A new Censuswide survey conducted on behalf of broadband ISP Zen Internet, which involved 2,000 nationally representative UK consumers aged 16+, has revealed that 34% of respondents are still “unaware” of the upcoming switch from the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to IP-based digital phone (VoIP etc.) services.
Just to recap. The big switch-off was last year delayed to 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband ISPs, phone providers, telecare operators and consumers more time to adapt (details). But the main focus of this delay was the 1.8 million people who use vital home telecare systems in the UK (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which aren’t always compatible with the replacement VoIP / IP-based digital phone services (i.e. for everybody else the deadline is still technically Dec 2025).
However, Zen’s survey found that over half (52%) of UK households still use a landline, with 15% relying on it exclusively — a figure that rises to 20% in rural areas where broadband and mobile connectivity is often not as good. In addition, some 66% of respondents remain concerned that older relatives and friends may feel lonelier and more isolated if deprived of their landline, which is of course an entirely avoidable outcome.
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Summary of Key Points from Zen’s Survey
➤ Over 55s might typically rely more heavily on a traditional landline phone for keeping in contact with the outside world, but they are the least informed about the digital shift (39%), while Londoners are the most aware (70%). In contrast, regions like the East Midlands and North East are the least informed (both 55%).
➤ 48% of people believe that having a landline number makes businesses more credible, while 35% feel less inclined to trust a company with only a mobile number.
➤ Beyond trust, respondents felt that landlines offer practical benefits, including: Reliable connectivity when mobile reception is poor (41%), a preferred medium for connecting with older family members (39%) and better call quality than mobile phones (28%). The latter is debatable.
➤ Younger demographics (25-34 years old) are increasingly choosing to retain a landline when the switch off happens (44%).
➤ 17% said landlines offer a more personal experience than a mobile, although that is also very debatable.
➤ 53% said they prefer to explain things verbally in phone calls.
➤ 32% plan to keep a landline.
Generally speaking, those with older landlines should have already been contacted by their broadband or phone provider about the coming change, assuming they haven’t already been switched (many have). But if not, then it’s probably wise to contact your ISP and ask what approach they’ll be taking, which is particularly important if you’re somebody in a more vulnerable group (for the best support, your provider needs to know).
Naturally, Zen Internet has a vested interest here, as they’re in a position to help with such transitions. But at the same time, it doesn’t hurt for end-users to take a few minutes in order to ensure they’re prepared for and familiar with the change. For many people, they’ll just end up plugging a handset into the back of their broadband router instead of a wall socket, but others may have more complex needs and requirements to consider.
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I rather dispute the suggestion that 44% of young people want to retain a landline. Most young people I know never use one and don’t know their number.
The devil is in the word “retain” there. It’s 44% of those who currently have one. You could just as easily write that over half of the small number of people who have a landline will ditch it following the changeover!
The switchover has become very messy and confused so I am not surprised many are unaware
A 1/3 of the British public ignorant and uninformed?……Never!
Thought it was closer to 70%
Elderly (85) friend lives central Wimbledon SW19 is one of the many abandoned by Telcos. He’s with TalkTalk (ex Post Office) at £49/m for 8Mb d/l and unlimited voice calls which is very important. Broadband search and only Three and Virgin on offer. Specific EE web says to call and TalkTalk web indicate nothing in his area. His location above a shop 200 yds from Wimbledon Tube/NR Stn and served by a pole down an alleyway at the back of the shops. He knows about the big switch off. Any suggestions?
Switch to Virgin Media?
Just check the address. Especially where there is an existing service in place on an Openreach based line but other companies on Openreach aren’t listing, it’s probably the address is registered as something else with OR and the actual address as you/they know it is coming up with no info. There’s probably fttc or even FTTP available but it’s registered as something else. EG instead of 45a which royal mail have it as… It’s under flat above shop.
Thanks Janner, yes address is correct as 6 months ago loads of options (Uswitch) but now this block on copper!
And DL thanks, but I can’t put a a 80+ joining Virgin and their dreadful CS. Was hoping someone knew a path to take to speed copper to fibre transition – just have be patient, as the amount of wires of this one pole serving this whole mews area is a sight to see, bit like America.
I discovered that my parents are managing to pay £120/month to BT for their landline phone and basic (VSDL) broadband. They’ve always been experts at finding terrible value, but how is that even possible? Thankfully, they’re about to move house to a fibre area, so that’s the end of that nonsense.
Based purely on that description, I’d call it grounds for a complaint. Nobody should be paying £120 for that class of package these days, and BT does have a duty of care toward its more vulnerable users.
On the other hand, your parents should have been getting at least an annual ‘end of contract’ style notification from BT about the alternative deals they could have adopted. This is an Ofcom requirement.
Thanks Mark – I shall investigate further and have a proper look at their bills when I next go over! Again, they have always been rather laissez-faire when it comes to money matters and are not good at seeking out decent deals, but this one seems beyond ridiculous…
Do they make many calls on the landline? ‘Pay-as-you-go’ call costs with BT and many other providers are quite expensive nowadays – if this is the case it’d be worth getting one of the inclusive calls packages.
Sounds like my late parents. Wouldn’t change their system of paying for calls to a fixed fee for a a number of minutes. Instead did pay as you go but then would make call after call when their call went to answer system and couldn’t speak to the person they were after. I’ve known them to make 50 calls to one mobile in less than an hour.
Do get fully itemised bills for their landline as first move to changing their billing. Look at that to see what they are doing on the phone.
Sadly, I expect there are a load of people in that situation and sadly companies takes advantage of them.
The government need to step in and tell these companies to tell customers the cheapest option, just like we get with energy bills.
They probably won’t want to move because the cheap deals are only for new customers. If you want a cheap deal, you have no other choice than to move and most older people find it very confusing, so they don’t want to do it.
A third? It’s a darn sight more than that.
I’m surprised it’s as small as a third. People in this country are very intellectually lazy, even more than they’re physically lazy. They can’t be bothered to learn anything more technical than the plot of Emmerdale, so it’s not surprising they get ambushed by something like this. Ignorance is bliss scenario.
I mean, why do the vast majority of people – who are already not using analogue – need to know?
Actually, you illustrate the point quite nicely. Most people still are on analogue for the phone. Just because the dialling system is digital doesn’t mean the signal transmission is. It’s like the “fibre” nonsense. Most people that think they already have fibre, don’t. They have hybrid fibre – not the same thing. (Oh, and before anyone corrects me, yes I know fibre and the PSTN switch off are separate issues).
I don’t think any Zen customers are unaware of the digital voice switchover, given that Zen have spent the past year sending endless spam to customers in the guise of “service updates”, with language designed to panic non-technical people (“you’ll no longer be able to make and receive calls using your home phone as you currently know it”) into paying for their overpriced Digital Voice. Their marketing seems increasingly aimed at the old and confused, rather than the technical.
To be fair Zen has always tended to appeal to a tech savvy audience anyway so it’s probably no major issue for them.
As a Zen customer, I had the similar thoughts when I read the article. When they switched me to SoGEA they asked if I wanted to keep my number. Now, if you ask people whether they want to keep their landline number for free (the other option being no landline while paying the same amount of money), the majority will say less – even if I don’t know anyone who has a phone connected to the phone jacks on their routers.
@htmm – you said:
“Now, if you ask people whether they want to keep their landline number for free […] the majority will say less”
Presumably that last word is a typo and should say “yes” ?!
binary, you are correct!
I thought ZENs offering was reasonable value, if you make a enough calls to use the included allowance. Its certainly better value than BT who proudly advertise that it will cost the same, but of course A&A and Voipfone.co.uk are cheaper if you don’t make many calls.
Analogue Phone Switch-off
For many it’s just plug the phone into the back of the hub.
An RJ12(?) to BT adaptor with possibly a bell wire capacitor will be needed to plug the analogue phone into the router. And then the router may not be in easy reach of the place that the phone is required. Trivial for those in the knowledge but for the frail, disabled, perhaps not.
I’m wondering how many faithful PSTN customers that have their phone hard wired by God’s Poor Orphans 50+ years ago and never felt the need to change? 0.1%?
@tonyp said – “An RJ12(?) to BT adaptor with possibly a bell wire capacitor will be needed to plug the analogue phone into the router.”
Not the case for routers such as the BT Smart Hubs and Sky Hubs which feature a UK/BT spec phone socket. I think Vodafone routers need an adapter but it should come supplied.
Your broader point about the potentially awkward placement of the router is quite valid.
I doubt there are that many hard wired GPO era phones still out there. I think BT were happy to send out engineers and install sockets for free over the years.
All hard-wired phones were replaced in the mid 1990s. I worked on the project to ensure they all got done.
And no, there’s no need for an adaptor. The routers have a standard phone socket and present standard line conditions to any phone plugged into it. It’s even possible to obtain a lead that goes between router and extension wiring so that anyone using non-cordless phones can continue to use their extensions.
@tonyp it’s actually a RJ11, the Virgin hub has RJ11 Jacks, they supply an adapter for VOIP.
@binary most modern phones have the ringer circuit built in so no longer need the ring capacitor. If you do you can always use an old adsl microfilter which has the ringer capacitor built in.
Plug and Play:
Neither of my phones worked, when I (was forced to) switched to digital with Vodafone. One was a BT phone, the other a VoIP box with two PSTN inputs. I raised a tech complaint, as I thought voice just wasn’t working. Was surprised when I borrowed next doors handset, and it worked.
VFs support’s first line of argument was that I needed to buy new phones… Not plug and play.
I think that’s actually pretty good. Who Frankly cares they will still be able to use a very basic phone or the same phone. The emergency aspect is probably really all I can see as an issue.
I presume the people who rely on their home phone will care, those with alarms that will not work on VoIP systems, and while they are few and far between those with fax machines.
I know someone who still has one
i am pretty sure I have missed out other reasons.
I guess I (40s) retained my landline when virgin moved my area to VOIP. I didn’t retain it because I wanted it, but because of how the bundles work making it cheaper to have it than not.
I’ve not had a landline phone plugged in for last 5-10 years now
We have received 18 months notice from BT that our phone line will be switched to Digital voice by Q3 2025. The announcement was on the facing page of paper bill. I guess that the majority of people who pay by DD don’t bother to read their bill notifications.
Bit of a fuss over nothing in my opinion, you unplug the phone from the socket and plug it in to the back of the modem.
Job done
I have spoken to people worried about the “turn off” to find they are already on a SOGA/VoIP line and didn’t know. you can still have a local number over sogea/VoIP so businesses don’t need to panic.
There are battery back up units for people with life lines, it’s not a switch of more of a change of method of delivery, 50vdc to VoIP.
Not sure why Zen have bothered doing the survey or what they want to happen, people scream about wanting a modern fibre network like other countries but cling on to a product that the bulk of the population don’t use and is replaceable with VoIP that for all purposes works in the same way for the customer.
No one cared when we went from a mechanical exchange to a digital one as to the customer it made little to no difference this will be the same
Sorry if that offends anyone
For those who find landlines better call quality than mobiles, do yourself a favour and switch to Vodafone/something on Vodafone.
And also make sure you’re using a relatively new mobile for HD voice support.