Some Communication Providers are further ahead in the rollout of this service compared to others. They may also be targeting certain groups of customers first based on the current products and services they have. As an example, you're more likely to be moved onto this service first when you already have a FTTP Fibre broadband connection with the latest router supplied by your Communication Provider compared to other customers who may be using an older router or not yet on a fibre based broadband service.

If you're moving to another communication provider, you may find that they will also switch you to a digital phone service at the same time as migrating your broadband connection to them.

If you have any device such as an alarm, monitoring devices or a Telecare system that connects to the traditional copper telephone line then you will need to contact the company that supplies you with this service to inform them that your telephone line is being upgraded to an new Internet Protocol based service.

In order for these devices to continue to work they may need to be upgraded so they are compatible or use an alternative method to communicate, for example switching to use the mobile network instead or connecting via WiFi.

• Telecare Alarm supplied by Vale of Glamorgan Council's Adult Services
  You need to inform the Vale of Glamorgan Council's Adult Services once you know your phone service is being moved to the new Internet Protocol based service. They will provide you with new equipment that is compatible and will have a fallback to the mobile network.
  Contact: 01446 700111

It all depends on the router and phones your communication provider supplies you.

• BT's Digital Voice:
  If you're with BT Consumer and have a BT Smart Hub 2 or there are several ways to connect a phone to BT's Digital Voice Service:
  - Connect the phone to the phone port at the back of the BT Smart Hub 2.
  - If you have the new Digital Voice handsets you can utilise the DECT functionality within the BT Smart Hub 2 to wirelessly connect the Digital Voice handset.
  - You can get a Digital Voice Adapter which wirelessly connect to the DECT functionality within the BT Smart Hub 2 and you then plug your phone into that adapter

See https://www.bt.com/help/landline/digital-voice--how-do-i-set-up-my-service- for more information on setting up phones to use BT's Digital Voice

• Sky Talk with Internet Calls
  Unfortunately not much information is available online at present, but in one of their FAQs it does state: "Do I need a new phone? No, you can use your existing home phone with Internet Calls, but remember it needs to be plugged into your Sky Broadband Hub and not your telephone socket."

In order to be able to use the Digital phone when there's a power-cut you will need a Batter Backup or UPS.

Communication Providers may offer you a free battery backup unit that can last an hour if you are deemed vulnerable*. Otherwise you can purchase a battery backup or UPS device online.

Here are some UPS units that can be bought to power your digital phone line service during a power outage.

• Cyberpower Back-up for BT Digital Voice service (FTTP) - BT Shop

• UPS devices on Amazon UK

*OFCOM's guidance on battery backup/UPS units: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/123118/guidance-emergency-access-power-cut.pdf?fbclid=IwAR22sAinVTEFeY9JymHPBL3r0dhxjrdb6WWLny5xdXPdb37e1vHS3NBeDh8

Sky's digital phone line service is called Sky Talk with Internet Calls. For more information on this and how Sky are migrating their customer to this new service visit: https://www.sky.com/help/articles/about-internet-calls

Digital Voice is BT's new digital phone line service. For more information on this and how BT are migrating their customer to this new service visit: https://www.bt.com/help/landline/digital-voice-migration

Zen is supplying their own Digital Voice service initially to FTTP customers before migrating existing customers onto the service. For more information on this and how Zen are rolling out and migrating their customer to this new service visit: https://www.zen.co.uk/phone/digital-voice

TalkTalk Broadband over Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) does not offer a phone line service and therefore recommended to move to a VoIP service provider beforehand so you can port your number over otherwise it could be discarded.

Some VoIP providers include but not limited to:

• https://www.vonage.co.uk/

• https://www.axvoice.com/

• https://www.ooma.com/

• https://www.voipfone.co.uk/

Openreach need to migrate all analogue telephone lines to digital phone (Internet based) lines by 31 December 2025. That's 14 million lines and channels across the UK.

Find out how they are working with Communication Providers such as Sky, BT, EE, PlusNet and TalkTalk (to name a few) to achieve this by going to https://www.openreach.com/upgrading-the-UK-to-digital-phone-lines/for-my-home-or-business

Are you a local business and want to be kept up to date on Openreach's Digital Phone Upgrade programme so you don't get left behind? Go to https://www.openreach.com/upgrading-the-UK-to-digital-phone-lines/call-waiting-list to subscribe to their Digital Phone Upgrade newsletters.

If you only have a landline and no broadband connection today, then when you move to a digital phone line service your communication provider will put you on a lightweight basic broadband connection based on the service type available that can just provide the digital phone line service.