The old copper phone line system or Publicly Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is being switched over to a digital service.
This change will affect customers living in sheltered accommodation who have telecare systems and it could also affect anyone who uses a landline telephone. This page provides advice for both groups.
Customers in sheltered accommodation with a telecare system
This change will affect the telecare system in your home. Later this year we’ll replace your current telecare equipment with a new digital-ready system.
Before we can do that, you need to contact your telephone provider. Please let them know that you have an older telecare system connected to a phone line. This will help to make sure your telecare system continues to work until we upgrade your equipment.
We advise contacting your telephone provider as soon as possible.
What you need to do
Contact your landline telephone provider and tell them that you have non-digital telecare equipment that must be upgraded before they switch your telephone line to a digital service.
If you don’t have a mobile phone and rely heavily on your landline for daily calls, make sure to tell them this as well.
If your phone provider tells you they’ve already switched you to a digital line, test your telecare equipment by making a test call to Somerset Lifeline. If the call doesn’t go through, just get in touch with us and we’ll arrange to replace your alarm right away.
Your telecare upgrade
We’ll upgrade your telecare system later this year so it works with the new digital phone service. We’ll contact you when the work is ready to be carried out.
Landline telephone users
If you use a landline telephone, that will also be affected.
Your telephone provider should contact you to tell when your line is due to be switched over.
After the switchover, you’ll need to plug your telephone into your internet router instead of plugging it into a telephone wall socket.
What if I don’t have the internet at home?
If you don’t have the internet at home you should contact your telecoms provider and tell them to make sure they are aware of this.
If they know you don’t have the internet they can put in place a fix at their end that will enable you to keep using your landline telephone through your existing telephone wall socket.
What other changes should I know about?
Landline telephones need mains power to work, so if there's a power cut after you've been switched your landline telephone will not work.
If you rely heavily on your landline and are worried about this, please contact your telephone provider. They may offer a backup battery unit if you’re vulnerable and rely on your landline telephone in case of emergencies.
Frequently asked questions
The old copper wire phone network for landline calls is being retired and replaced with a new digital system. All landline phones in the country will use the new system by 1 February 2027.
Telecare is the equipment in your home that lets you contact the Somerset Lifeline monitoring centre if you need help or assistance.
Your telecare system is older and may not work on the new digital service. Your telephone provider will not know if you have a telecare system or if it is ready for the digital switchover. You can help them manage the switchover by letting them know about your telecare system.
Your telephone provider is the company you pay for your landline service, such as BT, TalkTalk, Vodaphone, Sky, PlusNet, EE or Virgin. Contract contact details for these organisations are shown below, it might be helpful to have a copy of your bill to check account details.
Each telephone provider is managing its own switchover process. Your provider should contact you at some point this year to let you know when the change will take place. They should also check whether you use a telecare system and if you have any other specific needs. Because your telecare service is important, please tell them about it as soon as possible.
If your telephone provider doesn’t know you have an older telecare system, they may switch over your phoneline in error and your telecare system may not work.
We can’t contact the telephone providers because we don’t know which provider each of our customers uses.
We’re in the process of arranging replacement telecare systems for all affected customers. We’ll contact you when we’re ready to upgrade your system.
Your number will remain the same.
Be scam aware
Criminals may use the switchover as an opportunity to scam customers.
If you're contacted, take a moment to stop and think before sharing personal information. Never feel rushed or pressured into making a decision. If you're suspicious hang up and call your telephone provider.
More information about the switchover
These websites contain more information about the switchover and how it's being managed.