Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with mobile operators on the withdrawal of copper wire telecommunications networks.

Ofcom will monitor the withdrawal of copper services. Ofcom has set out high-level conditions for how the gradual deregulation of BT Group’s copper-based network will function.

Ofcom will consider the process which will trigger the complete deregulation of the copper network in the next regulatory review period, which will commence in 2026.

The withdrawal of analogue landlines, also known as the PSTN migration, is a separate process to the complete replacement of the copper network. DSIT meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss their plans for migrating their customers to digital landlines, and to ensure they have adequate processes in place to protect vulnerable consumers.

On 14 December, the DSIT Secretary of State convened a meeting with the UK’s leading telecoms providers, including Sky, BT, VMO2 and TalkTalk, to discuss urgent steps to protect vulnerable households when upgrading phone lines to a digital network. In response, the major telecoms providers have now signed a Charter committing to concrete measures to protect vulnerable households, particularly those using telecare alarms. The move represents a positive step by the telecoms industry to make sure safety continues to be at the heart of the nationwide switchover. The Charter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-switched-telephone-network-charter

Furthermore, DSIT meets regularly with Ofcom to ensure that industry adheres to its regulatory obligations throughout the migration process. In addition, we are working with telecare providers, Local Authorities, and Other Government Departments to take further steps to ensure the migration is a success. We also regularly engage with mobile operators on a variety of issues including the PSTN migration.