Now traditional landlines will be 'switched off' for another 1.23 million UK homes – is YOURS on the list?

This is known as a "stop sell" order and will be in place over the next 12 months. Openreach only decides to implement one of these when a majority (75%) of the premises connected to a particular exchange are connected to next-generation full-fibre broadband.

While there's a long list of benefits when switching to a broadband-powered landline, the industry-wide move to these future-proofed phones has proven to be controversial.

Broadband-powered landlines use Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to connect your calls. If you’ve ever made a call over Wi-Fi or 5G to friends or family using WhatsApp, Skype, or Messenger, then you’re already familiar with VoIP technology. It enables several new features, like the ability to call multiple people at the same time, better call quality, the ability to block numbers, and incoming spam prevention.

In the first five months of being operational, BT says its VoIP system blocked 17.7 million spam calls.

BT, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk refer to this internet-powered landline as “Digital Voice”, but depending on your provider, they might use a different term.

If you're not (yet) able to get fast full-fibre broadband at your home address, you won't be impacted by this new "stop sell" order. You'll be able to continue using traditional copper-based landlines for now.

These phone lines, known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) in industry lingo, have served as the backbone of communication across the UK in some form or another for well over 100 years. However, those who rely on these ageing landlines are quickly becoming a minority.

By the time Valentine's Day comes around, Openreach will have imposed "stop sell" rules across 1,281 exchanges across the UK. That covers a whopping 12.5 million premises under these rules and transitioning over to broadband-based phone lines. That equates to 51% of Openreach's entire footprint.

10 facts about the UK landline switch-off

1. It's not just BT — all UK telecom firms are moving away from analogue landlines
2. New system relies on VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system to make calls
3. VoIP used by apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Messenger to make audio calls
4. Some companies use "Digital Voice" brand for VoIP, while others call it something else
5. Your landline number should never be changed during the switchover
6. The traditional copper landline network will stop working in early 2017
7. Existing broadband customers won't be charged extra after the switch
8. Traditional landlines continue to work during a power cut as they draw power from the exchange
9. However, VoIP systems will not work during outages without a backup power bank
10. Some personal safety alarms do not work with Digital Voice phones

Countdown to the death of traditional copper landlines

1992 – Introduction of the first dial-up internet service to UK customers, Pipex

2000 – First UK home broadband launches in the UK ...and is taken up by a single customer in Essex

2008 – First residential full-fibre broadband connection goes live in a housing development in Ebbsfleet, Kent. It becomes the first place nationwide to use fibre-optic cables directly to the home, with telephone services and broadband delivered over the same cables

2010 – Services with speeds of 30Mbps (megabits per second) are sold in the UK. With this rate of speed, internet users can download or stream music, games or TV shows

2013 – The first ‘fibre only’ exchange goes live in Deddington. The Oxfordshire village was chosen as a pilot location for the first fibre-only exchange

2018 – Plans to retire the old telephone network within seven years are announced. This will see everyone in the UK upgraded to a digital phone line, laying the foundations for the future

2019 – Salisbury becomes the first "Openreach Full Fibre" city in the UK. The Wiltshire city has the fastest citywide network in the UK

2020-2023 – Openreach ends the sale of copper landlines, beginning at an exchange level and then nationally. From September 5th 2023, BT customers across the UK could no longer buy traditional phones

2027 – Retiring the old analogue phone network. By this time, everyone in the UK will be upgraded to a digital phone line – which will use the broadband network to make calls in a similar way to other Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technologies like Skype, FaceTime, and Microsoft Teams

James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said: "Our stop sell programme is a vital step in accelerating the UK’s transition to a modern full fibre future. As copper’s ability to support modern communications declines, the immediate focus is getting people onto newer, future-proofed technologies.

"By phasing out legacy copper-based services in areas where fibre is now widely available, we’re ensuring customers and providers move onto faster, more reliable, digital infrastructure. This approach not only reduces the cost and complexity of having to maintain both old and new networks but also supports the industry-wide migration ahead of the legacy copper-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) now just over 12-months away, by which time everyone will need a digital phone line."

Plans for a UK-wide landline switch-off were first confirmed back in late 2017 by the telecom industry itself — somewhat uniquely, this is not a Government scheme or deadline.

Industry figures said they struggled to source the correct parts to maintain and repair analogue phone lines, as few companies still produce parts for this century-old telephone system. A number of other countries across mainland Europe are undergoing similar upgrades at the moment because of similar struggles.

However, the process of switching households to Digital Voice has been plagued with a slew of issues, which saw BT customers lose access to the landline number they’d held for 50 years and others stranded without a landline connection for days. But the biggest headache has been for the 1.8 million elderly and vulnerable people living in the UK who rely on telecare safety alarms.

Compatibility issues with internet-powered landlines has caused some critical calls to fail.

These personal alarms, often worn on a lanyard around the neck or on a bracelet, are designed to be activated in a health emergency or after a fall. Working alongside the UK Government, BT and other telecom providers have agreed to a series of new measures to protect vulnerable customers and those with additional needs, including telecare users.

Landline-only customers, those who use telecare or who have additional needs will not need to make the switch before the revised 2027 deadline, BT has announced. Telecom providers are developing new landline technology that could solve some of the compatibility issues with Digital Voice.

Over the last decade, Openreach has rapidly expanded its full-fibre network. It now covers 21 million premises, some 60% of UK homes. And the BT-owned brand isn't finished yet — it's still bringing an extra 1 million homes online every three months or so. Openreach wants to reach 25 million premises by the end of 2026, and 30 million by 2030.

Unsure if your address has been connected yet? Openreach offers an online postcode checker to see if they can already order a Full Fibre service or alternatively, check by contacting their service provider.

The next 132 Openreach exchanges set to be notified for Stop Sell rules