What is Digital Voice?
Guide reference: HG-0002
Quote this reference if you contact us about this guide.
Approx. 4 min read
Plain English explanation of the new digital phone network. A digital telephone line sends your calls through a small router or adapter box at home.
Don't worry about the name. Digital Voice is the new way home phone lines work across the UK, and your phone can still look and feel the same once it is set up.
Quick answer
A digital telephone line sends your calls through a small router or adapter box at home. The box must stay connected and powered on at all times. Your phone plugs into the router phone port, not an old wall socket.
More detail
The whole country is moving from old copper phone lines to digital lines over time. This is a national change, not something Simple Telecoms chose on its own.
Think of a digital telephone line as a replacement for the old-style phone line. Your home phone plugs into a small box connected to your main phone socket. Calls travel digitally, not over the old analogue network.
You do not have to be a computer user or browse the web at home. Phone-only service is still available. The phone uses only a tiny part of the line capacity, but the box still needs power and a working connection.
The phone service relies on the internet feed to your home. If power fails or the connection stops, the phone stops too until it recovers.
Personal alarms, security systems, payment devices, fax machines, and other equipment that relied on an old copper line may not work on a digital line. Check with each provider before you order.
When dialling, you must dial the full number including the area code, even for local calls.
Emergency 999 calls work when your equipment has power and the line is working. During a power cut you need a plan. See Emergency calls during a power cut
Things to understand
Old copper wires are being switched off area by area across the UK.
Digital lines use a router or adapter box at your main phone socket.
Your phone plugs into the phone socket on the box, not the old wall socket. The service will not work if the handset is connected to an old-style wall socket.
The box needs power and a working connection to make and receive calls.
You can keep your phone number when you move to digital with us.
In some areas Simple Telecoms offers Hybrid Home2Phone instead of a wired digital line. See Why phone lines are changing in the UK
Common mistakes
- Thinking you must understand how the network works behind the scenes.
- Assuming your old extension sockets will work on a Simple Telecoms digital line. They will not.
- Waiting until the last minute when your area switch-off date is confirmed.
Things to know
- See Why phone lines are changing in the UK for the wider picture.
- See How your internet connection powers your phone for why internet matters to your phone.
- You do not need to learn technical terms to use your phone.
Frequently asked questions
Is Digital Voice the same as internet calling?
We call it a digital home phone or digital telephone line. You do not need to browse the web, but the box must stay connected.
Will my phone look different?
No. You use the same home phone handset once it is plugged in correctly.
Do I have to switch?
Most UK homes will move to digital before 2027. Your provider will tell you when your area changes.
Does Simple Telecoms offer every line type?
In some areas we offer Hybrid Home2Phone instead of a wired digital line. Contact us to check what suits your address.
Related guide: Why phone lines are changing in the UK