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What the landline switch-off actually means
The UK is retiring the legacy PSTN, the network that carries traditional analogue landline calls. Its replacement is digital voice, also called Digital Voice, All-IP telephony or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A digital phone normally connects through a broadband router rather than the old wall socket.
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This is a change of network technology, not an automatic requirement to give up having a home phone. Providers generally aim to let customers use their existing number and continue making and receiving calls in a familiar way. The exact migration process depends on your communications provider and the equipment it uses.
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Deadlines are not identical for every household
UK Government guidance says PSTN-dependent services are due to be upgraded by January 2027. For BT/Openreach customers, Ofcom gives 31 January 2027 as the retirement date. Other network operators, including Virgin Media O2 and KCOM, have announced retirement plans but had not set dates in the cited Ofcom guidance. Your provider’s notice and account-specific date therefore matter more than a nationwide headline.
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Why providers are making the change
The analogue network is ageing and incidents have increased. Ofcom, as reported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in 2025, recorded a 45% increase in reported PSTN incidents during 2024 and more than 2,600 major PSTN incidents in 2024/25. Those figures describe the national network; they do not predict that your individual line will fail or show that one provider is safer than another.
First steps when you receive a migration message
- Check who sent it. Use the provider named on your bill or account, not an unsolicited caller’s number. Sign in through the provider’s normal website or call the number printed on your bill if you are unsure whether a message is genuine.
- Ask whether your account is affected. Request the target migration date, whether your voice service will continue, how the handset will connect, and whether an engineer visit, router, adaptor or other equipment is needed.
- State that you want to keep your existing number. Ask the provider to record number retention as part of the order or migration.
- Disclose anything connected to the line. Tell the provider about care alarms, medical pendants, security alarms, door-entry systems, payment terminals, lifts or other equipment before a date is booked.
- Discuss power-cut arrangements. If anyone relies on the landline, has no working mobile phone or cannot obtain a reliable mobile signal, say so before migration and ask what free backup will be supplied.
- Keep the migration correspondence. Save the date, equipment instructions, order reference and contact details until you have tested calls and every connected device.
Ignoring repeated migration contact can put service continuity at risk. A provider may need information about your equipment or safety needs before it can complete a safe change.
Can you keep your landline number?
In most cases, yes. Tell the provider clearly that number retention is required. Number portability is handled differently depending on whether you remain with the same provider or move to a new one.
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The provider normally moves the number as part of its digital-voice upgrade. Confirm that the number shown on your bill will remain the number presented to callers and that any extra numbers, call features or listed-directory arrangements are included.
If you switch provider: use One Touch Switch
Ofcom’s One Touch Switch process is provider-led. Contact the provider you want to join and provide:
- your address;
- your current provider;
- the services you want to take; and
- confirmation that you want to keep the existing number.
The new provider requests information from the current provider, including applicable charges, and explains any equipment or engineer visit. When the new service is working, the old service should cease automatically. Switching rules require that any loss of service must not exceed one working day.
What happens to broadband bundles?
Do not assume that porting a number leaves a landline-plus-broadband bundle unchanged. Moving the voice service can alter broadband, television or discounts attached to the account. Ask the current provider what will happen to every bundled service before the new order is placed.
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If you already cancelled the old line
Ofcom says you can still ask the new provider to retain the number if you make the request within one month of cancellation. Contact the new provider promptly; do not wait for the old number to be reassigned.
If you want an overlap instead of an automatic switch
One Touch Switch does not apply when you arrange a deliberate overlap and manage cancellation yourself. Check the old provider’s notice period, final bill and early-termination charges, and obtain confirmation of the cancellation date. A switch can be cancelled within 14 calendar days, although used service and installation costs may still be payable. Cancelling does not automatically reinstate the old service.
Will your existing phone work?
Many households can keep their current handset, but compatibility is not guaranteed. Older phones, phones with unusual wiring, and devices that draw power from the analogue line may need an adaptor or replacement. The provider may supply a router, a voice adaptor or a different connection arrangement.
Before buying anything
- Wait for the provider’s written equipment instructions.
- Ask whether your exact handset type, extension sockets and cordless base are supported.
- Find out whether the handset plugs into the router, an adaptor or a new wall socket.
- Confirm who installs the equipment and whether an engineer charge applies.
- Do not assume a new handset will solve a compatibility problem involving an alarm or care device.
If a replacement is necessary, an optional corded handset can be useful because it is simple and does not depend on a cordless base battery. Confirm compatibility and connector requirements with the provider before purchasing.
Do you need broadband for a digital landline?
Digital voice is usually delivered over a broadband connection and requires a router. If you already have broadband, the provider may activate voice on the existing service or supply a new router. Calls can stop if the router loses power or the broadband connection fails.
Households without broadband should ask whether their provider offers an interim dedicated landline service. Government guidance says some providers have such services for eligible customers, but availability and eligibility are provider-specific. Do not order broadband solely on the assumption that every digital-voice migration requires the same package.
Power cuts and emergency calls
An analogue line could, in some circumstances, power a basic corded phone from the network. A digital landline needs mains electricity for the router and associated equipment, so it normally will not work during a power cut unless a backup is provided.
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Ofcom says a provider must offer a free backup solution lasting at least one hour for emergency contact when a customer relies on the landline and lacks a working mobile phone or reliable mobile coverage. Raise this before migration, explain the household’s circumstances and ask how the backup is tested and replaced. A short battery may not keep every connected device operating, so ask specifically what the backup supports.
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Make a household outage plan
- Keep the provider’s emergency contact number and your account reference on paper.
- Test the backup when installed and after any router or battery replacement.
- Check whether a mobile phone on another network receives a signal at the property.
- Tell the provider if mobility, medical or accessibility needs make a one-hour backup inadequate.
Care alarms, medical pendants and other safety equipment
Telecare and other line-connected equipment must be treated as a safety issue, not an ordinary handset change. Care alarms, medical pendants, burglar alarms, door-entry systems, payment terminals and lifts may use signalling that a digital service handles differently.
- List every device connected to the phone line, including equipment in another room or a communal entrance.
- Give the list to both your communications provider and the device supplier.
- Ask the supplier to confirm compatibility with the proposed digital service and router.
- Arrange a live test of alarm activation, two-way speech and call-centre contact before the analogue service is removed.
- Obtain a named contact and written confirmation of the safe operating arrangement.
Ofcom says a provider can help check a care alarm and may pause migration until a safe solution exists. The March 2026 PSTN Network Operators’ Charter commits signatory operators to check for telecare and not migrate a known telecare customer without confirmation that a compatible, functioning arrangement is in place. You should still disclose the equipment; providers cannot protect a device they do not know about.
Check the price and contract before agreeing
A technology migration can change the commercial terms of your service. Ask for a complete price breakdown rather than relying on a message that says the change is free.
| Check | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Monthly charge | Will the recurring price change after migration, and for how long? |
| One-off costs | Is there a router, adaptor, installation or engineer charge? |
| Contract status | When does the current minimum term end? |
| Early termination | Would changing service trigger an exit fee? |
| Bundle | Will broadband, television, discounts or linked numbers change? |
| Calls | Are call allowances, international rates and premium-rate restrictions different? |
| Number | Is the existing number retained, and are any additional numbers affected? |
Ask for the answer in writing and keep it with the migration notice. If you are switching provider, compare the total cost over the contract term, not just an introductory monthly figure.
Should you keep a home phone at all?
You do not have to retain a home phone if it no longer suits your household. Some customers move to broadband-only service, use mobile calls, or make calls through online applications. Ofcom reported that just over one million households ceased their landline for broadband-only service in the year to July 2025.
Make the decision after considering indoor mobile coverage, the ability to charge phones during an outage, accessibility, emergency contact needs and any telecare or alarm dependency. Removing the number can also affect relatives, businesses, schools and services that have it recorded.
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What the UK market looked like in July 2025
Ofcom reported 17.2 million residential landline connections in July 2025. The connection types were:
| Connection type | Connections | Share of residential landlines |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy PSTN | 3.2 million | 19% |
| Residential VoIP | 9.8 million | 57% |
| Emulated PSTN | 4.2 million | 24% |
| Total | 17.2 million | 100% |
These are national figures for July 2025, not a forecast of an individual migration date or a quality ranking of providers. “Emulated PSTN” services can look like a traditional phone service to the customer while using a newer access network.
Choosing a replacement service
If your provider’s offer is unsuitable, compare alternatives using the same questions:
- Can the existing number be retained?
- What are the monthly, installation and equipment costs?
- Are early-termination charges payable?
- Is broadband required, and is it included?
- What happens during a power cut, and is a qualifying free backup supplied?
- Will telecare, alarms and door-entry equipment be tested?
- Is an engineer visit required?
- What happens to broadband and other bundled services?
- What support is available if calls fail after activation?
Availability, pricing and equipment depend on your address and account. Obtain a written quote and migration plan rather than selecting a service from a generic national claim.
Testing the new line and fixing problems
On the agreed migration day, test from a corded or cordless handset, call the number from a mobile, make an outgoing call, and place an emergency call only if genuinely necessary. Check voicemail, caller display, extension sockets and every disclosed safety device.
If there is no dial tone
- Check that the router has power and shows a normal broadband connection.
- Confirm the phone or adaptor is plugged into the provider-specified port.
- Restart the router once, then wait for the service lights to stabilise.
- Use the provider’s fault channel and quote the migration reference.
If incoming calls fail but outgoing calls work
Ask the provider to verify number porting and call routing. Do not cancel the old service again or request a second port while the first fault is open.
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Contact the device supplier’s emergency support and the communications provider immediately. State that the device was disclosed before migration and request a safe interim arrangement; do not rely on an untested alarm.
Quick Recap
A practical migration checklist
- Identify the provider and verify the notice.
- Record the target date and request to keep the number.
- Confirm broadband, router, adaptor and engineer requirements.
- Review monthly charges, one-off fees, contract dates and bundle effects.
- List and test telecare, alarms, door entry and other connected equipment.
- Arrange the qualifying power-cut backup if your household needs it.
- Keep the old equipment until the new service and devices work.
- Test incoming and outgoing calls, caller display, voicemail and extensions.
- Keep written confirmation that the migration is complete.
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