BroadbandSwitch.uk Publishes Landline Switch-Off Checklist With 82 Days to Go and the Last Million Lines Still to Move

Nine in ten UK lines have moved and nobody is cut off on 31 January 2027. Seven questions on telecare, power cuts and extensions for homes still to switch.

LONDON, ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES & NORTHERN IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM, November 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — https://broadbandswitch.uk/ | More than nine in ten of the UK’s old analogue phone lines have already moved to digital, and the finish line is in sight. The network they ran on is switched off on 31 January 2027, 82 days from today, and Openreach says the date will not move again. Around 15 million lines had moved by Openreach’s last published count in September 2026, with 1.2 million still to go, and on the pace of the past six months BroadbandSwitch.uk estimates the number is now below a million. For the households in that last million, BroadbandSwitch.uk has published a free checklist: seven questions written for anyone whose phone still plugs into the wall socket, anyone who relies on a telecare alarm, and anyone in a home where the landline is how they call for help.

The checklist sits alongside The Last Dial Tone, BroadbandSwitch.uk’s June 2026 Data Lab report on the switch-off, which forecast that the deadline would hold with a residual tail of 150,000 to 450,000 lines still unmigrated on 1 February 2027. Openreach has since confirmed how that tail will be handled: no household will be cut off on the day, because a fallback exists precisely so that nobody is. The fallback is temporary and limited, though, and it will not carry broadband for most lines until at least mid-April, so the comfortable route is still to switch before the date.

Key facts

1) The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is withdrawn on 31 January 2027. James Lilley, Openreach’s Director of All-IP, said in July: “The PSTN switch-off is now just six months away and there is no extension to the deadline” (ISPreview, 31 July 2026).

2) Lines still to migrate fell from about 2.5 million in April 2026 to 1.9 million in June, 1.5 million in July and 1.2 million in September, when around 15 million had already moved. At the average pace of those months, about 250,000 lines a month, the figure would have passed below one million in the second half of October, and even if the pace had halved since September it would be at the million mark now (ISPreview, 11 June, 31 July and 24 September 2026; BroadbandSwitch.uk estimate, see notes).

3) BT says more than 95% of its landline customers have switched to Digital Voice, and it is expanding a trial that temporarily pauses broadband for customers who have not engaged, “with clear warning and support throughout”. The landline keeps working during a pause. In the first trial, more than 80% of those contacted got in touch and began the switch (ISPreview, 16 September 2026).

4) After 31 January 2027, consumer lines that have not migrated will be moved to Emergency Voice Access, which Openreach describes as “temporary, limited and more expensive than modern alternatives”. Broadband on the same line will be preserved “where technically possible”, but migrations that keep broadband are not expected before mid-April 2027 (ISPreview, 24 September 2026).

5) About 2 million people in the UK rely on telecare alarms. Under the government’s PSTN Charter, no telecare user may be moved to a digital landline without confirmation “that they have a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place” (GOV.UK, 2 June 2025 and 22 January 2026).

6) Ofcom requires providers to give customers at least one hour of power backup for emergency calls in a power cut, and charter signatories have committed to solutions that go beyond that minimum. Vulnerable customers are offered a free battery back-up device (Ofcom; GOV.UK, 2 June 2025).

7) Openreach raised its wholesale price for the old copper line rental in three steps, 20% in April, a further 40% in July and a further 40% on 1 October 2026, doubling it in the final months before the switch-off, so the old network is no longer the cheap option. BroadbandSwitch.uk’s explainer at broadbandswitch.uk/insights/old-landline-price-rise-1-october-2026-what-to-do/ sets out what the rise means for bills. The digital service a household moves to is the one built for the full fibre network that 82% of UK homes can now get (ISPreview, 12 November 2025; Ofcom, 13 May 2026).

What actually changes?

The phone call moves from the copper wire to the broadband connection. In practice the handset plugs into the broadband router, or into an adapter the provider supplies, instead of the wall socket. The number stays the same, calls can sound clearer, and the switch itself is normally free when a customer stays with their provider; the only common charge is for a battery back-up unit, which is free for vulnerable customers and worth asking about before agreeing to pay. Phone extension sockets around the house stop working unless the provider supplies a way to reconnect them, so a cordless base station by the router is the usual answer. The broadband itself carries on. For homes on copper broadband (ADSL or fibre to the cabinet), the provider may send a new router at the same time; for homes moving to full fibre, the phone service comes with the new connection. Homes with a phone and no broadband are not required to buy it: BT gives landline-only customers a dedicated connection for calls that needs no new equipment or engineer visit (Which?, 27 February 2025), and the question to put to any other provider is simply what it supplies for a phone-only home.

What does not change is the right to be looked after. Ofcom requires every provider to identify, protect and support vulnerable customers through the migration. The charter adds that nobody who relies on telecare is moved without confirmation that the alarm will still work, that already-migrated customers are checked again for telecare devices the provider did not know about, and that battery back-up goes beyond Ofcom’s one hour minimum. BroadbandSwitch.uk’s digital voice guide sets out how the seven largest providers differ on number retention, power-cut cover and cost.

The household checklist

BroadbandSwitch.uk’s checklist asks seven questions.

One. Has the phone already moved? If the handset plugs into the router or a small box next to it, the household has switched. If it still plugs into the wall socket, it has not, and a letter from the provider is coming or has already arrived.

Two. Does anyone in the home rely on a telecare alarm, a fall pendant, a care line or a medical device that uses the phone line? If so, the provider needs to know before anything changes. BroadbandSwitch.uk’s advice is to ring the provider now rather than wait for the letter, and to tell the telecare company too, because both need to confirm the alarm works on the new service.

Three. What happens in a power cut? A digital landline needs power. Anyone who relies on the landline to call for help, or who has no mobile signal at home, should ask their provider for a battery back-up unit; vulnerable customers are offered one free of charge. Everyone else should keep a charged mobile where they can find it in the dark.

Four. Where are the phones? Extension sockets stop working. Count the handsets, decide where the base station will live, and ask the provider what it supplies for extra phones.

Five. Is the number kept? Yes, when the switch happens with the same provider, and in almost every case when switching to a new one, provided the customer asks the new provider to port it rather than cancelling the old service first. BroadbandSwitch.uk’s guide to what happens to a phone number (broadbandswitch.uk/what-happens-to-my-number-when-i-switch.html) explains the one order of events that loses it.

Six. Has broadband paused without warning? For BT customers, a pause may be the nudge described in the trial above rather than a fault. The landline still works during the pause, and a call to the provider restarts the process.

Seven. Is the household out of contract? Around 28% of UK broadband customers are, and in-contract customers pay between £7 and £9 a month less (Ofcom, 26 February 2026). A home that has to change its phone set-up anyway can do the whole thing in one go: compare broadband deals by postcode, choose a full fibre deal with a digital phone service included, and let One Touch Switch handle the move. Full fibre is available to 82% of UK homes (Ofcom, 13 May 2026).

“Fifteen million lines have moved and most people barely noticed, which is exactly how it should be,” said Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith, founder of BroadbandSwitch.uk and author of The Last Dial Tone. “Every protection a worried household needs already exists. Nobody is cut off on the day. Telecare users cannot be moved until the alarm is confirmed working. Battery back-up is there for anyone who depends on the line. What has been missing is communication that is simple, clear and timely, and that gap is why some people are frightened of a change that, done properly, takes an afternoon. The checklist is our attempt to close it, and the message is a good one: the hard part is already done.”

What happens to a line that misses the date?

Openreach has set out the sequence. On 1 February 2027 the old wholesale products are withdrawn and consumer lines still on the network begin moving to Emergency Voice Access, a basic phone-only service for essential calls. Migration orders with completion dates after 31 March 2027 will be cancelled. From mid-April 2027, lines that also carry broadband are expected to move with a short-term broadband preservation solution. Openreach’s Juliette Scott told Zen Internet in June that there “won’t be a big bang on 1st February 2027”, but also that customers moved to Emergency Voice Access are harder to move again afterwards, which is why Openreach wants to avoid it (ISPreview, 11 June and 24 September 2026). Business lines on the old ISDN2 and ISDN30 products have no fallback and are ceased from 1 February 2027.

The Last Dial Tone’s June forecast put a 72% probability on the date holding with a managed residual, 23% on a further formal delay and 5% on a clean finish. Openreach’s September statements point to the first outcome.

“A million lines sounds a lot until it is set against the 15 million that have already moved without drama,” said Adrian James, broadband editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk. “The households left are the ones the system was built to protect, and the rules are on their side. Pick up the phone to the provider this week, say the word telecare if it applies, and ask about battery back-up. That is the whole job for most people, and the result is a phone that works on the network the country is moving to.”

What can households do today?

A) Look at where the phone plugs in. Wall socket means not yet switched.

B) If anyone relies on telecare or has no mobile signal, ring the provider now and say so. Ask for the battery back-up unit.

C) Read the provider’s letter when it comes. It sets out the date and how to pause if there is a reason to.

D) Out of contract? Use the change to compare deals at the postcode and move phone and broadband together.

About BroadbandSwitch.uk

BroadbandSwitch.uk is an independent UK broadband comparison service, part of the SearchSwitchSave group. It earns a commission when a customer orders through its comparison, which does not change the price the customer pays. Deals are listed by monthly cost, lowest first, and commission never decides the order. Its guides and Data Lab reports are written by named authors and carry a public corrections log. Customer line: 0330 122 1223.

Notes to editors

1. The 82 day count runs from Tuesday 10 November 2026 to Saturday 31 January 2027 inclusive of the deadline day.

2. Line counts are Openreach figures as reported by ISPreview on the dates given; Openreach publishes them irregularly and the September figure of 1.2 million is the most recent available. The 15 million migrated figure and the 350,000 business lines figure come from the same 24 September 2026 report. The “below a million” estimate applies the average monthly fall between April and September 2026 (about 250,000 lines a month) to the period since 24 September, which puts the crossing in the second half of October; at half that pace the figure would be about one million today. It is BroadbandSwitch.uk’s estimate, not an Openreach figure, and the release says so wherever it is used.

3. The Last Dial Tone (Report No. 26, 16 June 2026, 48 pages, 47 sources) is free to read and download at broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-last-dial-tone/. Its forecast figures are as published in June and have not been revised.

4. The five images with this release are free to reuse with a credit and a link to broadbandswitch.uk. Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith and Adrian James are available for interview on 0330 122 1223.

References

BroadbandSwitch.uk. (2026, June 16). The Last Dial Tone: The PSTN switch-off report 2026 (Data Lab Report No. 26). https://broadbandswitch.uk/reports/the-last-dial-tone/

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. (2025, June 2). Telecare users and their loved ones across the UK urged to speak to telecoms providers ahead of switch to digital landlines. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/telecare-users-and-their-loved-ones-across-the-uk-urged-to-speak-to-telecoms-providers-ahead-of-switch-to-digital-landlines

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. (2026, January 22). The Public Switched Telephone Network Charter. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-switched-telephone-network-charter/public-switched-telephone-network-charter

Jackson, M. (2025, November 12). Openreach raises prices on copper lines to boost UK fibre broadband adoption. ISPreview UK. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2025/11/openreach-raises-prices-on-copper-lines-to-boost-uk-fibre-broadband-adoption.html

Jackson, M. (2026, June 11). Openreach says no big bang in Jan 2027 when UK analogue phones switch off. ISPreview UK. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/06/openreach-says-no-big-bang-in-jan-2027-when-uk-analogue-phones-switch-off.html

Jackson, M. (2026, July 31). Openreach says 1.5 million UK analogue phone lines yet to make digital switch. ISPreview UK. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/07/openreach-says-1-5-million-uk-analogue-phone-lines-yet-to-make-digital-switch.html

Jackson, M. (2026, September 16). BT reveal 95 percent of UK customers have switched to Digital Voice as new trial expands. ISPreview UK. https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/bt-reveals-95-percent-of-uk-customers-have-switched-to-digital-voice.html

Jackson, M. (2026, September 24). Openreach confirm post-January 2027 measures for UK analogue phone switch-off. ISPreview UK. https://ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/openreach-confirm-post-january-2027-measures-for-uk-analogue-phone-switch-off.html

Ofcom. (2024, January 23). Protecting customers during the migration to digital landlines. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/landline-phones/protecting-customers-during-the-migration-to-digital-landlines

Ofcom. (2026, February 26). New Ofcom research reveals how to cut phone and internet bills. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/bills-and-charges/new-ofcom-research-reveals-how-to-cut-phone-and-internet-bills

Ofcom. (2026, May 13). Connected Nations update: Spring 2026. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026

Which?. (2025, February 27). Five things you need to know about the landline switchover, and how to help your loved ones. https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-landline-switchover-and-how-to-help-your-loved-ones-aUYo68j70qBL

Dr. Alex J. Martin-Smith CMgr DBA
Upleashed® limited
+443301221223 ext.
editorial@broadbandswitch.uk
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