The New Extended Timeline for the Digital Switchover

New Extended Timeline for the Digital Switchover

Openreach recently announced that they were extending the December 2025 deadline for the Digital Switchover to January 2027.

The digital transformation of phone networks from analogue to digital systems is an important event, but one that impacts many sectors, especially the telecoms industry. On May 16th, Openreach announced a revision in the deadline for this transformation, extending it from the initial target of 31 December 2025 to 31 January 2027.

Continued Urgency in Migration Efforts

Despite the extension of the digital switchover deadline, the importance of maintaining momentum in migration efforts remains the same. This new timeline is not a pause in progress but a strategic extension to ensure that the migration process is comprehensive and minimally disruptive. The extension provides a realistic framework for completing the migration tasks, reflecting the complexities involved in such a vast national transition.

Risk Management Amid Extended Deadlines

As the transformation of Openreach’s phone networks continues, the reliability of analogue systems over digital phone lines is decreasing. This ongoing change underscores the urgency of transitioning to reliable digital solutions sooner rather than later. The risks associated with delayed migration, such as increased failed call rates in analogue systems, could have dire consequences, particularly for vulnerable populations relying on analogue phone services.

Additional Transitional Products

BT recently launched their Pre-Digital Phone Line (PDPL) to support certain customers during the migration period. Whilst the PDPL will mitigate against some of the challenges posed by the migration (Engineer Visits, Routers, Battery Backups not required), the challenge of the reliability of analogue Telecare protocols over the core IP network still remains. BT cannot control the end-to-end journey of analogue Telecare calls over the entire UK telecommunications network, so much more testing of connectivity from PDPL lines to other networks is planned and results will be shared over the summer of 2024, in advance of product launch in October 2024. The lifespan for the PDPL is until 2030 at the latest and this product is intended as a temporary ‘Product of Last Resort’ for problematic analogue to digital cases rather than a mainstream solution.

Varied Deadlines Across Providers

It’s important to note that different telecommunication providers may have varying timelines. For example, we believe that Virgin Media O2 will still aim to complete its migration by the end of December 2025. It is therefore crucial that migration efforts continue at pace.

At Sarabec, we like to keep you informed about events that could affect our customers in some way. More updates to follow as and when we receive more information.