Digital Voice switchover cut off my 95-year-old friend’s landline

Some customers have reported that lifelong phone numbers have been lost in the switchover from the analogue network to an internet-based service. Photograph: ideabug/Getty Images

My 95-year-old friend is in distress. His landline has stopped working and he’s been told by his provider EE that he may need to accept a new phone number to get his service back.

He lives alone and relies on his phone for human contact. It will be a challenge for him to let people know his new number and he risks being cut off from medical communications.