Cash strapped local authorities deserve better telecare systems!

Navigating the 2G Switch-Off: A Call for Collaboration, Action, and Innovation in Telecare.

Blog by: Tom Morton, Archangel CEO and Founder

The transition away from PSTN, 3G, and 2G networks is a reality the telecare industry has known about for several years, yet the challenges it brings remain profound. While the shift to modern connectivity methods is necessary, the frustration within the sector is understandable. For many, the significant financial and operational impacts are immense, particularly for local authorities and housing providers—organisations that rely on telecare to safeguard vulnerable people.

Some proactive authorities had already invested heavily in analogue-to-digital programmes, purchasing social alarm devices containing SIM cards which some manufacturers claimed were ‘digital ready’. Now, these same authorities face the unexpected and daunting prospect of replacing an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 deployed 2G and 3G-enabled devices.

At an average cost of £250 to £300 per device—covering purchase, configuration, labour, and installation—this additional financial burden is substantial. This doesn’t even account for the resource challenges of undertaking a repeat swap-out process, which will inevitably delay deployment timelines and write off carefully planned analogue-to-digital strategies. For many, this additional pressure is a significant blow at a time when budgets are already stretched thin.

In moments like this, it’s natural for frustration to arise, and for some to look to mobile operators as an easy target for blame. However, deflecting responsibility and calling for delays won’t solve the problem—and it risks creating division when collaboration is needed most. This is not the time for finger-pointing; it is a time for shared accountability and focused action.

The truth is, the telecare system as we know it needs to change. It is now dependent on new and more advanced technologies. The legacy systems—no matter how familiar—have demonstrated that they lack the technical capacity, skills, or resilience to meet the challenges ahead. While it is clear that some manufacturers fell short in anticipating this transition and aligning their strategies accordingly, now is not the moment to dwell on what went wrong. Instead, we must learn from it, quickly!

We need to work together—manufacturers, service providers, local authorities, housing providers, and trade bodies—to acknowledge the new connectivity landscape and ensure the sector moves forward as one. By continuing engagement with key stakeholders, we can drive innovation rather than division and focus on building a stronger, smarter, and more sustainable future for a new advanced version of telecare.

This is an opportunity to embrace change, to review the system and its supply components, and to explore smarter connectivity solutions. As an example, by leveraging alternative national infrastructure, such as Smart City LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Networks), and super-fast broadband services, authorities can provide digitally inclusive, scalable, cost-effective connectivity that supports applications delivering the sector’s shared ambition: a move toward more proactive, preventative models of care. These rapidly deployable and scalable solutions reduce dependence on legacy, sim based systems and completely align with the strategic vision for integrated health, care, and housing delivery that we all desire.

The challenges we face are significant, but they also present a moment of clarity. The telecare industry must recognise that the legacy systems of yesterday are struggling to cope with the change in technology and place a risk on the pace of change required to meet the capacity led age demographic and the available workforce challenge. By embracing collaboration and innovation, we can transform this disruption into positive progress—delivering the modern, preventative, and resilient care systems that people need.

Now is the time to work together. Now is the time to embrace change. And now is the time to deliver a better way for care.

Blog by: Tom Morton, Archangel CEO and Founder

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