How BT’s digital upgrade could slash daily false fire service callouts

BT study forecasts drop in emergency callouts

BT has released new research showing the UK could avoid up to 280,000 false fire service callouts by 2040 through a nationwide upgrade to digital networks.

The findings come from economic modelling by Assembly Research, commissioned by BT, which assessed the impact of moving the UK’s critical national infrastructure sectors away from legacy analogue systems.

The study reported that migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network and 2G mobile to All-IP systems could bring net economic benefits of £3 billion across five sectors by 2040.

Ofcom data showed that resilience incidents on the Public Switched Telephone Network have risen by 45%, with the transition scheduled to be complete by January 2027.

Societal and environmental benefits identified

The modelling found that digital upgrades could prevent 750,000 unnecessary ambulance journeys and free more than 600,000 NHS staff hours.

It also projected that councils could gain 12 million staff hours, equivalent to 6,500 full-time staff working for one year.

For environmental impact, the research estimated the savings at 3.42 megatonnes of carbon emissions by 2040, equal to powering every home in Birmingham for one year.

BT said the energy sector could save £1.4 billion through greater resilience and better demand forecasting, while the water sector could gain £771 million through smarter monitoring and reduced electricity use.

Industry and government urged to act

Jon James, CEO of BT Business, said: “This research sends a clear message: delaying the shift to digital carries a real cost to public services, the environment and the wider economy.

“Legacy systems are becoming increasingly unreliable, and the case for action is urgent.

“BT is committed to guiding the UK’s critical national infrastructure sectors through this upgrade with the resilience and support they need.”

Matthew Howett, Founder and CEO of Assembly Research, added: “For the first time, we’ve lifted the lid on legacy network migration and worked to understand the scope and scale of how key UK industries are still relying on aging fixed and mobile networks.

“Our research found that while the energy and water sectors are already well into their migrations, it’s vital that others follow to avoid growing costs and missed efficiencies.”

UK compared to international peers

According to BT, nearly 300,000 legacy business lines were migrated in 2024, though many UK critical national infrastructure providers still rely on analogue systems.

The company noted that Germany and Spain are close to completing their transitions, while Italy, Portugal and France are advancing their programmes.

BT said public services and businesses are urged to complete their digital migrations by the end of 2025 to avoid disruption when the Public Switched Telephone Network is retired in January 2027.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

The modelling showed that up to 280,000 false fire service callouts could be avoided by 2040 if analogue fire alarms are replaced with digital systems.

For fire and rescue chiefs and senior officers, this reduction would ease operational strain by cutting an average of 54 false alarms each day.

Emergency and disaster response managers could also benefit from improved call management, which would enable faster and more accurate deployment.

Facility managers in commercial and public buildings may see long-term cost reductions by modernising alarm and monitoring systems ahead of the 2027 deadline.

Fire engineers and contractors installing detection and alarm systems will need to align projects with All-IP compatibility to ensure continuity after the Public Switched Telephone Network is retired.

Fire service callouts could drop under UK digital migration programme: Summary

BT released new research on 25 September 2025 showing that the UK could prevent 280,000 false fire service callouts by 2040 through the migration from legacy analogue networks to All-IP digital infrastructure.

The study, carried out by Assembly Research, projected £3 billion in net economic benefits across energy, water, health, emergency services and local government, alongside environmental savings of 3.42 megatonnes of carbon emissions.

The modelling also forecast the avoidance of 750,000 ambulance trips, 12 million council staff hours freed, and 600,000 NHS staff hours saved.

BT confirmed that the Public Switched Telephone Network will be fully retired in January 2027 and urged public services to complete migration by the end of 2025 to prevent disruption.

This article contains information from the following source: BT