The Digital Switchover in York: What It Means for Your Personal Alarm
The analogue phone network is retired on 31 January 2027 and every landline in York becomes digital. Alarms that dial out through the phone socket can stop reaching help. City of York Council is among the best prepared councils in the country on this, but its promise only covers people who are already Be Independent customers.
Key facts
- The analogue phone network (PSTN) is retired on 31 January 2027, the date the council quotes on its own switchover page.
- City of York Council runs the Be Independent Telecare Response Service, on 01904 645000.
- Affected postcodes include YO1, YO10, YO19, YO23, YO24, YO26, YO30, YO31 and YO32, from the city centre out to Acomb, Haxby and Dunnington.
- Be Independent customers are told they do not need to do anything yet, because the team will contact them about upgrading.
What is changing in York, and when?
Openreach is retiring the analogue telephone network by 31 January 2027. A York landline then runs over the broadband connection: the phone plugs into the router rather than the socket by the skirting board, and the number does not change. Openreach has said there will be no cliff edge on 1 February 2027.
City of York Council has a dedicated switchover page and it quotes 31 January 2027 correctly, which is more than many councils manage. It also lists the things people forget: alarm systems, CCTV, door entry systems and payment lines all run over the same network and all need checking.
Will my personal alarm still work after the switch-off?
An analogue alarm may not. These units reach a monitoring centre by sending audio tones down a copper pair, and a digital line does not always carry them cleanly. There is no warning when it stops working. The base unit keeps its light on and the fault surfaces only when the button is pressed for real.
The Telecare National Action Plan commits nationally that no telecare user will be migrated to a digital landline without the communications provider, the customer or the telecare provider confirming that a compatible and functioning telecare solution is in place. That protection assumes the phone company has been told an alarm is in the house.
Power is the other issue, and the council states it plainly: digital landlines cannot carry a power connection, so during an outage they will not work and a mobile phone is the fallback. Ofcom requires providers to give at least one hour of access to emergency organisations during a power cut and to offer battery backup free of charge to people who depend on the landline for 999. That covers emergency calls, not telecare devices.
How do I check whether my alarm uses the phone line?
- Check the connection. A lead into a white phone socket means an analogue unit. A lead into the broadband router means it has been converted. Only a power lead usually means a mobile unit.
- Identify the service. Look for a name and number on the base. In York it is often Be Independent, sometimes a housing provider, sometimes a company arranged privately years ago.
- Test it. Press the button, say it is a test, and check the operator can hear you and holds the right address and keyholders. Repeat after any engineer visit or broadband change.
What about alarms provided by City of York Council?
The council's service is the Be Independent Telecare Response Service. You apply online, and the packages run from Friends and Family, which alerts your own contacts, up to Premium Response and Premium Plus, which include a response team and an annual review visit. Current monthly charges are £20.75, £40.20 and £55.10, plus a one off £34.40 installation fee, and the service is free for York residents on Housing Benefit or a Council Tax Support reduction of more than 25 per cent. The number is 01904 645000 and the email is be.independent@york.gov.uk.
York is unusually well organised on the switchover. The council's own digital switchover page tells Be Independent customers they do not need to do anything yet, because the team will contact them about upgrading their telecare or emergency monitoring devices, and a technician will visit on the day to replace equipment. Anyone worried can ring 01904 645000 and choose option one, answered around the clock. The current Be Independent unit also uses a GSM mobile connection, so no telephone landline is required.
What should York residents do now?
If you are a Be Independent customer, ring your phone provider and say a personal alarm is used in the house, then let the council come to you. If anything about the upgrade worries you, 01904 645000 option one is answered day and night.
If your alarm came from anywhere else, none of that applies to you and nobody is coming. Treat it as needing replacement until the supplier confirms in writing that it works on a digital line. A mobile connected alarm avoids the landline question entirely, which is useful in the older terraces around Bishophill and South Bank as much as out at Haxby, Wigginton and Copmanthorpe. Choose 4G, since 3G is already switched off.
The single most important point for York
The council's reassurance is genuine but it is narrow. "You do not need to do anything yet" applies to Be Independent customers only. If your mum bought her pendant from a company five years ago, no council technician is coming to her door, and no one has her on a list. Work out which of those two situations you are in this week.
Your York alarm did not come from the council?
Our UK monitoring centre in Southport answers alarm calls 24 hours a day, and 99.6% of alarm calls are answered in under 60 seconds. Tell us what your base unit looks like and we will say honestly whether the switchover puts it at risk. No assessment, no waiting list.
Telephone 01704 332840 | info@holdengrange.com
Book a free call with HannahFrequently asked questions
The Be Independent Telecare Response Service, run by City of York Council. You apply online, and packages range from a Friends and Family option to Premium Plus with a response team. The number is 01904 645000 and the email is be.independent@york.gov.uk.
It has a dedicated page quoting 31 January 2027 and telling Be Independent customers they do not need to do anything yet, because the team will contact them about upgrading their devices and a technician will visit to replace equipment on the day.
The council says the service is free for York residents receiving Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Support with a reduction of more than 25 per cent. Otherwise the published monthly charges are £20.75, £40.20 or £55.10 depending on the package, plus installation.
Yes. Our alarms work anywhere with 4G coverage, so the YO postcodes across the City of York area are covered, including Haxby, Wigginton, Acomb, Dunnington, Strensall, Copmanthorpe and Bishopthorpe. Alarms are posted out and set up at home.
Where to start: tell your phone company an alarm is in use, ring 01904 645000 if Be Independent supplied it, and arrange a digital ready replacement yourself if it came from anywhere else. See SOS pendant alarms in York, our digital switchover guide, or read whether you need wifi or a landline for a personal alarm. Call our UK team on 01704 332840.
Holden Grange is a UK telecare provider based in Southport, a TSA member and certified under the TEC Quality Standards Framework. Our alarm receiving centre is UK based and operates 24 hours a day.