BT has significantly delayed its timetable to force all customers on to the new digital network following long-running concerns about vulnerable customers who rely on landline-based personal alarms. The group, which is also responsible for EE customers, has abandoned the industry’s previous timeline of completing the national switchover by the end of next year. It has announced it is now aiming to have moved all customers over by the end of January 2027. Network operators including Openreach and CityFibre had already committed to ensuring that those who rely on telecare alarm systems – emergency buttons which automatically call the emergency services when pressed via a user’s landline – are not left without a working device during the migration. Almost two million people use the alarms in the UK. The telecoms industry is currently upgrading landline services to new digital technology using an internet connection, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Digital Voice or All-IP telephony. While telecare systems do work with digital landlines, a power cut or internet drop-out can cause them to fail, while copper phone lines typically continue to work even during power cuts. In December, telecoms firms including Virgin Media O2 and BT agreed to pause...