Telephone Services

(asked on 15th December 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of (a) railway signals, (b) motorway signs and (c) cash machines that rely on the public switched telephone network.


Answered by
Julia Lopez Portrait
Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This question was answered on 8th January 2024

The change to digital landlines will affect many sectors of the economy. Generally, we cannot definitively comment on the number or proportion of any services and devices that rely on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). They are procured from various manufacturers and function differently depending on their make. Many services and devices are also purchased privately by individuals or businesses who have no obligation to supply us with this information.

Having said that, we know that an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK currently use telecare services. Of these, roughly 1.3 million use alarms in their own homes and 0.5 million in a range of care homes, supported housing and sheltered living arrangements. There are multiple different telecare manufacturers; the make-up of their devices, including their connectivity solution, depends on the provider.

We understand that National Highways do not have any motorway signs that depend on the PSTN, as they own and operate their own switched network. With regards to railway signals, Network Rail has a migration programme for its estate but does not use PSTN telephony for its signals.

DSIT convenes the relevant government departments, agencies and stakeholders to a Cross Whitehall meeting on a quarterly basis to encourage all parties to consider the potential impacts of the PSTN migration on their respective sectors.

Reticulating Splines