Gov Reach New Deal with UK Phone Operators to Protect Vulnerable Users

The UK Government’s Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, has today announced that he’s agreed a new ‘Telecare National Action Plan‘ with major UK broadband and phone providers (e.g. BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Sky Broadband), which requires them to do more to protect vulnerable telecare users when upgrading phone lines to new digital (IP based) networks.

The vast majority of our readers should, hopefully, already be aware that BT, Openreach, KCOM and Virgin Media are all in the process of withdrawing their old copper-based analogue line networks, which are being replaced by digital (IP / VoIP based) phone solutions. Such services are also used by many other ISPs and their customers.

The shift to digital phones is an industry, not government, led programme that is partly driven by the looming retirement of copper lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP). Not to mention that modern mobile and Internet Protocol (IP)-based communication services have largely taken over from traditional home phones, and it’s also become harder to find parts for the old network.

However, the digital switchover has caused a problem for around 1.8 million UK people who use vital home telecare systems in the UK (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which often aren’t compatible with the replacement digital phone services. In fairness, this is arguably just as much the fault of telecare and alarm providers (i.e. failing to upgrade their systems), which have been slow to adapt, despite having years of warning.

The digital services also require a battery-backup as, unlike the old copper-based analogue phone network, handsets can’t be remotely powered from the exchange. But such backup systems are normally only required by Ofcom to last for at least 1-hour.

What’s new?

The previous government had already responded to all these concerns by establishing a special charter to help protect vulnerable customers (there’s also a variant of this for wholesale providers), which committed providers to protecting vulnerable users during the migration. But the government’s new Telecare National Action Plan (due to be published before the end of 2024) will go further and is a bit more prescriptive.

During yesterday’s round table meeting at techUK’s London HQ, which was attended by representatives from the sector including BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Sky Broadband, the minister agreed with providers that “non-voluntary upgrades would start on a smaller scale before rolling out more widely” (it’s unclear how this differs from what was already happening), reducing accidental loss of phone services for those most likely to come to harm if their telephone line is discontinued.

The new approach also includes a requirement for companies to offer an engineer visit to vulnerable customers, who will personally test the vital alarm and ensure it continues to work once a household has moved on the digital network. Both Virgin Media (here) and Openreach (here) have already been conducting trials of just such an approach.

UK Telecoms Minister, Chris Bryant, said:

“Old fashioned copper wire technology is coming to an end. If we want to stay in touch with the rest of the world we need a complete overhaul of our digital infrastructure.

While this migration is necessary, it is vital the industry gets it right, and makes sure the most vulnerable are protected.

This has kept me up at night and a priority that I have put at the forefront of my work since stepping into office. I am pleased telecoms companies, central government, and local authorities are working in lockstep to achieve customer safety.”

In addition, the minister is said to have “urged companies to extend the power of battery back-up solutions beyond the existing one-hour minimum” (retail side products), although the announcement itself includes no details. But we did recently report that Chris Bryant was pushing providers to deliver battery backup that can last “up to” 8 hours (here), which is far from being an easy or cheap thing to deliver.

However, some of the supporting information for today’s announcement suggests that the Government may instead be pushing for around 4 hours (we’re trying to confirm), which seems more realistic, particularly given that street cabinets with a battery unit may typically last for around 3-4 hours. Some operators, like BT, are preparing to introduce an Advanced Battery Backup Unit (ABBU) any time now (here), although they haven’t provided any specs for this yet.

The Telecoms Minister then laid out the actions that other stakeholders, such as telecare companies, need to take to safeguard telecare users through the digital phone switchover. This includes ensuring that no telecare user will be migrated to digital landline services without the communication provider, the customer, or the telecare service provider confirming that the user has a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.

The meeting then saw the introduction of a charter with telecoms companies providing services to Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), such as the water and energy industries, whose services may also be affected by the switchover. This includes an escalation mechanism to allow concerns relating to the switchover to be raised with the UK Government, ensuring continued safe provision of these services.

Finally, it’s worth pointing out that BT and Openreach are currently testing an additional (SOTAP for Analogue) phone line product that does NOT require a broadband connection to function, is powered (no need for battery backup) and will be targeted at vulnerable and edge use cases (inc. CNI) users – those with old analogue phone lines who would otherwise “face challenges” in migrating to IP based voice solutions by 2025. The solution, once introduced, would not be available for new service provisions (only existing customers) and is intended to be a temporary product (possibly running until around 2030, when old exchanges will start to be retired).

For more information on the agreements reached yesterday, please visit: 

• Checklist for non-voluntary migrations
• Vulnerable customer definition
• Guidance for local authorities
• Critical National Infrastructure Charter