Follow your landline provider’s switchover instructions before buying a handset or adaptor: the connection method depends on your service and equipment. An existing phone may still be usable, but connected alarms, phone extensions and the ability to call during an outage need separate checks with your provider; ask the connected-device supplier too if another device uses the line.
If you want to keep a corded phone, cordless base station or familiar phone location, ask your provider whether the phone is suitable for its service and whether you need an approved adaptor. Ofcom advises that the phone connection may move from the wall socket to the broadband router.
If you use a care alarm, health pendant, security alarm, text relay device or another line-connected device, contact both your landline provider and the device supplier before the change. A working handset alone does not confirm that another device will work with the new arrangement.
If you have no reliable mobile alternative, tell your provider before the switch and ask what support applies during a power cut or broadband outage. Sky warns that its Internet Calls service cannot make calls during either type of outage.
Start with your provider’s connection instructions. Then consider which household need must be resolved before you choose a handset, adaptor or phone location.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Connected devices | List devices using the phone line. Confirm the supported arrangement with the landline provider and each relevant device supplier before the switch. | If my care alarm uses the line, I need its supplier and my provider to confirm the new arrangement before I change the connection; around 42% of consumers would put connected-device confirmation first. |
| Existing phones and extensions | Check your handset type, hub location and any wired extensions against your provider’s connection instructions. | I want to keep my cordless base where I use it, rather than assume it can connect in the same place after the switch; roughly 33% of consumers would prioritise their existing home-phone arrangement. |
| Calling during outages | Check whether you have a reliable mobile alternative and ask your provider about applicable backup or support and its limits. | Without reliable mobile signal, I need an emergency-calling plan for a power or broadband outage; about 25% of consumers would put outage planning first. |
Adaptors are not interchangeable by default. BT describes conditions for its Digital Voice Adapter, while Virgin Media supplies an adaptor with instructions for its own switchover.
Check your provider’s notice, service and hub before choosing an adaptor or replacement handset.
A dial tone or test call on a handset does not establish whether a care alarm, pendant, security alarm or other line-connected device will work after migration.
Contact the landline provider and device supplier before the change, and follow the arrangement they confirm.
Connecting a corded phone to a broadband-based service does not, by itself, keep calls available when the hub loses power or broadband. Sky explicitly warns that its Internet Calls service cannot make calls during these outages.
If you depend on the landline or lack reliable mobile signal, tell your provider before the switchover and ask about the support available to you.
The connection instructions and available support depend on your provider and service. These provider examples are a starting point for checking your own arrangement, not a reason to buy an adaptor intended for another service.
BT Digital Voice connects a home phone through a supported Smart Hub arrangement, with a Digital Voice Adapter available for applicable setups.
Virgin Media sends notified digital-voice customers an adaptor and instructions for connecting their home phone through the WiFi Hub.
Sky Internet Calls is a broadband-based home-phone service whose availability depends on the address and package.
You may be able to, depending on your provider’s setup and the handset. BT says tone-dialling phones can be used with its Digital Voice service through a Smart Hub or Digital Voice Adapter, but older bell-wire telephones are not compatible with that adapter. Check your own provider’s instructions before replacing or reconnecting a phone.
Do not assume an adaptor will work with a different provider’s hub. BT describes an adapter for its supported Digital Voice setup, while Virgin Media supplies its own adaptor and specifies when to connect it. Ask your provider which connection method it supports before buying one.
A handset alone will not keep a broadband-based phone service working if its required equipment loses power. Sky says its Internet Calls service cannot make calls, including emergency calls, during a power failure or broadband outage. If you have no reliable mobile alternative, ask your provider about applicable support before the switch.
Contact your landline provider and the device supplier before your service changes. Ofcom advises customers to raise connected-device needs in advance; the supplier and provider can confirm what arrangement is needed for your particular device and home setup.
No. Ofcom identifies 31 January 2027 as BT’s planned retirement date for the old network used by services on BT Openreach; it is not a single switchover date for every provider or household. Follow the date and instructions given by your own provider.