Introduction
The recent impacts of storm Éowyn were significant and far reaching, with over 200,000 properties in Scotland losing power, and almost 6,000 still without power three days later. During severe weather like this, it’s important people can communicate with friends and family and reach the emergency services if necessary. While picking up the traditional home phone to make a call is not part of day-to-day life for many of us, access to a reliable landline service still remains essential for many consumers in Scotland.
The copper wire system which traditionally kept us connected is becoming less reliable and increasingly expensive and difficult to maintain. Because of this, the telecoms industry has decided to retire the traditional network. From January 2027, the vast majority of consumers in Scotland will use digital landlines carried by their internet connections to make and receive calls. For most of us, this change will have little significant impact. However, these digital landlines will not work in a power cut without some form of back-up, leaving some consumers vulnerable to being cut off.
Increasingly stormy weather is a challenge for our infrastructure
Our forecasters tell us that the likelihood of us experiencing severe storms, such as Éowyn or Arwen, will increase in the future, meaning power cuts and disruption to essential communications services could become more commonplace across Scotland. This puts some consumers, particularly those who live in rural areas with poorer mobile signal and where they may get more frequent and longer lasting power cuts, at risk of being unable to make calls in an emergency. There are also risks for those people who have healthcare services, such as telecare alarms, linked to their landline.
More needs to be done to protect consumers
The current telephone system must be replaced to provide reliable connectivity, but the migration must be handled carefully. The risks faced by those who live in rural areas or who rely on telecare devices must be taken into account.
Consumers must understand what is happening and what the changes will mean for them and those who they care for and support. To help consumers prepare we have written to the UK Government recommending a national awareness-raising and information campaign. Because providers are leading this work, they can sometimes use different language to talk about systems, which risks consumer confusion. Any campaign must use clear and consistent language so consumers understand the changes and what they need to do to prepare for migration.
We also need governments and regulators to take action to improve the reliability of communications infrastructure. While we know that power cuts inevitably happen, consumers must be able to access solutions like hybrid handsets or battery backups that will allow them to make calls when the power goes down. We believe there is a need for these solutions to go beyond the current one hour minimum call time recommended, particularly where consumers may face power outages that may last for several hours or even multiple days.
Conclusion
In less than two years the migration to digital landlines will be complete for virtually all consumers in Scotland. During the migration Consumer Scotland will monitor the action being taken and continue engaging with communications providers, governments and others. We will highlight the interests of consumers in Scotland, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances, and seek to ensure that the priorities and concerns of consumers in Scotland are reflected in the decisions being made.