the exchange, with no engineer visit and your phone in the same socket. Government guidance says other providers may offer an interim landline-only service until a digital option arrives, or 2030 at the latest, so ask yours. And everyone keeps the right to a landline under the universal service obligation.

If someone tells you that you must sign up for broadband to “keep your number”, ask them to put it in writing, then ring your provider on the number on your bill.

If you do need broadband

Some people decide this is a good moment to get broadband anyway, perhaps for video calls with family or because a telecare provider recommends a particular set-up. That’s a separate choice. Before you look at full-price deals, check our guide to social tariffs for broadband and mobile. If anyone in the household gets Universal Credit, Pension Credit or certain other benefits, a social tariff can be far cheaper than a standard contract.

If you don’t qualify, compare broadband deals at MoneySuperMarket for your postcode. Check whether the deal includes a home phone if you still want one, and note the price-rise line in the contract summary before you sign.

How to spot a switchover scam

Fraudsters like the switch because it’s real and sounds technical. Councils have warned about calls, texts and emails telling people their line will be cut off unless they hand over personal or bank details.

• No one legitimate charges you to “switch” your landline. A call asking for a fee, however small, is a scam.
• Your provider won’t cold-call asking for bank details, and won’t threaten to cut you off today unless you pay.
• Hang up and check. Call the number on your bill, ideally from a different phone or after waiting five minutes.
• Report it to Report Fraud (which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025) on 0300 123 2040. If you’ve paid anything, call your bank straight away, or dial 159 to reach it safely.

Our guide on how to spot and avoid financial scams covers the warning signs in more detail, and is worth sharing with an older relative.

When your provider’s letter arrives, keep it: it has your date and instructions. The checker is also on its own page as the digital landline checker, and all our free calculators are on the tools page.

Frequently asked questions

When will my landline stop working on the old network?

31 January 2027 for the old copper network, though your own date may be earlier. Your provider will write to you. If you have telecare, an alarm or a medical need, tell them now rather than waiting.

Do I need broadband to keep my landline?

No. BT offers a landline-only option, other providers may offer an interim one until 2030, and everyone keeps the right to a landline.

Will the digital landline switch cost me anything?

The switch itself should cost nothing. BT says Digital Voice is the same price, and Virgin Media says its new line costs the same as your current home phone. You might pay to upgrade an alarm or card machine that uses the line, but that’s between you and the equipment supplier.

Will my phone work in a power cut after the switch?

A phone on a digital line stops working in a power cut unless there’s a battery back-up. If you depend on your landline, Ofcom’s guidance says your provider must offer you a free way to call 999 for at least one hour, such as a battery back-up unit or a mobile handset.

What happens to my telecare alarm?

Under the December 2023 industry charter, the main providers agreed not to move telecare users until a compatible, working alarm is confirmed. Tell both your alarm provider and your phone provider. BT says the Openreach engineer visit to check it is free.

Someone called saying I must pay to switch my landline. Is it real?

No. The switch is free. Hang up, don’t give bank details, and call your provider on the number on your bill. Report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040, and call your bank straight away if you’ve paid.

Last checked 29 October 2026 against GOV.UK, Ofcom and the providers’ own published information.

Just so you know: this guide is information and journalism, not financial advice, and we don't recommend specific financial products. Your circumstances are your own — if you need personal advice, speak to a suitably qualified adviser. Information was correct at the "last updated" date above but things change; always check the linked primary sources.

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