Is your personal alarm futureproof?

What you need to know

The UK’s telecoms network is about to undergo a significant change. This change may not be a problem for some landline users and won’t affect our customers. But it’s important that you understand what is changing and why some personal alarm services may be affected.

How is the UK’s telephone network changing?

Smartphones are a big part of our lives. We use them all the time to shop online and find out information. So it’s weird to think that they haven’t been around for long and that before they arrived, we used to stay in touch using landlines.

Hundreds of thousands of landlines are still in use today and use an old analogue network called the Public Switch Telephone Network, or PSTN. This network is increasingly expensive to maintain and doesn’t offer the same benefits as more modern technologies, which is why Openreach and Virgin Media are discontinuing PSTN and upgrading to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

This new system passes calls through a broadband connection and will offer users clearer calls and greater connectivity. However, services that use the old analogue system may need to be upgraded or face going offline.

How will this change affect my personal alarm?

If you’re with CareTech, you needn’t worry. All of our products are futureproof and won’t be affected by the switchover.

This isn’t true of every organisation though. So if you’re with another provider or thinking of using a different personal alarm service, it’s important that you make sure their products aren’t landline dependent or that they are working towards mitigating any interruptions to service during the switchover.

How do CareTech personal alarms work?

CareTech devices don’t rely on landlines or the internet, but instead use built-in SIM cards to connect to monitoring centres. These connections are incredibly reliable and mean our range of personal alarms won’t be affected by the upcoming changes to the telecoms network.

Where can I find out more information about this?

If you’d like to learn more about how the UK telecoms network is changing and how it might affect you, Ofcom have put together an entire page dedicated to the future of fixed telephone services. Alternatively, you can call us on 03301 738 766. Our operators are always happy to answer questions and are available Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 5pm.