The Digital Switchover

The switch off of analogue (copper wire) telephone lines by December 2025 has been well-known for some time now. By December 2025, all analogue telephone landlines will have been shut down, and telephone calls will be made via the Internet.  The traditional care alarms used by Nottingham on Call are connected to analogue telephone lines, so we have to use a digital alternative.

Since 2022 Nottingham on Call has been installing digital care alarms , which use a SIM card for connectivity, to keep people safe, and living independently in their homes. In addition, we supply GO mobile care alarms to keep users safe and well outside of the home.  Nearly 60% of our 5,000 customers living in their own homes now have a digital alarm connected to Nottingham on Call.  Plans are in place to continue this switchover so that all customers are connected to us digitally by December 2025.

In another piece of the digital jigsaw, Nottingham on Call is providing digital alarms to residents of Nottingham City Council Independent Living schemes who need one. That’s nearly 1,800 residents living in the 70 schemes in and around Nottingham. A needs assessment will be carried out by the scheme’s Independent Living Coordinators with individual residents to determine whether they need, or would like to have, a digital care alarm.  The plan is to complete the installation of digital care alarms into all those Independent Living homes by April 2025 – well ahead of the landline switch-off in December 2025.

Any of Nottingham on Call’s current customers who have a care alarm plugged into their telephone line, or their telecommunications provider informs them that they are switching off their landline, are encouraged to get in touch with us to discuss swapping over to a digital alarm.  Although there is an additional cost of around £1.50 per week, there are many advantages – better connectivity, plugging the care alarm in where it is needed not near a phone point, and no call charges when raising an alert with Nottingham on Call.  Contact our service advisors on 0115 9746 101 Option 1, or email us at: atservice@nottinghamcity.gov.uk,