London, May 2, 2026, 20:08 BST
BT Group plc is moving forward with its digital landline switchover, but the process is hitting turbulence: safety fears are mounting from rural and vulnerable customers. Around 3.2 million UK households are still connected to the legacy phone network, and one campaigner didn’t mince words, calling the current timeline a “disaster waiting to happen.” The Guardian
Tough timing for holdouts: On Thursday, BT rolled out its “Don’t Put Off the Switch” push, tapping broadcaster Clare Balding to get the word out. The company is urging anyone still using analogue landlines to respond quickly when contacted, ahead of the nationwide cutover slated for January 2027. “Once-in-a-generation upgrade,” said Lucy Baker, Consumer Digital Voice Director at BT. In the last year, BT claims its scam protection for digital landlines has fended off over 91 million scam and spam calls. BT Group Newsroom
This isn’t just a routine upgrade. The public switched telephone network—PSTN, the old copper wiring still running most traditional landlines—is on its way out. BT’s decision to pull the plug by January 2027 sets a firm deadline, Ofcom confirms, leaving other providers on BT’s infrastructure no choice but to stick to it. Virgin Media’s timeline matches up for its own network. Once the change kicks in, landline calls shift to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), sending conversations over broadband instead.
BT faces a squeeze here. A lot of families now have to connect phones straight to a broadband router. But for anyone relying on care alarms, or stuck with spotty mobile coverage—or no mobile at all—it’s suddenly an emergency services issue.
BT’s help pages make clear: a Digital Voice phone won’t function without mains power. Customers out of mobile range or without a mobile are told to get in touch with BT. The company says its battery backup unit offers at least an hour of emergency calling during a power outage.
Ofcom is pushing telecoms providers to cut down on disruption and look out for vulnerable customers. The regulator’s latest guidance requires providers to give anyone who depends on a landline for emergency calls at least an hour’s worth of power backup during outages—at no extra cost.
The sticking point is execution. Should a large number of households that are tough to migrate get pushed to the end, BT might have to send out more engineers, rack up extra support costs, and face additional scrutiny from Ofcom—right when the group wants to convince investors these network upgrades will actually mean more predictable cash flow.
Regulatory clouds aren’t new here. Ofcom kicked off an investigation on April 29, looking into whether BT fell short of legal obligations on information requests tied to EE and Plusnet’s fixed voice and broadband customer data. The watchdog says BT’s responses might have missed the mark—either incomplete or inaccurate.
BT closed out Friday at 216.75 pence, eking out a 0.09% gain before the weekend break. Data from MarketScreener put the stock’s 2026 advance at 17.77%.
The next set of numbers from BT isn’t far off. The company has pegged May 21 for its FY26 results, putting landline migration, Ofcom’s ongoing review and broadband signups squarely in focus for Chief Executive Allison Kirkby’s upcoming update.
Fibre remains the linchpin for the wider recovery. Back in February, BT reported 571,000 net fibre additions for the third quarter. Openreach saw line losses drop to 210,000. According to Reuters, Openreach faces competition from Virgin Media and smaller players like CityFibre, but its network is also used by Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone.
BT faces a clear-cut challenge in the short run: shift the rest of its analogue base, ensuring those most at risk aren’t left feeling hurried or vulnerable. There’s a clock ticking. But the real issue—are the stragglers also those who’ll need the most support?
