What to Do Before the Digital Landline Switchover

Most providers are moving customers from old analogue copper landlines to digital phone services, and between now and January 2027 most telephone providers will be moving their customers across¹. The change itself can be small: instead of plugging into the phone socket on your wall, your landline will plug into your broadband router². What catches households out is everything else that used a phone line, and what happens when the power goes.

A digital landline needs mains electricity and will not work in a power cut unless you have a battery back-up³. Telecare devices connected to a digital landline network may not work during a power cut⁴. So the work before your switch date is mostly checking: what in your home depends on that line, whether it will still work, and what you will do if it does not.

Your provider must assess your needs and make arrangements to support you properly when moving you to a digital landline, giving you clear information, extra help with installation if you need it, and support afterwards if anything goes wrong⁵. That obligation only helps if they know your circumstances, which is why the first item on the list below is to tell them.

Checklist: what to do before your landline goes digital

Work through this in order. Most items take one phone call, and the earlier you make them the more room your provider has to sort out equipment or an engineer visit.

1. Make an inventory of everything plugged into your phone line. Make an inventory of equipment that uses the landline and identify which lines they are connected to⁷. Include the phone itself, any extension, a telecare pendant or fall detector, a burglar or fire alarm, CCTV, a payment terminal and health monitoring equipment⁸.
2. Check each device is digital-ready. Check with your device providers that equipment will work with a digital phone line before you switch⁸. Devices such as fall monitors and personal alarms may require checks or upgrades before the switchover².
3. Tell your landline provider and your device supplier if anyone in the household uses telecare. Do this before your landline is changed to digital if you, or someone in your household, has a telecare alarm, health pendant, personal alarm or any other device that uses your phone line⁵.
4. Tell your provider if you rely on the landline and have no working mobile or poor signal. Tell your provider before your landline is changed to digital if you rely on your landline and you do not have a working mobile phone or reliable mobile signal⁵.
5. Ask what happens in a power cut, and whether you qualify for a backup unit. Contact your landline provider to understand whether your phone will work during a power cut, especially if it is your only way of making emergency calls or you have a telecare kit connected⁹.
6. Ask your alarm supplier about backup too. Check with your device provider for backup solutions in the event of a power cut¹⁰.
7. Get the router and adapter ready before switch day. On the day of the switchover your home phone will need to be plugged into a Wi-Fi Hub; if you have not got one, the provider will send one along with an adapter and instructions, or an engineer⁷.
8. Keep a charged power bank and a written list of numbers. For mobile phones, if possible ensure you have a charged power bank to keep your phone powered and a spare analogue phone¹¹.
9. Be wary of anyone who contacts you asking for personal details. Take a moment to stop and think before sharing personal information¹⁰.

Tell your provider if you use telecare or rely on your landline

This is the item that matters most, and the one most easily missed. If you or someone you know uses telecare, contact your landline provider in the first instance; they can help to make sure your alarm keeps working through the switchover¹². Your provider will give you additional support for the switchover and check whether your existing equipment is digital-ready². It is also worth reaching out to the supplier of any telecare equipment you use to ensure compatibility with the new system, or to find out whether any updates or upgrades are necessary¹³.

Do not assume it will keep working. An analogue telecare alarm system may not work properly if you have an internet connection, or if you have a digital landline instead of an analogue landline at home¹⁴. Wherever possible you should not accept or buy an analogue device; consider only a digital alarm if you are unsure¹⁵. If you are arranging a telecare service for the first time, the government publishes a way to find a telecare provider¹⁶.

The same conversation covers the rest of the household. If you rely on your landline, have poor mobile signal or use telecare or health devices, tell your service provider so they can make sure you get the right support during the switch and can provide you with battery back-up support¹⁷. If you use telecare, a health alarm, health monitoring equipment or other devices connected to your phone line, tell your service provider before switching so they can help you check everything continues to work safely¹.

Your provider should contact you first. Your telephone service provider should inform you ahead of the switch¹³, and communications providers will contact customers ahead of a migration taking place; look out for that material and be careful not to confuse it with marketing material¹⁹. But do not wait to be found: contact your telecoms provider to check that services you rely on are not affected²⁰.

On switch day: plug your phone into the router, not the wall socket

The physical change is usually simple. You will need to plug your phone into your broadband router, rather than directly into the wall socket⁵. If you already have an internet connection, the change may be as simple as plugging your phone into your broadband router rather than the socket on the wall, though in some cases an engineer visit may be required¹⁹. If you already have broadband, the transition could be as simple as plugging your current landline phone into your existing router, though you may need an adaptor or additional equipment²¹.

If you have not got a hub, the provider will send one along with an adapter and instructions, or an engineer⁷. The change may be as simple as plugging your phone into a broadband router rather than the phone socket on the wall, or you may be given a new router to do this²⁰.

Two things to check once it is connected. First, that every handset in the house still works, including any extension you rely on in a bedroom. Second, that the line behaves as you expect when the router loses power, because that is the moment the difference bites. If you are unsure whether an older handset will work on the new line, see will an old phone handset work on a digital line.

Keep a way to call for help if the power or broadband fails

Digital landlines need mains electricity and will not work in a power cut unless there is a battery back-up³. Digital landlines cannot carry an electrical power connection, so in the event of a power cut they will not work²⁰. That is the single biggest change for a household, and it is why the fallbacks below matter.

Ask for a backup unit. If your landline will not work during a power cut, your landline provider might offer you a free solution such as a back-up battery unit, for a minimum of one hour⁶. Ask specifically, and ask what the unit covers: the router, the phone, or both.

Keep a mobile charged and a paper list of numbers. Have the telephone numbers you might need to hand; as well as mobile phones, a non-mains powered landline telephone will help you stay in touch during a power cut²². Keep a mobile phone charged and write down important phone numbers²³. A charged power bank and a spare analogue phone are the practical pairing¹¹.

Use Wi-Fi Calling if the mobile network is down. If your mobile network is down but you have a working internet connection, you may still be able to make calls over Wi-Fi by enabling Wi-Fi Calling on your device²⁴. This only helps while the broadband and router still have power, so it is a second line of defence, not a replacement for a backup battery.

Plan for the first hour. If it is a localised power cut, stay with friends or relatives until your power is back on; leave a light on so you know when it returns; switch off appliances that could pose a hazard; and check on vulnerable neighbours or family²³. Ensure you have access to a phone before bed²⁵.

If you have no mobile phone, or live where mobile signal is poor, speak to your communications provider about additional support they can offer you in advance³. The same applies to anyone who needs extra help generally: see extra help in an emergency and extra help from phone and broadband providers.

If you have no broadband, or your alarm is not ready

Not every household has an internet connection, and the switch is not meant to leave anyone without a phone. If you do not have an internet connection, your phone company will ensure that there is still a landline only service offered². Some providers go further: an interim, dedicated landline service allows customers who do not use broadband to use their current landline in the same way as today until a digital solution becomes available, or 2030 if that comes sooner¹⁹.

For alarms, the rule is the same whichever system you have. If you use telecare, a health alarm, CCTV, a house alarm, a payment terminal or any other device connected to your phone line, check with your equipment provider that it will work with a digital phone line before you switch⁸. Systems connected to your landline, like a burglar or fire alarm, might not work after the switchover; talk to your system provider about your options even if you do not know when your phone line will be switched⁸. If you are buying a new alarm or device, check with the provider of that equipment that it is compatible with digital phone lines¹⁹.

Where to get help and what to read next

Your first call is your landline provider: if you or someone you know uses telecare, contact them in the first instance, and they will give you additional support for the switchover and check if your existing equipment is digital-ready⁵. If you use telecare, contact your landline provider in the first instance; they can help to make sure your alarm keeps working through the switchover¹⁶. Charities can help you work out what to ask: Carers UK and Carers Trust both cover technology and equipment for people who look after someone²⁶, and Age UK covers telecare and home adaptations¹⁵.

For the wider picture, read the digital landline switchover: what changes for your home phone and telecare and personal alarms when phone lines go digital. On power cuts specifically, see will your landline work in a power cut?, getting a free battery backup for a digital landline and keeping your router and hub running in a power cut. If your alarm is the concern, will a burglar alarm work after the digital switchover? covers it, and can you keep a landline without broadband? answers the no-broadband case. For calling for help when networks fail, see what to do when phones and the internet go down and Wi-Fi Calling: how it works and when it helps.