The government has announced that the most vulnerable people, including those using personal alarms, will be better protected during the switch from analogue to digital landlines, due to a new agreement with the telecoms industry.
There is a new requirement for companies to offer an engineer visit to vulnerable customers, who will personally test the vital alarm and ensure it continues to work once a household has moved on the digital network.
After incidents were reported last year, Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant called on telecoms companies to complete a strict checklist of safeguards before transferring customers from old analogue phone lines onto a digital network.
Bryant said: "Old fashioned copper wire technology is coming to an end. If we want to stay in touch with the rest of the world we need a complete overhaul of our digital infrastructure.
"While this migration is necessary, it is vital the industry gets it right, and makes sure the most vulnerable are protected.
"This has kept me up at night and a priority that I have put at the forefront of my work since stepping into office. I am pleased telecoms companies, central government, and local authorities are working in lockstep to achieve customer safety."
During a roundtable at techUK’s London HQ, attended by representatives from the telecoms industry, providers agreed that non-voluntary upgrades would start on a smaller scale before rolling out more widely, reducing accidental loss of phone services for those most likely to come to harm if their telephone line is discontinued.
Theo Blackwell MBE, chief digital officer for London said: "This is a very welcome step from government to ensure the safety of vulnerable residents. For some time local authorities have warned that the hands-off telecommunications industry approach under-estimated the complexity, costs and risks involved in identifying, replacing and testing hundreds of thousands of life-saving devices in peoples’ homes in London and across the country.
"We must now continue to work together to ensure all industry providers work in a consistent way and lessons can be learned so future infrastructure modernisations can be worked on collaboratively, as we build a fairer and more prosperous city for all Londoners."
