BT has delayed its plan to switch customers from physical, copper-based landlines to internet-based services because of concerns about the way it could impact vulnerable customers.

BT originally planned to complete the national switchover by the end of 2025 but has now pushed this back to the end of January 2027.

Many vulnerable people, including the elderly and those with disabilities, rely on personal alarms, known as telecare, to offer remote support. The devices are particularly in use in rural and isolated areas. But the move away from the traditional copper network towards a digital system using fibre-optic cables could impact their ability to function correctly. It’s estimated that nearly two million people in the UK use the devices.

BT’s current plan is to connect 25 million premises to full fibre broadband by the end of 2026 while retiring most of its old copper landlines.

Howard Watson, chief networks officer, BT Group, said: “The urgency for switching customers on to digital...