Digital Switchover - we're getting ready!
The Digital Switchover already happened with TV aerials in 2012 I hear you cry! That is true, but now it’s the phone lines and the analogue switch off, which will take place in 2025?
If you haven’t already heard about this, there’s no need to worry! We know all about it, and we are getting ready for things to change.
We all have electronic devices in our homes these days that we can talk to. These devices are able to tell us what the weather’s going to do today. They will tell us how long a boiled egg will take to cook, and they will play us any tune we could ever wish to hear.
If we want to learn something, we don’t need to visit a library as the internet will tell us all we need to know.
When you think about it, it’s quite archaic that we still use copper wire phone lines that were first developed in the 1800s.
That is why the Analogue Switch Off is planned for 2025. This is the point when all the analogue phone lines will be switched off and the digital switchover will happen. The technology is something that we have all relied on since the introduction of the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) in the late 19th century. It will now be replaced by digital telephone networks.
Planning ahead for the digital switchover
Our care alarm and monitoring service is currently operated through the traditional analogue phone lines, so as a business we are already preparing for the switch off.
All homes across the United Kingdom will need to be ready for the switch-off of analogue phone lines, much like the TV digital switchover in 2012.
Many of us don’t use landlines anymore at home. There has been a substantial increase over the past few years in the use of mobile phones versus landlines. But there are some people who still solely rely on landlines – OfCom (the communications industry watchdog) believes this figure stands at 4% of the population.
The digital switchover will gradually take place over the next five years. Your network provider will speak to you about how they will replace your analogue phone line with digital technology called VoiP (voice over internet protocol), which carries calls over a broadband connection.
What does this mean for your care alarm?
We are already planning the changes we need to make. We will need to make some adjustments to the technology we use. This will be done gradually over the next five years. It is our aim to make sure this is completed well in advance of the Analogue Switch Off in 2025.
Do you need to do anything?
No. We will be in touch as and when we need to make some changes to the equipment we provide to you as part of our service. Please bear with us as we work through these changes. We will ensure this switchover does not interrupt the service you receive.