Emergency voice access trials

[#1]

Openreach is trialling a "new" product to cater for those landline only customers who are unable to get a "digital" product in place before the PSTN cut off date.
The trials start in August this year !

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/04/openreach-pilot-emergency-uk-phone-lines-for-2027-anal...!

[#2]

New information

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/04/openreach-pilot-emergency-uk-phone-lines-for-2027-anal...

Brian

[#3]

About 2.8 million analogue landlines remain in service.

That is one heck of a backlog especially when some telcos & ISP & many customers are sat on their hands.

[#4]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Home Phone to Tech Help

[#5]

Interesting thanks

2.5 million 'phone' lines 

44,000 conversions a week for about 40 weeks only gets to 1.8 million.

What is unknown to me though is:

Are the 44,000 conversions a week personnel / equipment limited, or is there capacity for say 60,000 a week?

How many of the 2.5 million are also active ADSL lines - who would miss the internet (to be disconnected) more than the full analogue phone line (being maintained).

[#6]

https://community.plus.net/t5/Tech-Help-Software-Hardware-etc/Emergency-voice-access-trials/m-p/2044...
We're on the same page here 😁
At the current conversion rate, assuming that's sustainable, which is unlikely, it would take to the end of 2027 to get everyone moved off PTSN .

This, another transitional product from BT is their get out of jail free card to ensure nobody is left without emergency phone access come January 2027.

[#7]

@mwwagain 

I suspect capacity is not an issue.

The problem is getting ISP's to get their finger out and get customers moved or sorted if they have care alarms / ADSL etc.

Brian

[#8]

Moderators Note

Topics merged.

[#9]

Are all 2.5m lines going to be converted? I expect a lot will just say, don't used it anymore/at all, so just go broadband only.

[#10]

Not quite that simple, as 'just forget my landline' is a positive decison required by the account holder, and some scenarios (ADSL+POTS to FTTP) still needs the work to be done by Jan 27.

However the pure financial side has now flipped witht he April price increases, those running on ADSL are well into their contracts and now pay £30+, so FTTP on a recontract is cheaper even with a phone 'line' retained via a real VOIP

For those not invoking a change then come Jan27:

• A POTS user - fine they go to the downgrade - and may not notice anyway.
• An ADSL+POTS user (even if not using the POTS) would be very annoyed when the ADSL got removed to keep the POTS.
• An FTTC+POTS would presumably also lose the FTTC in order to be left with the reduced POTS, or could it be split out  ?

[#11]

I thought the last 2 are pots with either ADSL or FTTC added on top. If so then doesnt any change to pots cancel them?

[#12]

Don't forget, anyone still using POTS, is going to be hit by dramatic price rises as 2026 advances. I wonder how many of them already know this?

[#13]

The price increased from Openreach to the Communications Provider.

I've not heard of the Communications Providers (say Plusnet) passing the increase on yet.

[#14]

@markhawkin 

In the circumstances, why wouldn't they? It would seem to me to be a mistake otherwise, as all the suppliers interests are aligned.

[#15]

I've not heard of the Communications Providers (say Plusnet) passing the increase on yet.

In the circumstances, why wouldn't they?

If the customer is in contract , then they can't without terminating it!. 

Hence the push by ISPs to move customers off contracts that include POTS