Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
Over the next couple of years, with the aim to be completed by 2025, your phone provider will be making changes to the way you receive calls if you still have a landline.
The traditional analogue phone lines which have been in operation for decades have reached the end of their serviceable life, and so now new digital phone lines are being installed to provide clearer and better quality phone calls.
Your telecoms company (the company you currently pay your phone bill to to use a landline) must contact you ahead of the migration taking place, so you do not need to take any action until your provider contacts you directly. You should look out for communications material from them and be careful not to confuse this with marketing material.
This is not a government initiative so any questions you have about the change will need to be directed to your phone provider who will be able to assist you.
If you are concerned about an elderly or vulnerable person, please approach their provider for support. Telecoms providers still need to make landline facilities available for those who do not have access to broadband or high-speed internet. This may be through the installation of a simple internet connection to make calls.
For more information about the change from analogue to digital landlines, visit GOV.UK.
If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the roll out, contact Ofcom.