THE switch from physical copper-based phone lines to digital services has been delayed by more than a year, BT has announced. 

BT Group announced it will delay the switchover from the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Digital Voice.

BT previously planned to move all customers to digital by the end of next year. The change will now not be made until the end of January 2027. 

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The move comes after a government charter, introduced in December 2023, asked UK phone providers not to force customers to switch systems until sufficient protections are in place for the vulnerable and the elderly. 

Concerns were raised with BT following Storm Arwen in 2021, which devastated many communities across Northumberland. Some households went without power for over 10 days, with no means of contacting the outside world for assistance.

It is thought that a digital switchover from the analogue system could make the problem worse in the event of a storm, as during a power cut, the old copper-based phone line system would work, but the new digital system would not. 

Guy Opperman, a Hexham prospective parliamentary candidate, worked with rural communities hit by Storm Arwen in 2021. The MP held four public meetings across Tynedale in the aftermath of the storm, to hear from local people how to better prepare for the next extreme weather event. 

Mr Opperman said: "We all saw in Storm Arwen how vulnerable communities were left without power, some for over 10 days. 

"I held four public meetings after the storm hit - in Bellingham, Hexham, Ponteland, and Allendale. This gave a chance for affected communities to get together, and hold the key stakeholders, including the telecommunications companies, to account. 

"Following these meetings, I wrote my own report, based on lessons learnt, and the key steps that had to be taken to better prepare for when the next storm hits. 

"Clearly, a forced digital switchover of analogue landlines in these rural communities risks complete isolation in the event of a prolonged power cut, and I called for urgent reform. 

"Subsequent storms at the beginning of this year showed that many problems relating to communications in power outages remain, and I am unsatisfied that the telecoms industry has implemented the necessary protections to ensure the safeguarding of vulnerable communities. 

"This is why I wrote directly to the head of BT in February to express my great concern that the digital switchover was proceeding at pace. I am pleased that BT has listened and that the company is now putting vulnerable customers first. 

"I would encourage BT customers to take full advantage of the protections announced this week, so we can ensure we are all better prepared for the next storm."