Transition from copper phone lines to fibre could disrupt thousands of home alarms and monitoring systems

Under EU and Irish regulatory plans, Ireland is set to decommission the decades-old traditional copper phone line network, which is owned by Eir, by 2030 at the latest. The legacy copper line networks will be replaced with fibre, due to be available in every home by 2028.

But Siro, which currently has the second largest fibre network in Ireland after Eir with 585,000 premises, said the scene is being set for confusion and disruption among vulnerable householders and interruption to the country’s alarm systems unless a new national switchover plan is put in place.

Research from Phonewatch suggests the majority of Ireland’s one million home burglar alarms still depend on older copper networks, while a significant number of 100,000 personal security alarms currently active rely on traditional phone sockets.

In the UK – which has a December 2025 cut-off deadline for traditional copper network calls – some rural pensioners who have been forcibly switched to digital have complained of being stranded without any communications, even for emergencies, during power cuts.

“Around 100,000 people have vulnerability alarms. So this all needs to be planned and not be a chaotic last-minute process. We’re asking to build a stakeholder plan with all the key people in it,” said Ronan Whelan, chief commercial officer of Siro, a joint venture between Vodafone and the ESB.

“The process of copper switch-off will take a number of years, but it’ll speed up very, very quickly.”

The operator said many everyday devices used by homes and businesses remain dependent on copper broadband to function.

”These devices will all be impacted by the switch-off process,” it said. “Devices include house and security alarms, medical and security monitors, lifts, landline and emergency phones, car park barriers or retail point of sale terminals.”

Last November, the Irish regulator, ComReg, published a framework setting out some of the conditions that must be in place, including a direction that Eir could not penalise householders for switching from copper to fibre with extra charges. The regulator also said that Eir should “communicate” to householders what the “implications for in-house services” should be.

“We recognise the reliance on the copper network for essential services like health alarms and security systems and will ensure vulnerable or older customers are treated with care and respect,” a spokesperson for Eir told the Irish Independent.

“Our strategy includes engaging with stakeholders, co-ordinating with local employees and implementing a comprehensive plan to guarantee uninterrupted service for all customers.”

She said that the copper switch-off in Ireland would be managed through a phased approach over several years.

“This transition is still some way off, and all customers will receive at least one year’s advance notice before it begins,” she said.

While there is no exact timeline yet specified in Ireland, the industry has been told by the regulator that it can soon begin switching copper services off in local areas when every premises can avail of fibre broadband.

Eir, which operates 1,200 telephone exchanges around the country, has said that it would like to cut off an exchange area’s copper network service when 95pc of that area has fibre availability. While this has been rejected by ComReg, the operator has been told that it can stop selling copper-based services to anyone with fibre availability in an exchange area where 75pc of premises can get fibre.

It would still be obliged to service existing copper-network customers in that area, however, until 100pc of premises in the locality can avail of fibre. At that point, it will be allowed to discontinue copper services to the entire local area in the exchange regardless of the wishes of householders, according to ComReg.

“That we are now on the cusp of starting to switch off slow, outdated copper broadband is hugely positive,” said Mr Whelan.

“But it will impact hundreds of thousands of householders and businesses. As a result, it’s vital we start preparing for it now, particularly to ensure minimal end user disruption.”