BT faces allegations of pressuring customers by temporarily disabling their broadband services to encourage upgrades to digital landlines, as telecom providers rush to transition households before the January deadline.
So far, telecom companies have transitioned approximately 16 to 17 million lines from the traditional copper network to digital voice over internet protocol (VoIP), marking a significant technological advancement since the early 2000s when analogue television was phased out.
As the deadline for decommissioning the old public switched telephone network (PSTN) nears, Openreach, a BT subsidiary responsible for maintaining the majority of the UK’s broadband and telephony infrastructure, reports that about 1.3 million copper landlines remain to be converted.
With the end-of-January deadline approaching, telecom providers have intensified their efforts after years of direct outreach and awareness initiatives, including campaigns featuring notable figures such as Moira Stuart and Clare Balding, have not sufficiently engaged some customers in the migration process.
Dennis Reed, founder of the advocacy group Silver Voices, expressed concern, stating, “I’m receiving increasing reports of aggressive tactics aimed at forcing individuals to migrate.” He highlighted instances where customers with existing broadband contracts, who had not been proactive about scheduling their landline switch, faced threats of internet disconnection. Reed fears that due to pressure to meet targets, many individuals may be overlooked.
It has come to light that BT recently “temporarily paused” broadband services for a select group of customers who had not responded to any communications regarding the copper landline transition over two years. These customers were given five days’ notice of the impending service interruption to motivate them to reach out to BT and take measures to prevent the broadband suspension. However, landline and mobile services remained unaffected, ensuring that crucial services like telecare devices continued to operate.
Reports indicate that over 80% of the previously unresponsive customers have since taken action to complete the transition.
A BT representative commented, “Throughout this transition, we have actively raised awareness about the switch, supported by local events, advertising initiatives, and direct customer communication. A small fraction of customers have yet to migrate and have not responded to our repeated outreach regarding this change. The temporary broadband pause for this minority aims to prevent a total loss of service when the old analogue network is shut down. In the closing months of this program, it’s vital that customers respond when contacted about the transition; failure to do so may lead to service interruptions when the outdated system is retired.”
Advocates are worried that the 1.3 million households still relying on copper lines may include vulnerable individuals, particularly elderly persons who depend solely on landlines without internet access, as well as residents in rural areas with unreliable broadband and mobile coverage, raising concerns about their ability to access emergency services during power outages.
Additionally, around 2 million users of telecare services, such as personal alarms that typically depend on copper lines, remain at risk if the internet service fails.
In December, Virgin Media faced a £23.8 million fine for leaving numerous customers, particularly older and disabled individuals, without access to their alarms during the transition to digital services in 2023.
The plight of vulnerable customers led to a halt in non-voluntary migrations to digital landlines, prompting the industry to extend the copper landline retirement deadline from December of last year to the end of January this year.
For the majority of users, the switch involves simply connecting their existing home phone to the back of their broadband router instead of the traditional wall socket.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, emphasized the need for telecom providers to ensure that no older individual is disconnected if they have yet to transition before the January 2027 deadline, stating, “This should not be a strict cutoff point. We know that older adults are disproportionately represented among those who have not yet made the switch.”
