Ask your phone provider what your digital service needs before buying a handset, adaptor or battery backup; the connection and suitable equipment depend on your provider’s setup. If an alarm or telecare device uses the line, tell the provider before migration and confirm the device’s requirements separately with its supplier. If you depend on the landline when mobile coverage is poor, discuss calling during power and broadband failures before the change.
The equipment question changes if another device uses the telephone line or the landline is your dependable way to make calls.
If a care alarm, health pendant, security alarm or another device connects through the phone line, tell your phone provider before migration. Ask the device supplier what must happen to that specific device before the analogue service changes.
If a mobile phone is unavailable or reception at home is unreliable, discuss how you will make calls during a power cut or broadband failure. Handset compatibility alone does not settle that question.
If you mainly want to keep using your home phone, check your provider’s migration notice before replacing the handset. The provider can tell you whether your current phone can connect to its router or whether it will arrange an adaptor or other equipment.
Identify anything else connected to the line and any need for calls during outages, then confirm the phone connection and equipment with your provider. An existing handset may be usable even when a connected alarm needs separate arrangements.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Connected alarms and telecare | List every device using the line, notify the phone provider and ask each device supplier whether that exact device needs an approved adaptor, replacement or alternative connection. | If my pendant or alarm uses the line, a working phone after switchover would not tell me whether the device can still communicate. Around 40% of consumers put connected-device protection first. |
| Calling during disruptions | Tell the provider if mobile calling is not a workable backup. Confirm what its power-backup arrangement supports and how you would make calls if broadband itself fails. | Without a usable mobile alternative, I need a calling plan for power cuts and broadband faults. Around 40% of consumers place calling continuity first. |
| Phone setup | Confirm your migration date, whether the existing handset or cordless base can connect to the service, and which router or adaptor the provider will arrange. | I want to keep using my home phone without buying equipment that does not match my provider’s connection. Around 20% of consumers make straightforward setup their main concern. |
An adaptor’s purpose depends on the provider’s digital-voice setup. Virgin Media describes connecting an existing telephone cable to its Hub using the adaptor it sends, while TalkTalk describes an adapter for connecting a compatible phone to its router or eero device. One arrangement does not establish compatibility with the other.
Follow your provider’s account-specific instructions. Consider a separate adaptor only if the provider confirms it will work with your service and intended phone setup.
A handset making calls does not establish that a care alarm, pendant or security alarm connected to the former line can still communicate. The device may need its own migration arrangements.
Tell the phone provider about every line-connected device before switchover and ask its supplier to confirm the appropriate connection. Do not modify alarm or telecare equipment yourself.
Depending on the supplier’s assessment, keeping the device in service may involve an approved replacement or a different communications connection.
Digital calling depends on powered equipment and a working broadband connection. BT says its Digital Voice customers cannot make calls, including 999 calls, when power or broadband fails unless they have a suitable alternative arrangement.
If the landline is essential, ask the provider which equipment a backup powers and for how long. Check separately with an alarm supplier whether that arrangement also meets the device’s needs; a battery for the router must not be assumed to cover a cordless base or alarm.
Ofcom’s stated plan for 31 January 2027 concerns the old landline network used by customers on the BT Openreach network. In its August 2026 consumer guidance, Ofcom says Virgin Media O2 and KCOM also plan changes to their own networks but had not set equivalent switching dates.
Check which provider serves your household and follow its notice for your service rather than treating the Openreach date as a deadline for every landline.
These providers illustrate why migration equipment and timing must be checked against the household’s own service. Their arrangements are not interchangeable.
BT’s Digital Voice migration is relevant to households using its service on the BT Openreach network.
Virgin Media’s digital home-phone change uses its Hub and account-specific switchover instructions on its own network.
TalkTalk describes Digital Voice for its Full Fibre service, using its Wi-Fi Hub or a compatible adapter arrangement.
KCOM is relevant to households in its regional service area as it updates copper services to fibre-based landline delivery.
No. Ofcom says BT plans to retire its old landline network by 31 January 2027 for services using the BT Openreach network. Its August 2026 consumer guidance says operators with their own networks, including Virgin Media O2 and KCOM, also plan to retire old networks but had not set equivalent dates. Follow the notice from your own provider.
Ask the provider what your service needs first. Ofcom says some customers may need a router, adaptor or handset, while provider guidance describes arrangements that can use an existing phone or cordless base. Confirm your handset’s connection and any equipment the provider will arrange before replacing it.
For a migrated digital service, expect to connect the phone as your provider instructs rather than assume the old wall socket will continue carrying calls. Ofcom describes digital phones connecting through a broadband router; Virgin Media instructs affected customers to connect their telephone cable to its Hub using its supplied adaptor.
A digital dial tone does not confirm alarm or telecare compatibility. Tell your phone provider about the device before migration, then ask the alarm or telecare supplier whether that exact model needs a different connection, approved adaptor, replacement or backup arrangement.
Do not assume a standard digital-voice setup will make calls during a power cut. Ofcom says internet-based phone equipment needs specific backup to work when power fails, and BT says its Digital Voice service cannot make calls, including 999 calls, when power or broadband fails without an alternative. If mobile calling is not dependable at home, ask your provider what arrangement it supports and which parts of your setup it covers.