BT’s switch from analogue to digital has left one elderly Wincanton couple without a landline during medical emergency
In January, 77-year-old Kate Nutbeam received a letter from BT informing her that her current phone and broadband contract was ending. As BT is the only option for a reliable broadband connection in her Wincanton street, she was happy to keep things exactly as they were, and agreed to the new contract that was suggested. What followed was a series of miscommunications and technical mishaps that left her household without a landline – and weeks later, there’s still no clear way to get it back.
The unexpected upgrade
After agreeing to the new contract, boxes of equipment arrived at her home. By the time the man from Openreach arrived on 14th February, her partner was critically unwell and receiving urgent medical care. The engineer explained that most of the existing equipment was incompatible with the new system and would need replacing: the telephone line entry to the house is in the bedroom where her partner was sleeping.
Both Kate and the engineer realised that Kate had not been advised of the sheer scale of the work that was needed. He said he would note that on his report and someone from BT would contact her again before proceeding. He left, having done no work.
Five hours later, Kate received an email saying she had refused the job – 10 minutes later the landline went dead.
The end of analogue
The UK telecoms industry is phasing out analogue phone networks, replacing them with digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems. By January 2027, all landline services will rely on an internet connection.
In most cases, the transition is seamless – simply plugging a phone into a broadband router should be all that’s needed. But Kate had been caught mid-transition. The engineer visit had been intended to switch her property to the digital system, and her analogue line had been scheduled for permanent switch off on the same day. The switch off was never cancelled, despite the new digital service not being activated, and it’s apparently a one-way switch.
Without a landline, Kate, who has poor indoor mobile reception due to the thickness of her cottage walls, felt immediately vulnerable and exceedingly anxious. With her partner seriously ill, she had only the mobile with the dodgy signal to fall back on, and family overseas and friends trying to call and check on them on the landline.
A frustrating runaround
Days passed, and multiple calls to BT yielded no solution. Kate’s account had been migrated to EE as part of the switch to full fibre, yet her new EE service would only activate once installation was complete. Meanwhile, BT’s system marked her landline account as inactive – with no way to restore it.
Customer service agents bounced her case between BT and EE. When asked why her copper landline couldn’t simply be switched back on, BT explained that the move to digital was irreversible – despite the fact that no physical changes had been made to her home setup.
After many hours on the phone and numerous failed attempts to get answers, Kate discovered she could plug her existing phone into the back of an EE hybrid hub (previously used as a backup for broadband outages). This allowed her to make outgoing calls – but her landline number had been replaced with an unknown temporary one, meaning she could not receive incoming calls.
Work begins
On Friday 21st February, a week after Kate’s landline was turned off, an Openreach sub contractor arrived. After two hours and many calls to his manager, he discovered that the existing system was completely compatible: no work had been required for the switch. While testing the landline, he discovered Kate had been given a temporary number – but had not been told, or given the new number. The engineer finally left, assuring Kate that her old number would be back by midnight. It wasn’t.
A week later, on Friday 28th February – and now two weeks without a landline service she has paid for until March – Kate telephoned the BT/EE Executive who had been attempting to resolve her issues: she wasn’t available, but a call back was promised. The Executive duly called Kate on the new temporary landline number on the landline, and although Kate could hear her, it seemed to be a one-way communication as the executive could not hear Kate.
National shift local impacts
The switch from analogue to digital is not optional. From summer 2024, BT began migrating customers who do not identify as vulnerable or having additional needs without their explicit consent. But cases like Kate’s highlight significant gaps in communication and support, particularly for older, rural customers who rely on their landlines as a lifeline.
So what went wrong? And what safeguards should be in place to prevent others losing vital communication links?
A BT spokesperson told
The BV: ‘We can confirm that Mrs Nutbeam’s service is working: because of an issue with the original order we have activated the service with a temporary number. We are working to get the original number restored this week.
‘BT has strict policies in place to protect vulnerable customers, particularly telecare users, where we are made aware of their status. We have recently launched our Connected Together campaign, aimed at reaching and guiding the loved ones of vulnerable customers. A key element of the campaign focuses on encouraging vulnerable customers to inform their communications provider if they require additional support, ensuring their specific needs are addressed during the migration process.
‘Customers can contact BT to report a problem by texting HELP to 61998 or calling customer services on
0330 1234 150. We’ll run tests on their connection and book an engineer visit if needed. Alternatively, there are several troubleshooting steps on our website that customers can follow to check their broadband connection or that their handset and settings are working correctly.’
As it stands
At the time of publication, Kate’s landline has not been restored. The promised new phones have not arrived. The promised phone call from a BT/EE executive has not happened. She has received a £140 bill for the unreturned Wi-Fi equipment which the BT Executive told her not to return yet. She is still dependent on the mobile phone – and on a temporary number for her landline which appears to be an existing local phone number allocated to somebody else.
