Digital Switchover

What is the digital switchover?

Simply put, all landlines are being disconnected after 2026. You are required by Openreach to switch to a digital line provided over your internet connection before they switch them off permanently the following January.

Openreach are the company made responsible for maintaining the physical telephone line when Ofcom took that responsibility away from BT in 2017.

In 2016, it was announced that all analogue phone lines in the UK would be updated to digital internet-based services after 2026. If you currently use a landline in your home, you’ll be affected by the switch.

The switch is on schedule to complete on-time but it makes sense to switch to digital as soon as possible – it is cheaper after all. The digital service we provide is called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

What is VoIP?

VoIP or ‘Voice Over Internet Protocol’ just means voice calls can be made via the internet rather than using a wire like the current system.

A lot of phone users already use VoIP systems without even realising it. For example, the most popular examples of VoIP are Skype and WhatsApp. Often VoIP is a good option as calls and messaging costs less than regular calling or texting.

Why is the landline network being switched off?

The switch is happening because the current PSTN system needs updating. The old copper telephone network is being replaced with optical fibres and telephone exchange switches are being replaced by internet routers. The ageing analogue system is becoming increasingly expensive to run, and although a lot of work is needed to switch to digital, using the internet to make calls should be more cost effective and even offer clearer calls with faster connection speeds.