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.
Types of telecare system upgrades
When we upgrade the telecare systems we will be providing a mix of ‘hard wired’ systems, and ‘stand alone’ systems. The type of system you receive will depend on where you live.
What’s the difference between 'hard-wired' and 'stand-alone'?
Hard‑wired telecare system - This type of system is built into the building. Each home is connected through cables installed in the walls.
Alarm buttons, pull cords, and door entry systems link back to a central control panel in the scheme.
If someone needs help, the alarm goes straight through this fixed system to a monitoring centre.
This system is part of the building itself. This type of system is better suited to larger sheltered schemes with eg. communal entry systems and common areas .
Stand-alone system, also know as dispersed system
The alarm unit sits in the person’s home and uses a mobile signal to connect to the monitoring centre.
It’s not connected to any specific building or scheme wiring. Alerts go directly to a monitoring centre using a phone line or mobile network.
A dispersed alarm system is better suited to sheltered properties which are largely self-contained.
Stand alone system opt out
We have received feedback from some customers that they would prefer not to have a telecare system in their home. Those customers who are set to receive a stand-alone system have the option to opt out from having any form of telecare system. We've written to those customers who are set to receive a stand-alone system to let them know. If you wish to opt out or you're unsure if you will recieve a stand-alone system, call us on 03000 120 120.
Please remember that if you do opt out, you will no longer be able to contact Somerset Lifeline in the event you need help.
These questions about opting out may help you to decide what to do.
It’s a device that lets you call for help quickly, from anywhere in your home, just by pressing a button. It gives you and your family peace of mind.
Once the button is pressed you can talk, hands-free, with the team at a 24/7 monitoring centre. This means you can speak to someone if you need help at any time.
The alarm operates using the mobile telephone network so it does not require a landline to work.
As part of the alarm upgrade you will be provided with a falls detector pendant, which can automatically detect a fall and send an alert, or be manually pressed should you require assistance.
The alarm will also connect to your existing smoke alarm system so that if smoke is detected an alert can be automatically raised, even if you are unable to respond.
To ensure help is always within easy reach, up to three pull cords can be installed in rooms in your home, such as the bathroom, bedroom or living room. Pulling a cord will immediately raise an alert with the monitoring centre.
Yes. In the same way you already pay for your existing alarm system through your service charges. The existing charge will end on 31st March 2027 to be replaced by a new charge for the new equipment, starting in April 2027.
We will confirm your service charges for financial year 2027/28 when we write to you in February 2027.
We’ll check whether your existing alarm needs to be replaced when we visit you.
We expect to start installing the new alarms in June,and are planning to finish by the end of December. We will contact you closer to the time when we expect to be working in your neighbourhood.
No. If you don’t want this equipment just let us know by calling us on 03000 120 120.
Yes. While you continue to live in one of our age restricted properties you will be able to request one in the future. If this changes, we’ll let you know.
Frequently asked questions about the upgrade
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.