Millions of Britons ditch traditional landlines for broadband-powered phones ahead of UK 'switch off'

Millions of Britons have already turned their backs on traditional landlines. Have you?

BT has confirmed that more than 3 million UK households have now switched to broadband-powered landlines, dubbed Digital Voice. It comes as BT launched a new campaign called 'Don't Put Off The Switch' to boost awareness about the switch from traditional landlines planned for January 2027.

For those who don't know, BT and other telecoms are retiring copper phone lines — known as PSTN, Public Switched Telephone Network, in the industry — that have served as the backbone of communication across Britain in some form or another for close to a century.

Analogue phone lines have become increasingly unreliable and difficult to maintain, with engineers struggling to source spare parts, as few manufacturers still produce components for such outdated technology.

The UK isn't alone, with similar upgrades already underway or complete in countries across Europe, including Australia, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

Instead of century-old copper cables, landline calls will be handled by full-fibre broadband.

Known as Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, this is the same technology used to make calls over Wi-Fi or 5G via WhatsApp, Skype, or FaceTime. It enables several new features that you won't find on traditional landlines, like the ability to add and remove multiple people to the same call, block numbers, and place people on hold.

VoIP calls also boast better audio quality and don't incur different costs for calls to international or mobile numbers, since everything is delivered over the same internet connection.

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Plans for a UK-wide landline switch-off were first confirmed in late 2017 by the telecom industry itself — somewhat uniquely, this is not a scheme or deadline imposed by the UK Government. BT is the biggest telecom brand, but all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating in the UK will need to transition customers before the 2027 deadline.

Discussing the switchover, BT Chief Executive Allison Kirkby said: "Upgrading the UK’s digital backbone is essential to make sure everyone has the modern, secure and resilient connectivity they can trust to help them prosper in a connected world. Failing, decades-old infrastructure holds back homes, businesses and digital inclusion ambitions.

"BT is currently one of the biggest investors into UK infrastructure and will have invested more than £40bn into the country between 2020 and 2030. We know that growth and opportunity is unleashed, as a result of our investment and when people, businesses and communities connect to our digital networks."

When it comes to enterprise, BT has confirmed that 80% of private and public sector organisations have already moved voice services over to the future-proofed digital systems.

The telecom has confirmed that it blocked more than 91 million scam and spam calls to BT customers last year alone, thanks to the improvements afforded by these newer landlines.

Thinking about making the switch ahead of the January 2027 deadline? For most households, the move from analogue copper landlines to Digital Voice should be pretty straightforward. You'll typically keep your existing phone number and won't see any changes to the price of your monthly broadband plan. The majority of existing BT handsets work with the new Digital Voice service, so you probably won't need to buy new equipment.

You'll need to live in an area with a full-fibre broadband connection to ditch your analogue landline, but that shouldn't be an issue, with thousands of homes connected to these faster internet speeds every week, thanks to a massive expansion by BT-owned Openreach. It now covers 21 million premises, some 60% of UK homes. And the BT-owned brand isn't finished yet — it's still bringing an extra 1 million homes online every three months or so. Openreach wants to reach 25 million premises by the end of 2026, and 30 million by 2030.

Unsure if your address has been connected yet? Openreach offers an online postcode checker to see if you can already order a Full Fibre service, or you can check by contacting your service provider.

Here's the crucial bit: if you ignore messages from your landline and broadband provider, your phone and broadband services could stop working as the deadline gets closer. Do not wait until the last minute (the final deadline is January 31, 2027) to take action and switch to a VoIP landline at your address.

If you're worried about managing the switch on your own, there's plenty of help available, especially for those who need extra support. BT offers free home visits from engineers for anyone who needs assistance with getting set up. You won't be left to figure it out by yourself.

The company is also providing backup power solutions so you can still make calls during power cuts, which is crucial for vulnerable customers who rely on their phones for safety. Behind the scenes, BT set up a Digital Voice Advisory Group back in 2022, bringing together charities and representative groups to ensure vulnerable customers are properly looked after during the transition.

Not only that, but almost all local authorities across England have signed data-sharing agreements to help identify people using telecare devices, so they get the support they need before making the switch. Telecom providers are developing new landline technology that could solve some of the compatibility issues with Digital Voice.