{
  "id": 16810695,
  "title": "Landline switchover could cut people off in emergency, minister warned",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/landline-switchover-could-cut-people-off-in-emergency-minister-warned-16810695",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-27T20:54:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6x29g1nlr51o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UK government plans to switch off its traditional landline phone network and replace it with an internet-based system by early next year, according to reports. The government and telecom operators claim the move will provide a more reliable service. However, MPs representing remote areas of the UK have expressed concerns that scrapping the copper-wire network could leave vulnerable communities unable to contact emergency services in the event of a power outage, storm, or other emergencies.\n\nUnlike digital services, traditional landline networks do not rely on mains electricity and continue to function during power cuts. Labour MP Torcuil Crichton, who represents the Western Isles constituency, warned that the transition to digital phone lines is creating connectivity problems in the islands. He stated that when the power goes out, people not only lose their phone and internet connectivity but often also lose their mobile signal.\n\nCrichton urged the minister to encourage telecom companies to improve their digital capabilities to protect isolated areas where residents are more vulnerable and isolated from essential services like ambulances. Similar concerns were raised by MPs from the West Country and the Lake District. Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, asked the minister to imagine an elderly resident living alone in an isolated valley where copper phone lines have been replaced by fiber-optic cables. In the event of a storm that takes out the power to their router, Crichton expressed concerns about the elderly resident having no way to raise an alarm in an emergency.\n\nConservative MP Julian Lewis also raised concerns about the lack of a backup system if digital phone services go down due to a cyber attack or other emergencies. He pointed out that the copper-wire network could have provided some resilience in such situations. Jarvis, who is leading the government's Be Ready campaign, promised to look closely at Lewis's point and raise concerns with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.\n\nThe government emphasizes the importance of telephone networks as part of critical national infrastructure and emergency response, particularly during weather-related crises. It advises vulnerable customers, such as telecare users, to contact their landline provider, as they must provide a free backup battery unit. Additional information is available on the government's digital switchover website.",
  "summary": "Plans to switch to digital landlines by January could leave remote areas of the UK vulnerable, MPs say.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}