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Network operator Openreach (BT) has today announced the official launch of their new telecare migration services across the UK. The service is designed to help UK consumers with old analogue based phone (PSTN / WLR) and medical telecare systems to safely migrate to modern broadband-based (FTTP etc.) connections with digital phone (IP-based) services.
The legacy phone switch-off was last year delayed to 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband, phone, telecare providers, councils and consumers more time to adapt (details). The focus of this remains on the 1.8 million UK people who use vital home telecare systems (e.g. elderly, disabled – vulnerable users), which aren’t always compatible with digital phones because telecare providers were slow to adapt. But for everybody else, many providers will still be working to the original Dec 2025 deadline to get their customers off the PSTN.
One of the ways in which Openreach responded to this involved the launch of their Prove Telecare Trial, which was designed to support ISPs and customers to “safely migrate” fixed line customers with telecare devices to modern broadband lines (FTTP, FTTC/SOGEA) with IP voice services. The trial required close coordination between ISPs, telecare providers and engineers – often with Openreach engineers and telecare engineers working together to switch users over.
The latest announcement reveals that Openreach’s limited telecare pilot successfully migrated over 1,000 vulnerable customers from outdated copper phone networks to fibre. All customers were safely upgraded with no disruption to their telecare services.
The new Prove Telecare service will now become available nationwide, supported by more than 4,000 specially trained Openreach engineers – to help fulfil the volume of vulnerable customer migrations. These engineers will work directly with alarm receiving centres to confirm households using telecare devices, and only complete migrations when devices are compatible.
If any equipment is found to be incompatible, the engineer will move the phone and telecare device back to the original copper service, ensuring continuous protection for customers. Openreach then informs the customer’s service provider and the telecare provider so that they can arrange for a replacement device to be installed, before a follow-up visit.
James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Manager, said:
“The pilot has clearly shown that vulnerable customers with telecare devices can be safely migrated to fibre, removing a major barrier to the UK’s transition away from the PSTN.
Our priority was always to make sure the switch to fibre broadband didn’t leave anyone behind, and the transition was seamless for telecare customers. We’ve achieved our mission with the Prove Telecare service that will accelerate the transition.
With copper-based services more vulnerable to faults and outages, fibre is the safer and more reliable option. For customers whose safety depends on uninterrupted connectivity, the time to switch is now.“
Alyson Scurfield, CEO of TSA, said:
“TSA welcomes and fully supports the trial roll out of Openreach’s Prove Telecare service. Ensuring the safe migration of telecare customers is critical to protecting vulnerable people, and this programme is an important step in minimising risk as the UK transitions away from the PSTN telephone lines.
We are encouraged by the pilot’s success and the commitment to safeguarding uninterrupted telecare support for those who rely on it most.”
We should point out that Openreach and BT have also developed a “temporary” Pre-Digital Phone Line (PDPL) product (aka – SOTAP for Analogue), which is an exchange-based IP-voice service that replicates how the old service worked, albeit over a more modern network (i.e. it does NOT require broadband, new kit, an engineer visit or battery back-up to function).
However, PDPL is only intended to be available to vulnerable and edge case users on existing lines (not new customers) who would otherwise “face challenges” in migrating to normal internet (IP) based voice solutions by the deadline. This too is likely to be retired as Openreach starts exiting old exchanges en masse from around 2030, hence why the above focus is still on delivering longer-term solutions as part of the primary switchover.
Openreach has published a technical briefing on today’s soft launch of Prove Telecare (here), which reveals that it will go fully live from 16th October 2025 and cost providers £19.41 +vat to take (connection fee).