Start with the equipment and connection instructions from your own provider rather than buying a handset or adapter in advance. You may be able to keep an ordinary phone if it connects through the provider’s supported setup, but a care alarm, security alarm or other line-connected device needs a separate compatibility check before the change. If you depend on the landline during an outage, ask the provider how you will make essential calls when power or broadband is unavailable.
If your provider has contacted you about the switch, establish where your corded phone or cordless base station will connect. Keeping the handset is a different question from keeping its old wall-socket connection.
A care alarm, health pendant, security alarm or other device using the telephone line needs attention beyond an ordinary handset check. Tell both your communications provider and the relevant device service about the planned change.
If you have no reliable mobile alternative, ask how you would contact emergency services during a power cut or broadband outage. The answer depends on the provider’s voice equipment and resilience arrangement.
For households contacted about a digital landline change, check line-connected devices and outage calling before deciding whether an ordinary handset needs replacing. Ofcom says the provider should explain the equipment and connection needed for its service.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Connected devices | Tell your communications provider about each device using the line; confirm the working arrangement with the alarm or telecare service before migration. | If my care alarm or security alarm uses the line, I need its service to keep working after the switch. Around 42% of consumers put connected-device compatibility first. |
| Outage calling | Ask which equipment a provider-supported backup powers, how long it supports calls and whether another calling route works at home. | Without a reliable mobile alternative, I need a way to call for help if power or broadband fails; outage access comes first for around 33% of consumers. |
| Handset setup | Confirm the hub or adapter connection, handset compatibility and whether existing extension sockets will still work. | If my current phone meets my everyday needs, I would rather keep it than change equipment unnecessarily. Keeping ordinary calling straightforward is the main concern for around 25% of consumers. |
BT, Virgin Media, Sky and KCOM describe different hub, adapter or network-terminal arrangements. A telephone plug fitting a socket does not establish that it is the right connection for your provider’s voice service.
Follow your provider’s switch instructions and confirm the hub model, phone port or supplied adapter before purchasing equipment.
An ordinary call does not test whether a care alarm, pendant or monitored security device will function on the new service. The UK government’s PSTN Charter says telecare users should not be moved involuntarily until a compatible, functioning telecare solution has been confirmed.
Tell the communications provider and device service before the switch. Follow their compatibility process rather than modifying alarm or care equipment yourself.
Digital calls depend on powered equipment and a working connection. Ofcom warns that, without suitable backup, internet-based phone services will not work during a power cut.
If you rely on the landline for essential calls, discuss a provider-supported resilience arrangement and an alternative contact method before migration.
Provider wiring arrangements differ. KCOM says its cordless multi-handset systems can work through its Voice Adapter, while a standard corded phone left on the former copper connection will not work without reconfiguration.
Ask your provider which sockets and corded phones its new setup supports and whether an engineer must reconfigure your extensions.
These provider examples show why the right connection depends on your service; an arrangement described by one provider should not be assumed to work with another.
BT Digital Voice uses broadband-based home calling, with BT-supported phones, a Digital Voice Adapter and provider-specific outage options.
Virgin Media’s Digital Voice service connects home calls through its broadband Hub.
Sky Internet Calls uses a hub phone connection or, with a Gigafast+ Hub, Sky’s phone-adapter arrangement for eligible packages.
KCOM describes a full-fibre voice setup in Hull and East Yorkshire using a Voice Adapter connected to the optical network terminal.
Plusnet says its future packages will be broadband-only rather than including a continuing bundled home-phone option.
Not necessarily: you may be able to keep your ordinary handset if it connects through your provider’s supported setup. Ofcom says the provider should explain what equipment is needed; confirm the connection before buying a replacement.
Do not assume the old socket will carry calls after migration. Digital services commonly use a provider-specified hub port or adapter instead; ask your provider whether any existing extension wiring will remain usable.
Tell your communications provider before the switch and contact the alarm or telecare service for its compatibility process. The UK government’s PSTN Charter says a telecare user should not be moved involuntarily until a compatible, functioning telecare solution has been confirmed; an ordinary handset test is not a substitute for that check.
A standard router-connected phone may stop working when its broadband equipment loses power, and a broadband outage can also interrupt calls. If emergency calling depends on your landline, ask your provider which resilience arrangement applies, what it powers and how long it supports calls.
No. UK government guidance gives 31 January 2027 as the migration deadline for users of the Openreach traditional phone network. Ofcom’s guidance updated in August 2026 says Virgin Media O2 and KCOM had not set dates for retiring their old networks; follow the schedule communicated by your own provider.