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Members of Parliament have raised alarms about the potential risks associated with the UK’s plan to retire its traditional landline phone network, particularly for residents in remote regions who may find it difficult to access emergency assistance. The current system, which relies on copper-wire cables, is set to be replaced by an internet-based network by the end of January next year. While the government and telecom operators argue that this shift to digital lines should improve service reliability, there are growing concerns about its impact in emergency situations.
Unlike digital phone lines, the traditional copper-wire network does not depend on mains electricity, meaning it often continues to function during power outages. This characteristic is especially crucial for isolated communities. Torcuil Crichton, the Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar in the Western Isles, highlighted this issue by pointing out that residents already face connectivity challenges. He said, “when the power goes out people don’t have the phone, they don’t have the internet and often they don’t have a mobile signal either,” emphasizing the severe communication vulnerabilities during storms or blackouts.
Although BT OpenReach has been distributing backup battery packs to vulnerable customers, which can power landline phones for roughly an hour, Crichton and others argue that the measure is insufficient. He criticized mobile phone providers for lacking the capability to maintain coverage during severe weather events. The MP appealed to the security minister, Dan Jarvis, to encourage telecom companies to enhance their digital infrastructure, especially in areas where people live in isolation, emergency services are distant, and storms can reach high speeds. Similar concerns were echoed by MPs from other rural areas like the West Country and the Lake District.
Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, urged the government to consider scenarios where an elderly person in a remote valley loses power and router functionality overnight. He questioned, “does the minister share my concerns that they would have no way to raise an alarm in an emergency and agree that we need a new technological solution to protect the elderly?” Meanwhile, Conservative MP Julian Lewis underscored the lack of a backup system for digital networks in emergencies such as cyber attacks, stating that the copper-wire system “could have given us useful levels of resilience in an emergency.” Minister Dan Jarvis acknowledged these apprehensions and assured MPs that the issue would be discussed at an upcoming government resilience summit and with telecom regulators to safeguard critical infrastructure
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