We have completed extensive testing of our personal alarms with Openreach. This means Taking.Care are the first personal alarm provider to complete full testing of their product range before the planned switchover from analogue to digital telephone networks by 2025.
The results from the testing will help ensure our customers receive uninterrupted support for their vital personal alarm service.
Current customers who have a personal alarm that connects to the traditional analogue phone line should retain their analogue line and not be upgraded to a digital one. This is the recommendation after the major telephone providers signed the Government's Public Switched Telephone Network charter.
If you are a Taking Care customer who has already been upgraded to a digital phone line, we recommend you upgrade to a digital personal alarm. Digital personal alarms are unaffected by the switchover because they do not use a telephone landline. Instead, digital personal alarms have a roaming multi-network SIM that will automatically switch to the strongest available mobile network.
In some instances, your analogue personal alarm may work on a digital phone line but this should be considered an interim measure.
What is the digital switchover?
BT has announced that by 2025 all analogue phone lines will be replaced with digital ones. The switchover means all new houses are set to be built with a digital-only connection from 2023. And, with change coming, many households have already upgraded, for faster networks and connectivity. You can find out more about the upgrade in our digital switchover hub.
Personal alarms have traditionally relied on analogue telephone landlines. To ensure our customers are supported during and after the switchover, we have tested our full product range in Openreach's laboratory with the leading telephone providers' networks to ensure maximum longevity of our alarms.
Steve Gates, Managing Director at Taking Care, explains: "As a company, we’ve been preparing for the transition to the digital network for some time now and Taking Care is the first service provider to have completed this for a range of personal alarms well ahead of the switchover."
It's been really important to us to proactively respond to the potential impact the digital switchover will have on our customers.
We want to provide our customers with the peace of mind that we can supply a range of products that will mitigate the impact of the digital switchover and safeguard them by instantly connecting them to professional help in an emergency."
Steve explains further: "The process has been a massive collaborative effort. And, it’s involved working closely with Openreach, telecoms providers, Ofcom, alarm manufacturers, and the Technology Services Association, to understand the impact of the digital telephone network on our life-saving service."
Helping customers through the digital switchover
This video explains how the digital switchover will affect personal alarm users.
We have also released a series of guides to support customers through the digital switchover and answer any questions they may have about their care alarm service:
- The analogue phone line switch off: what the digital upgrade will mean for analogue phone lines.
- Choosing a digital-ready, no landline personal alarm: digital personal alarms explained.
- Will my personal alarm still work after the digital telephone switchover?
- How will the digital switchover affect my personal alarm?
Browse digital personal alarms
If you have a TakingCare Personal Alarm would like to upgrade to a digital alarm, our Customer Services team will be happy help if you call 0800 085 7371 or email enquiries@ppptakingcare.co.uk. Lines are open 9am - 6pm, Monday - Friday.
- In-home digital personal alarm
- In-home digital fall alarm
- GPS tracking device for elderly with fall detection
- GPS personal alarm
- Personal alarm watch
