Digital Shift - Analogue to Digital

Our campaign to raise awareness of the IP switch to digital phone networks by 2025.

By 2025, analogue telephone services will be switched off as the UK’s telecoms infrastructure is upgraded to digital connectivity. This shift has major implications for the technology enabled care (TEC) sector and the 1.7 million people who rely on telecare in the UK.

This campaign and associated White Paper calls on the TEC sector to get ready for the shift, upgrade their systems and recognise the opportunity digital connectivity represents to devise new service and product offerings. Simply replicating the analogue service in the digital world will miss that opportunity.

The urgency is such that the transition is starting to affect functionality and connectivity today with particular risk from 2023 when BT will no longer sell analogue devices. Therefore, action and careful planning needs to start immediately so that telecare and social alarm service reliability and safety is not compromised: that lives are not put at risk.

This campaign calls on government, regulators and telecoms organisations to work with the TEC sector to agree and mobilise a plan to manage the transition and realise the full potential of digital technology.

TSA wants to ensure the transition is handled well, that vulnerable people are not put at risk and the potential of a digital future for health and care is realised.

10 Facts about Analogue to Digital: How it will affect Telecare

Download this TSA Guidance to raise your awareness of the digital migration and how it will affect your service:

Note: This 10 Facts about Analogue to Digital document was amended on 13 March 2020. The original version stated that ‘2G switch-off may also happen before the mid-2020s’. This has now been corrected to say ‘2G switch-off is unlikely to happen before the mid-2020s and possibly the early 2030s’.

analogue_to_digital_shift_-_10_facts_-_march_2020.pdf

Click here to download your copy of the TSA Digital Shift White Paper

Latest Digital Shift update - May 2019

The TSA's technology expert, Steve Sadler, joined by TSA Associate Tim Mulrey talk about the latest developments on the shift to digital phone networks.