BT is facing accusations of “bullying” after temporarily suspending broadband services for customers to pressure them into upgrading to digital landlines. As the industry races to migrate millions of users to voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology by the end of January, the move has ignited intense debate over the methods used to secure compliance.
This transition marks the most significant technological overhaul in the UK telecommunications sector since the decommissioning of analogue television. While approximately 16 to 17 million lines have already been moved from traditional copper networks to digital systems, Openreach reports that roughly 1.3 million copper-based connections still require migration. Which uses a broadband connection instead, in the biggest technological upgrade since the e, telecoms companies have so far migrated 16-17m lines from the old copper network to digital voice over internet protocol (VoiP).
Dennis Reed, founder of the campaign group Silver Voices, stated he has received increasing reports of bullying tactics. According to Reed, customers with active broadband contracts have been threatened with service termination if they failed to cooperate with the migration schedule. He expressed fear that the pressure to meet internal targets could cause many vulnerable individuals to fall through the gaps. Because targets have to be met, a lot of people are going to fall through the cracks.”, i am also fearful that.
BT confirmed it recently implemented a “temporary pause” on broadband for a limited number of customers who remained unresponsive to communications regarding the switchover for two years. A spokesperson stated that these individuals were given five days’ notice before the outage occurred. The company emphasized that this measure was designed to encourage action and prevent a total loss of service once the legacy analogue network is finally retired.
BT noted that more than 80% of these previously unreachable customers took the necessary steps to switch after the pause was introduced. The firm maintains that it has conducted extensive awareness campaigns, including advertising and direct contact, to inform users of the impending change. According to “Throughout this transformation BT has been raising awareness of the switchover, supported by local events, advertising campaigns and partners – as well as direct communications to our customers,”, A BT spokesperson.
Advocacy groups are particularly concerned about the remaining 1.3 million households, which likely include elderly residents without internet access and those living in rural areas with unreliable mobile and broadband coverage. These populations often rely heavily on landlines for essential communication, especially during emergencies or power outages.
A significant point of concern involves the roughly 2 million users of telecare systems, such as personal alarm pendants, which have historically operated via copper lines. The reliability of these devices during internet outages remains a flashpoint; notably, Virgin Media was fined £23.8 million in December for failing to ensure service for thousands of vulnerable users during a 2023 transition.
The industry previously extended the retirement date for the public switched telephone network from December 2025 to January 2027 following widespread concerns regarding service continuity for at-risk groups. The transition generally requires users to connect their handsets directly to broadband routers rather than traditional wall sockets.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, urged providers to ensure that no older person is left disconnected. She emphasized that the upcoming deadline should not serve as a “hard-and-fast cliff edge,” particularly given the high representation of older individuals among those yet to complete the migration process.
