The UK government has published its revised Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP), which will require major UK broadband and phone providers (e.g. BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Sky Broadband) to go further with protecting vulnerable telecare users when upgrading legacy phone lines to new digital (IP based) networks.
Just to recap. The industry-led shift to digital landlines is partly being driven by the looming retirement of copper telecoms lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP) broadband, as well as the fact that reliability of the old network is in decline. Put another way, it’s becoming harder for operators to source parts for older technologies and those with related skills (older engineers) are slowly going into retirement.
The plan to switch-off older phone lines was recently delayed by BT and Openreach to 31st January 2027 in order to give internet and phone providers, as well as telecare providers and consumers, more time to adapt (details).
However, the main focus of this delay was on the 1.8 million people who use vital home telecare systems in the UK (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which aren’t always compatible with the replacement VoIP / IP-based digital phone services (i.e. for everybody else the deadline is still technically Dec 2025). Not to mention the need for additional battery backup solutions to help protect connectivity during power cuts.
The previous government had already responded to all these concerns by establishing a special charter (there’s also a variant of this for wholesale providers), which committed providers to protecting vulnerable customers during the migration via various measures (e.g. preventing forced switches, unless the users are ready). But last year the new government promised (here) to go further and replace this with a Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP), which has now been published.
Key Outcomes of the TNAP
➤ No telecare user will be migrated to digital landline services without the communication provider, the user, or the telecare service provider confirming that the user has a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.
➤ Use of analogue telecare devices is phased out to ensure that only digital devices are being used. DHSC will be working with stakeholders over the coming months to set a deadline for this.
➤ Telecare users, their support networks and their service providers understand what actions they need to take to ensure a safe migration to digital phone lines.
➤ Stakeholders identified within the plan collaborate to safeguard telecare users through the digital phone switchover.
The new approach also encourages network providers to offer an engineer visit, often alongside telecar providers, to help vulnerable customers switch to the new service and ensure everything works. Both Virgin Media (here) and Openreach (here) have already been conducting trials of just such an approach.
In addition, the action plan reminds that BT and Openreach are currently working toward this year’s launch of a Pre-Digital Phone Line (PDPL) product (aka – SOTAP for Analogue). This essentially attempts to replicate how the old phone service worked, albeit over a more modern network (i.e. it does NOT require a broadband connection to function and or require battery backup).
However, PDPL is only a temporary solution until 2030 (i.e. when exchange retirement starts), and it will only be available to vulnerable and edge use cases (inc. CNI) users on existing lines (not new customers) who would otherwise “face challenges” in migrating to IP based voice solutions by the deadline. But there is a catch as “PDPL is not compatible with lines connected to broadband“.
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care), said:
“Our action plan is predominantly aimed at communication providers, local authorities, housing providers, third sector organisations and commercial providers. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to working with the telecare and telecommunications industries and ensuring that telecare users’ safety is put first during the switchover. Officials have worked closely with stakeholders to develop and agree the actions set out in this plan.
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Given the complexity of the issue, it is possible that additional necessary actions might be identified. We will review progress against the Telecare Nation Action Plan every six months and identify new actions as needed.”
Readers may recall that Ofcom and the government have also been pushing broadband and phone providers to improve their battery-backup options (here), such as to ensure they last a lot longer than 1 hour in the event of a power cut (Ofcom’s minimum requirement). The new plan notes that options in this area are still being reviewed, including better resilience of mobile networks (here), and thus the new plan hasn’t set any specific targets.
Finally, the Government said they were “working closely with the telecommunications industry (who provide telephone services) on a national communication campaign“, which will work to raise awareness of the switchover and the support that now exists. This is due to be “launched in early 2025“.