BT will hold a special event in Chester next month to help inform residents about the change from analogue to digital landlines.

The company has announced it will be rolling out its new digital home phone service ‘Digital Voice’ in the North West of England this autumn.

The region will be visited by BT as part of an awareness-raising drive around the industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines, with over 25 events scheduled during October. This includes the pop-up evet to be held at the Binks Building, Exton Park, Chester, CH1 4AR on October 18, between 10am and 2pm.

Following successful pilots in Salisbury (Wiltshire) and Mildenhall (Suffolk), BT announced plans earlier this year to start contacting customers on a phased region-by-region basis across the country.

Starting with the East Midlands in July, Yorkshire and the Humber in August and Northern Ireland in September, customers are contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure that they are ready to move to Digital Voice.

Landline is here to stay

The move comes as part of an industry-wide shift from analogue to digital landlines, where calls are made over a broadband line, and will see BT and nearly all other landline operators in the UK, including Virgin Media O2, making the switch by the end of 2025.

The landline isn’t going away but is being upgraded to replace the decades old analogue technology that is increasingly unreliable and is no longer supported by suppliers and manufacturers. The company says customers risk facing increased service outages if this urgent infrastructure upgrade isn’t carried out.

This new 'future-proof' digital landline technology is also a major step towards preparing the country for Full Fibre, in support of the UK Government’s gigabit connectivity ambitions.

Digital Voice will have no impact on how BT customers use their home phone and will not cost any more than customers pay today. They’ll still have the same service, and price plans and bills will stay the same. In addition, more than 99 per cent of phone handsets work with Digital Voice and for those that won’t, BT has a range of handsets that customers can order.

BT will be explaining the 'simple step' required to make the move to Digital Voice, with high street pop ups and local 'town hall' drop-ins provided to answer questions in person.

Initially, BT won’t be proactively switching anyone who falls under the below criteria, where it has this information available:

• Customers with a healthcare pendant

• Customers who only use landlines

• Customers with no mobile signal

• Customers who have disclosed any additional needs.

Customers who fall into any of these categories should contact BT to ensure their data is up to date.

Customers over the age of 70 are not being proactively switched to Digital Voice. However, since July 2023, BT has been trialling switching customers between 70-74 who live in urban areas and are ready to make the switch, i.e. they have the latest broadband hub and are not frequent landline users.

BT say these trials have gone well to date, with 98 per cent of customers choosing to make the switch, and pending further consultation with the Digital Voice Advisory Group, BT will look to extend this trial nationally.

Lucy Baker MBE, All-IP Director, BT Consumer, said: "Through the work with our Digital Voice Advisory Group and our regional engagement, we’ve held 40 events, placed local radio and newspaper ads and met over 4,000 customers in person.

"We understand that any change can be unsettling, and we’re here to support our customers every step of the way. First-hand experience shows that once people have the facts and have spoken to one of our advisors, they feel confident to make the switch.

"If we’ve not been in touch or visited your area yet, don’t worry. We’ll be in touch when it’s time to switch. For anyone who has any issues, questions or concerns, then I’d encourage them to get in touch and let us know."

Throughout the programme, BT will also be contacting some broadband customers in England, inviting them to switch their landline to Digital Voice in advance of local and regional campaigning in their area.

Sarah Brain, Free Services Manager at AbilityNet, said: "Here at AbilityNet our staff and volunteers have been supporting BT to raise awareness of Digital Voice around the UK, and in particular to help those more nervous about the switch to give them the reassurance they need to make the move.

"As a charity we support older and disabled people with technology at home every day, so we know that the world of tech can seem daunting. The roadshows have been a great opportunity for us to work alongside BT to support those customers, and the ‘in person’ aspect is so important to answer any questions and concerns individual to them."

Support for customers

BT has established and will continue to work with its Digital Voice Advisory Group - an association made up of charities and representative groups - who have been advising on the needs of customers most affected by the switch. Feedback from the group has informed the approach that the company is taking

BT and the industry, with the support of industry body, Tech UK, have been engaging with healthcare pendant and burglar alarm providers who will also need to upgrade their customers’ equipment to ensure that the most vulnerable customers continue to get the service they need.

A range of support services will also be in place for vulnerable customers and their switch will not go ahead until they have spoken to an advisor and booked an engineer apointment.

In readiness for the December 2025 deadline, Openreach have taken steps to end the sale of new analogue services across the UK. That means when customers who have access to broadband sign up for a new contract – or when they switch, upgrade or re-grade their service via their provider – they’ll be moved onto a new digital landline rather than an analogue one.

Customers without broadband will not be switched to a digital landline until they are able to. BT will install new equipment in the local telephone exchange that will allow customers to use their phone in the same way as they do today. This temporary solution will keep customers connected until they are able to make the switch to Digital Voice and will help BT to retire its analogue service by the end of 2025.

Further information about the industry-wide change can be found here.

More information about BT's new Digital Voice service is also available, here.