Some two million customers have already had their landlines removed to make way for the new systems, with around 160,000 forced to make the switch on average each month since the roll out started in April last year.
Many readers were concerned there were no fail-safes to keep the phones working during a blackout. Others criticised how BT handed out free mobile phones to landline-only customers despite many living in signal “not spots”.
This newspaper also revealed how elderly users of health alarms faced being unable to call for help in an emergency if they fell or had a stroke, as many older systems still use landline technology to send alerts to monitoring stations. Many older burglar alarms will also cease to function once the old lines are switched off, it emerged.
The postponement will last until these issues are ironed out and no customer will have their landline turned off before then, unless they specifically ask to be moved onto the “digital voice” system, BT said.
Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of the charity The Silver Line, welcomed the news, saying it had been “a devastating time for people who depend on their landline phones as a real lifeline”.
However, BT confirmed it would ultimately still press ahead with the roll out, saying the 40-year-old “public switch” network was becoming obsolete and less reliable. It said its planned fibre-optic alternative promised “crystal clear calls” and greater energy efficiency which would be “better for the environment”.
BT said it would improve the resilience of the new network by working with energy providers on faster restoration of power after cuts. It added it will also work on longer-lasting battery backups; hybrid phones that have mobile Sim cards built in so they can still make calls should the internet go down; and rigorous testing on health and burglar alarms.
Mr Allera added: “Many other countries are doing the same and experiencing the same challenges. With a programme of this sale, sometimes we don’t always get everything right and on this occasion we acknowledge we have more work to do and will get on with putting these solutions in place to better help our customers go through this change.”
The firm said it hoped to resume the roll out by the end of the year.
