Preparing for the digital switchover 2025
Telecare is changing. 2025 will see BT turn off its ageing analogue network for good as the UK embraces a fully digital network. The transition is already well underway – as soon as 2024, BT will stop selling analogue lines. It’s the chance to embrace more reliable, secure, and cost-efficient personal alarm solutions. Find out how digital technology can help your loved ones stay safe.
Key dates for the switchover
- Openreach’s dates for stopping the sale of certain Openreach products
- EE saying goodbye to 3G in 2024
- Vodafone: Say goodbye to 3G and hello to better connections
- Three: Our plans to switch off 3G
- O2: Switch off dates for 3G
Our cost-effective digital product range
Our proven, high-quality Swedish technology is smartly designed for those who want to have independent lives but also receive support. Our range of digital products offers quality-assured, cost-effective solutions that let users live a richer and more independent life for longer. Some of our range includes:
Eliza
The Eliza is a unique, highly versatile smartcare hub elegantly designed to deliver the best possible security and reliability. The Eliza S is a slimline version of the flagship digital hub.
CareIP Mobile
CareIP Mobile offers a completely digital, future-proof solution and can operate using GSM, GPRS and IP/Internet communication. The device is always online and constantly monitored via a ‘heartbeat’ transmitted every two minutes.
Careium 450
For home and outside use, the Careium 450 is a small and comfortable GPS mobile social alarm that improves security not only in the home but everywhere the user goes. The Careium 480 is an attractive wristwatch featuring sophisticated tracking and communication capabilities to enhance personal safety.
Helping you prepare for a digital future
While the switch to digital might be apprehensive, you’ll get support every step of the way with the digital switchover as we use all our experience, knowledge and pioneering innovation to make your digital journey as seamless as possible. By giving yourselves as much time as possible to begin your digital journey, you can ensure a positive, managed transition. It also means that you can start to benefit from more reliable connections today while saving on the cost of servicing obsolete analogue technology.
Digital personal alarms being future-proofed
Digital personal alarms are an essential part of creating an effective personal alarm service as they reduce the risk of errors and increase reliability. This means the future is secured for telecare users to live safer, more confident and independent lives. With over 1.7 million people already using technology-enabled care, people are enjoying the benefits of digital telecare technology.
Some telecare services are falling behind
According to the Telecare Services Association (TSA), a large proportion of telecare service providers haven’t even begun to upgrade their analogue equipment.
The TSA recommends immediate, collaborative action to avert potentially major disruption to services. As a global expert on analogue to digital transformation, we have many years of experience developing and deploying digital telecare products and services, with half a million digital alarm calls taken a month.
Access Careium’s exclusive digital vs analogue report
We’ve undertaken comprehensive analogue and digital testing at both Openreach and Virgin digital testing laboratories. Testing legacy analogue alarm products for reliability over the digital next-generation networks is crucial so that we understand the impact this might have when legacy telecare devices traverse new networks.
Included in this report is testing across a number of:
- communication providers lines
- different analogue telecare devices which are deployed in our customer’s homes
- different telecare communication protocols
- different lines within the ARC
The 2G and 3G phaseout and its impact on telecare
All UK mobile network operators have committed to closing their 3G networks in the next few years. The switch-off will affect all types of devices reliant on 2G/3G mobile connectivity, including personal alarms. If these devices are not 4G capable, they will need to be upgraded to ensure they continue to work properly after the switch-off.
Not only is the UK telecoms network going through one of the largest and most disruptive changes ever seen, but we also have to contend with the mobile networks making changes to the infrastructure to ensure these networks are fit for the future.
As such, it is important to understand the timelines, how these devices will be affected and what alternatives are available so that, as a provider and customer, you can make an informed decision about what to do. Read Gary Clark’s, Careium’s Technical Director, guidance on the switch-over.
The effect of switching to digital on telecare services
Today, technology-enabled care (TEC) is largely delivered by standalone specialist devices chosen and installed by care providers and connected to dedicated monitoring centres. Over 1.7 million people benefit from these services and the peace of mind they give to everyone.
Traditionally, many UK technology-enabled care services relied on analogue telephone line connectivity for the exchange of voice and data between users and care services. However, the digital upgrade of the networks means that analogue telephone services in the UK will be switched off.
Changes are already underway, which will have a consequential impact on TEC service reliability. Many services that employ analogue connectivity will, therefore, need to be upgraded in some way during the upcoming change.
To find out more about how changing from analogue to digital will affect telecare, see here: 10 Facts about Analogue to Digital: How it will affect telecare.
Market leaders in digital technology telecare
As a market-leading technology-enabled care company, we’re the main provider of innovative end-to-end digital solutions and services in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. In the UK, our alarm receiving centre uses a digital platform, UMO, that is interoperable with hundreds of devices. We provide a wide range of services, from monitoring call handling to field engineering, responder services and out-of-hours services. We offer technology-agnostic solutions that are tailored to end users’ needs.
We pride ourselves on our half a century of tech heritage, including many years of experience manufacturing digital devices, handling hundreds of thousands of digital telecare calls each year, establishing as one of the first businesses globally in 2007 to manufacture a digital telecare device and play an active part in pioneering digital communication protocols.
Useful resources
For a more in-depth look at how digital telecare is creating an independent, flexible future for its users, including recent case studies, download our whitepaper. See how we have worked with Falkirk Council to become the first local authority in Scotland to go live with an end-to-end digital telecare service.
Speak to us
If you would like to speak to us about moving to digital and your free digital review, contact our team at [email protected].
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