{"id":857,"date":"2026-06-19T18:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T17:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/?page_id=857"},"modified":"2026-06-19T18:15:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T17:15:44","slug":"landline-switch-off","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/landline-switch-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Landline Switch Off"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"notice\">\n<h2>In brief<\/h2>\n<p>The old UK landline network (called the Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN) is being retired nationally. By <strong>31 January 2027<\/strong>, all landlines will be moved to digital phone services that run over broadband connections. Our village is served by the Openreach network, so everyone here will eventually be using a digital phone line (Voip) provided over Openreach-based broadband. Though you may buy your telephone line through companies like Sky, talk-talk, EE, etc.<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>What is actually changing?<\/h2>\n<p>For decades, landline calls have travelled over copper wires using analogue technology (the PSTN). This system is now old, harder to maintain, and more prone to faults. Phone providers are moving customers to <strong>digital phone lines<\/strong>. Instead of your phone plugging into a wall socket, it will connect (directly or via an adapter) to your <strong>broadband router<\/strong>, and calls will travel over the internet in the same way your broadband does.<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>What this means for people in the village<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Your phone number:<\/strong> In most cases, you keep your existing landline number.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your handset:<\/strong> Many existing phones will still work; they may just plug into the router instead of the wall.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your provider:<\/strong> You will continue to deal with your usual phone\/broadband provider (BT, Sky, TalkTalk, etc.). Openreach provides the underlying network they use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Timing:<\/strong> Providers will contact you when it is time to move your line to digital. Some people may already have been switched.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost:<\/strong> The change is part of a national upgrade. Your provider will explain any changes to your package or equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>Why is this happening?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Age of the network:<\/strong> The PSTN is decades old and increasingly unreliable. Spare parts and skills are harder to find.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reliability and quality:<\/strong> Digital phone lines can offer clearer calls and more reliable service.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Future services:<\/strong> Digital networks make it easier to add features such as better call blocking, voicemail, and flexible call routing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>National policy:<\/strong> The UK telecoms industry has agreed to retire the PSTN and move to all\u2011digital services by 2027.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>Power cuts, 999 calls and vulnerable residents<\/h2>\n<p>One important difference is that digital phone lines usually rely on your broadband router and mains power.<br \/>\nDuring a power cut, your landline may not work unless you have some form of battery backup.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Emergency calls:<\/strong> You must still be able to contact 999. If you have no mobile signal or rely heavily on your landline, speak to your provider about options such as battery backup equipment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Telecare and alarms:<\/strong> If you use a pendant alarm, medical device, burglar alarm, or other equipment that uses the phone line, it should be checked to make sure it works with a digital line.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vulnerable residents:<\/strong> Providers and Openreach have special processes to support vulnerable users and telecare services during the migration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>What you need to do<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wait for contact from your provider:<\/strong> They will write to you or call you when it is time to move your line.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Read their information carefully:<\/strong> They should explain what equipment you will receive and how your phone will be connected.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make a note of any special equipment:<\/strong> Tell your provider if you have telecare alarms, medical devices, or other systems that use the phone line.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask about power cuts:<\/strong> If you are worried about power cuts or poor mobile signal, ask your provider what they can offer to keep you connected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>Local support in our village<\/h2>\n<p>We know that changes like this can feel worrying, especially if you rely on your landline or are not comfortable<br \/>\nwith technology. In our village:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Information:<\/strong> We will share updates through the Parish Council website, noticeboards and the village WhatsApp group.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical help:<\/strong> Local volunteers can help check your setup, explain letters from your provider, and make sure your phone and any alarms are working after the change.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Home visits:<\/strong> If you are housebound or would find a home visit helpful, please contact the Parish Council or the named village contact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you have questions or would like someone to talk this through with you, please contact:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Simon Rowney<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<section class=\"box\">\n<h2>Further information<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/moving-landlines-to-digital-technologies\">UK Government guidance: <em>\u201cMoving landlines to digital technologies\u201d<\/em> (GOV.UK)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.openreach.com\/upgrading-the-UK-to-digital-phone-lines\">Openreach: <em>\u201cDigital phone lines\u201d<\/em> and <em>\u201cUpgrading the UK to digital phone lines\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Your own phone\/broadband provider\u2019s website and customer information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These sources provide more technical detail, but the key message for our village is simple:<br \/>\n<strong>your landline service is moving to a modern digital system, and you will not be left to manage the change alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<footer>This page is provided by the Parish Council to explain the national landline changes in clear, local terms for our village.<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In brief The old UK landline network (called the Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN) is being retired nationally. By 31 January 2027, all landlines will be moved to digital phone services that run over broadband connections. Our village is served by the Openreach network, so everyone here will eventually be using a digital phone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-857","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861,"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/857\/revisions\/861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thorpevillage.co.uk\/PC1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}