Openreach confirms new safeguards as PSTN switch-off nears
With the analogue phone network (PSTN) due to close on 31 January 2027, Openreach has announced new safeguards that housing, care and support providers should be aware of.
From that date, customers who haven't moved to a digital service may be transferred to EVAc, a temporary, limited last-resort phone service that maintains access to essential calls. Where technically possible, linked broadband services will now be kept running too, reducing the risk of vulnerable people, businesses and essential services losing connectivity unexpectedly. Communications providers will pay £35 a month for WLR3 Basic or £38.60 for WLR Premium. Openreach stresses that EVAc is more expensive than modern digital alternatives, and that it is a safety net rather than a reason to delay. The closure deadline is unchanged.
Openreach estimates around 1.2 million lines, including 350,000 business premises, are still on the old network. For those using telecare, its Prove Telecare service sends specially trained engineers to test devices on the new digital line before customers are upgraded. More than 70,000 customers have been upgraded this way so far.
Anyone unsure whether they are affected should contact their communications provider as soon as possible.
Read the full Openreach statement (opens new window) for more information.
And if you are interested in other ways that new technologies will affect providers and customers of housing with care, attend our HAPPI Hour webinar on 8th October: Specialist Housing and the impact of Artificial Intelligence.
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