Digital Voice: The UK copper landline switch-off explained
BT is switching all of its landline connections from copper cables to a new service called ‘Digital Voice’. This affects every household in the UK that uses a landline phone, and the deadline for providers to make this switch is fast approaching.
Providers that offer landline services are working on completing this with the help of Openreach, the BT network that runs the entire copper cable network in the UK.
Many people are already on this new connection, so there’s a chance you may not need to take any action. But if your landline phone is still plugged into your old phone socket, there may be a small switchover you’ll need to do to continue using your landline.
What is the ‘copper switch-off’?
The nationwide Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), now operated by BT Group’s Openreach, has supplied the UK’s copper phone line connections for decades. It even powered the majority of UK broadband connections up until the last few years.
However, it’s an ageing technology that’s started to degrade in quality, as increasing outages show that it’s struggling to keep up with higher customer demands for strong connectivity. So with more reliable fibre-optic now readily available, BT is keen to replace the whole network in favour of a much higher-quality, digital service.
This is a big undertaking for Openreach as the network is obviously very widespread, reaching many rural and remote properties too. Plus, there are a number of highly important connections, such as telecare services, where the switchover has to be handled with a lot of caution.
As a result, there have naturally been some hurdles to Openreach’s progress, but it is now ready to migrate the whole country to the new service. Providers aim to have most UK customers migrated before the end of 2025, with an additional deadline of 31 January 2027 in place for telecare customers.
If you’re a UK landline customer, the switchover simply requires you to unplug your phone from the old phone socket in your home and plug it into your broadband Wi-Fi router instead. This new connection is called ‘Digital Voice’.
What is Digital Voice?
Digital Voice is the name for the new phone line connection that Openreach is connecting our landlines to.
A Digital Voice connection uses your home broadband connection instead of the old copper phone line network. This vastly improves the quality and reliability of a home phone call, as digital services have better capacity for data and provide a more consistent connection.
Digital Voice is a shorter name for Digital ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ - so if you’ve ever heard the phrase ‘VoIP’ before, this is the new service your home phone will use.
What do I need to do?
Providers can do most of the switch-over to Digital Voice remotely without anyone visiting your home. There won’t be any change to how you use your landline - only what it’s connected to.
Here’s a simple guide to the process:
Your provider will notify you of the switchover a few weeks in advance, along with some information on how it all works and what you’re required to do.
If you have an older Wi-Fi router, your provider may need to send you a new one to plug in and connect to.
If your Wi-Fi router and landline socket are placed in different areas of your home, your provider might need to deliver an easy-to-install Digital Voice adapter
When the day comes, your provider will switch off the existing analogue connection and turn on the digital one
To connect, simply plug your landline phone into your Wi-Fi router, rather than the separate phone socket.
If you need to use a Digital Voice adapter, you’d plug it into a mains wall socket from your landline. You’ll get instructions on how to connect it wirelessly to your router, but it essentially involves pressing the ‘WPS’ buttons on both devices to pair them together.
Once you do this, your landline will work using the Digital Voice connection.
What if I don’t have broadband?
If you’re a landline-only customer, rest assured - you won’t need to install a broadband connection in order to be migrated to Digital Voice. Instead, you’ll be reserved for what Openreach is calling a ‘dedicated landline service’, where it will technically supply a broadband connection for you at no extra cost.
Virgin Media Voice customers
Virgin Media home phone customers will also need to be migrated from an analogue to a digital phone line. While it uses different cables to Openreach’s copper network, it also runs a legacy phone line that needs to be retired in place of its broadband connection.
The process may work slightly differently from BT’s. Virgin Media will need to send an adapter to every customer whose phone lines plug into the old socket, whereas most customers on Openreach can just plug their landline into their Wi-Fi router. But it’s taking as much care into the migration, ensuring you have as much of the information you need beforehand.
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Do I need a full fibre connection for Digital Voice?
No, you don’t need a full fibre connection to switch to Digital Voice. It works if you’re still using a copper-based broadband connection.
Digital Voice is being rolled out in advance of full fibre in areas where it’s not available just yet, which means you don’t have to upgrade to full fibre to get it. Those who still have a copper (or part-copper) broadband connection during the switchover will instead be converted to SOGEA, which stands for ‘single order generic ethernet access’.
SOGEA is quite a complicated technology compared to other types. Essentially, it's a fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) connection that uses a fibre-optic cable from the network exchange to your local green street cabinet, and then a copper cable from there to your home.
However, under SOGEA, the copper cable supplies your landline connection through its broadband signal, rather than the ‘analogue’ voice signal it previously used. Standard FTTC connections would still rely on both.
This is a temporary solution until around 2030, when full fibre-optic connections to the home are expected to be more readily available nationwide.
Openreach’s full fibre network is continuing to roll out rapidly, but it won’t be completely ready in time for the copper switch-off. So the Digital Voice switch needs to take place before 31 January 2027, even for those who are still on part-fibre, part-copper connections.
What’s the plan for telecare customers?
Following a 1000-customer trial, BT and Openreach finally confirmed in September 2025 that it could start migrating the 1.8 million UK customers using copper-based telecare systems over to Digital Voice.
This was a large hurdle for the company to overcome, and caused a number of delays to the copper switch-off, as it highlighted a particular need to migrate vulnerable customers with more care.
Over 4,000 Openreach engineers have been trained to manage the migration of these services in time for the 31 January 2027 deadline. In fact, this deadline is largely in place for telecare and other vulnerable customers, as standard customers will mostly be migrated much earlier (before 2026).
Who can I contact to learn more?
If you have any concerns or questions about your copper landline migration, it’s best to contact your provider first. Their customer service teams should be able to advise you on the process and take into account any issues you report.
If you’re not satisfied with your own provider’s response to your situation, you can also call Ofcom for advice on 0300 123 3333.
Issues and delays to the copper switch-off
Due to the complicated and large-scale nature of the task, the copper switch-off’s progress hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Here are some of the main points of concern people have reported about the new system.
Power cuts
Since Digital Voice connections rely on a Wi-Fi router, which plugs into your mains power socket, home phone connections will now be affected by power cuts. This includes emergency phone calls.
This was already the case for those with cordless landline phones, and anyone with a mobile phone should still be able to connect to others during a power cut. However, a number of vulnerable customers still rely on older copper landline connections that aren’t affected by power cuts, and the migration to Digital Voice would threaten that.
To ensure these customers (who may not use a mobile phone, or have no mobile signal at home) can still make phone calls during a power cut, providers can send them some protective equipment. This could be a rechargeable battery backup unit, which powers the landline during a power cut, or even a free-of-charge mobile phone with a signal booster.
If you have any of these concerns about your landline, make sure to contact your provider and explain your situation. Their customer care team should be able to help you.
Telecare customers
During the initial stages of the copper switch-off, it was quickly raised that customers using telecare devices didn’t have enough measures in place to stay connected during the migration.
Some vulnerable customers were mistakenly left offline, which presented highly serious issues when it came to using telecare devices such as personal alarms.
After a resulting public outcry, telecoms providers paused migrations until it had vastly improved the process for telecare devices. As of September 2025, BT and Virgin Media are now satisfied that the process is rigorous enough to continue the migration.
What else does the copper switch-off affect?
While the home landline network is one of the biggest challenges for the copper switch-off, the January 2027 deadline also affects other types of public infrastructure. Copper cabling will also need to be removed from:
- Payment terminals / ATMs
- CCTV and burglar alarms
- Traffic lights & roadside telephones
- Emergency services
What’s BT doing with the copper?
BT (through its network arm, Openreach) plans to recycle the copper it removes from the nationwide network with the help of European Metal Recycling. The metal will be broken down and sold to be used for various industries that still need it, such as electric vehicles, building construction and consumer electronics.
BT stands to earn around £1.5 billion from selling and recycling the copper it eventually removes from the network, according to Data Center Dynamics.
Copper switch-off FAQs
Can I keep my home phone number when I'm switched to Digital Voice?
Yes. Switching to digital phone services doesn't require you to change your home phone number.
What is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is another phrase to describe digital phone services.
Rather than use the old analogue copper phone lines to connect your landline, VoIP runs your landline calls through your broadband connection. It offers a smoother and more reliable experience.
What happens if I have a burglar alarm?
Many burglar alarm companies have made preparations for the copper phone line switch-off, so you may have been contacted by yours already.
However, some may not have made the necessary preparations to continue operating on a digital phone service yet.
We'd recommend you contact your burglar alarm provider and ask what their plans are for the copper switch-off. Just be cautious about any charges they might incur for the switchover, and be ready to look elsewhere if you're uncomfortable with any quoted price.
What is the PSTN?
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is the copper landline network that has powered our home phones for decades.
It's operated by BT Group's Openreach, who are currently in the process of decommissioning the network in favour of digital landline services.
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