Openreach has confirmed a UK-wide launch of Prove Telecare, a migration service built to move households that rely on analogue telecare from copper landlines to digital voice over modern broadband and fibre lines. It follows a pilot that switched more than a thousand vulnerable customers without interrupting their alarm or monitoring equipment.
The national programme is backed by a dedicated field force trained to check each home’s setup, verify device compatibility, and complete the switchover only when it is safe to do so. Where a telecare unit isn’t yet compatible, the connection will be placed back on copper temporarily and a follow-up arranged once suitable equipment is in place.
The programme lands as the timetable for retiring the legacy Public Switched Telephone Network has shifted. The PSTN switch-off, originally targeted for December 2025, is now scheduled for 31 January 2027. Wholesale Line Rental is being withdrawn in line with that date, while providers accelerate moves to all-IP voice. The change buys time for industry and local authorities to prioritise customers with telecare, but the direction is unchanged: every line is moving to digital.
What Prove Telecare actually does
The objective is simple: make sure alarms and safety devices still work after the line goes digital. Openreach and participating providers coordinate with alarm receiving centres to identify homes using telecare, confirm the model in use, and test for compatibility before any changeover. The engineer completes the conversion only when the device passes, and logs the outcome with both the customer’s provider and the telecare organisation. If something isn’t right, the service is reverted to copper the same day and the provider is told to arrange a replacement device before a second visit. The approach reduces risk during a period when millions of households are being upgraded to fibre and IP voice.
Why this matters now
A large cohort still depends on analogue-era alarm units that were never designed for VoIP or router-powered sockets. Without checks, those devices can fail silently after a switch, which is unacceptable for customers who rely on pendants, fall detectors or medical alerts. Copper also becomes more fault-prone as it ages, so moving these lines to fibre improves resilience once the equipment is confirmed to work. In short, Prove Telecare removes a critical obstacle to the UK’s all-IP transition while reducing safety risk.
The new timelines and what’s already changed
The big date is now 31 January 2027 for PSTN retirement. Before that, a nationwide stop-sell has already taken place: as of 5 September 2023, providers cannot order new analogue WLR products. In practice, this means new line orders and most change requests go to digital or fibre-based solutions by default. The industry’s task over the next year is to find and fix the edge cases, and telecare is the most important of those.
Where PDPL fits in
BT’s Pre-Digital Phone Line, sometimes referred to alongside SOTAP for analogue presentation, gives providers a temporary way to emulate an analogue handset on an IP-based back end. It’s designed for situations where a home doesn’t yet have suitable broadband or where a legacy device has not been certified for straight digital voice. PDPL doesn’t need a broadband installation or battery backup to function as a like-for-like voice line and serves as a bridge while customers and telecare firms complete upgrades. The sales window for PDPL has been extended to the end of August 2025, after which the expectation is that most remaining lines will be ready for all-IP solutions.
How a typical migration will work
A provider flags a customer as using telecare and books a Prove Telecare appointment. The Openreach engineer attends, confirms the alarm unit model and power setup, and tests the device over a digital presentation. If the device passes, the line stays on the new setup and the records are updated; the customer’s alarm service continues as normal. If it fails, the line is taken back to copper that day to avoid any gap in protection. The provider and the telecare company then coordinate a device swap, and a second appointment completes the move afterwards. The emphasis is on continuity first, upgrade second.
Impacts for households
Most homes won’t notice a difference day-to-day. The phone may plug into the router instead of a wall socket, and power cuts become a consideration because routers need electricity. Providers generally offer options like battery backup for customers who need line power resilience. Where a home doesn’t yet have fibre, PDPL can keep a traditional phone experience running while plans for digital voice are made. The key message is to let your provider know if you have any monitored alarm or telecare device so you’re routed through the safeguarded process.
What happens next
Expect the Prove Telecare service to scale rapidly as providers and local authorities identify remaining telecare users and book managed appointments. In parallel, telecare manufacturers are certifying devices for IP environments and, in many cases, moving to solutions that connect via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular with integrated power backup. The measure of success will be simple: a clean run-in to January 2027, no loss of protection for those who rely on alarms, and a faster retirement of the brittle copper layer beneath.
Key dates at a glance
• PSTN retirement: 31 January 2027
• National stop-sell of WLR products: 5 September 2023
• PDPL order cut-off: end of August 2025
What to watch
Three things will determine how smooth the final stretch is. First is the pace of identifying every household with monitored telecare so they’re handled under the managed pathway. Second is supply of certified, IP-capable telecare units with appropriate power backup. Third is continued coordination between providers, Openreach and alarm receiving centres so no home is converted without a device pass. The launch of Prove Telecare is a strong signal that the industry is now addressing the hardest part of the migration with a process designed around safety.
