If you still have a home phone running over a copper line, it's on borrowed time. Chorus is retiring copper, and the fastest, cheapest way to keep your number and handset is a VoIP phone service that runs over your broadband. Here's who to switch to, what changes, and what to check before your old copper line goes dead.

Key takeaways

Latitude Internet Solutions provides VoIP home phone plans nationwide starting at NZD 8.50/month, you can keep your existing number and handset even after your copper line is retired. See our Home Phone plans or order a home phone plan.

Chorus has brought its copper retirement forward from 2030 to 2028, and copper services in areas where fibre is available are being retired by the end of 2026, per RNZ.

You keep the same phone number and features like call waiting, call forwarding and voicemail on VoIP, because the number moves to the internet connection rather than the copper wire.

Who should you switch your copper home phone to before the shutdown?

Latitude Internet Solutions is a strong choice for switching a home phone off copper to VoIP, offering a plan from NZD 8.50/month that keeps your existing number and works with the handset already on your desk. We're a nationwide broadband, Wi-Fi and phone provider, and can connect you on any major fibre networks eg Chorus, Enable etc, so we can move your voice service and your broadband across in one order rather than leaving you to juggle multiple suppliers. You can start at our Home Phone plans page or go straight to order a home phone plan.

When you're deciding who to switch to, the things that actually matter are narrow:

• Number portability. The provider must be able to transfer your current landline number, not just issue a new one. We port your existing number so nobody has to update their records.

• A phone service you can bundle with broadband. Buying voice and internet from the same provider means one bill, one support line and one install. Our home phone sits alongside our Home Fibre Broadband so both services move together.

• Local support that answers. A VoIP switch occasionally needs a router reconfigured or a number release chased with the losing provider. To talk to a real person before you sign up just call us on 0800 528488 our support team is available Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, weekends and public holidays 9:00am to midday. If you get our answer phone just leave us a message and we will call you back as soon as we can.

• A price that reflects a phone you barely use. Most households make far fewer landline calls than they did a decade ago. Paying line-rental-era prices for that makes no sense, which is why our entry plan is NZD 8.50/month.

Standalone VoIP providers exist too, and they can add a voice line if your broadband company won't. For most homes, keeping voice and broadband under one roof is simpler and cheaper to run.

When is the copper network actually shutting down?

The copper network is being retired in stages, and the timeline moved forward. RNZ reports Chorus has brought its full copper retirement date forward from 2030 to 2028, with copper services in areas where fibre is already available being switched off by the end of 2026. That means many households have well under two years, not five.

Chorus can't cut you off without warning. Under the Commerce Commission's Copper Withdrawal Code, Chorus must give at least six months' notice before stopping copper services, provide information so you understand the change, and, if you order a fibre service, install it before the copper is disconnected. The Citizens Advice Bureau explains the Code was finalised to protect consumers during the move from copper to faster technologies like fibre.

Waiting for the notice letter is the wrong plan. Moving before your area's cut-off date means you choose the timing, keep continuity of service, and avoid the rush as everyone in your suburb switches at once.

What is VoIP and how does it replace your copper line?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it runs your phone calls over your broadband connection instead of a dedicated copper phone line. Your handset plugs into the modem or an adapter rather than the wall jack, and to you it works the same: you pick up, you get a dial tone, you dial a number.

This is not a fringe technology. According to Commerce Commission figures cited by the NZ Herald, there were still around 573,000 landline services in New Zealand, and the majority already ran on VoIP, which was first introduced roughly 20 years ago. So for most people, "switching to VoIP" is really switching the network underneath a phone that already behaves like VoIP.

The main practical difference from copper is what happens in a power cut, covered below. Call quality on a fibre connection is generally clearer than the old copper line, and you keep the number and features you already use.

Will you keep your phone number and all your calling features?

Yes. You keep your existing landline number, your handset, and the calling features you're used to. Our home phone plus plan includes call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID and voicemail, so the day-to-day experience doesn't change for you or for anyone who rings you.

The number transfer is called porting. When you order, we request the release of your number from your current provider and move it onto our network. You don't advertise a new number, reprint anything, or tell contacts to update your details. If you have more than one line or a fax number, mention it when you order so every number is ported together.

What happens to your VoIP phone when the power goes out?

This is the one genuine trade-off, so plan for it. Copper lines carried a small electrical current from the exchange, which is why an old corded phone still worked in a power blackout. Fibre doesn't carry power, so a VoIP phone stops when your modem loses power unless you have a backup power system.

The FMANZ guidance on the copper shutdown makes the same point: because the fibre optic line doesn't carry electricity the way copper did, keeping your phone working through an outage means having some form of battery backup for the modem. A small uninterruptible power supply (UPS) unit that keeps your Fibre ONT, modem and phone adaptor running for a few hours to cover most outages, and of course a charged mobile phone is the usual fallback for anyone.

If someone in your household relies on the landline to call 111, this matters more. The Commerce Commission's 111 Contact Code requires retail phone providers to support vulnerable consumers who depend on a landline to reach 111 during a power cut, which can include providing a backup option at no cost. Tell us when you order if this applies to anyone in your home so the right backup is arranged from day one.

How much does a VoIP home phone cost, and how do you switch?

A VoIP home phone with Latitude starts at NZD 8.50/month, and switching is a single order rather than a project. The low monthly price reflects how a modern home actually uses a landline: as a kept number and an occasional call, not a metered line-rental service.

The switch runs in three steps:

1. 1. 1. 1. Order the service. Choose a home phone plan on our home phone order page and tell us the number you want to keep and who your current provider 
         2. We port your number and set up the connection. We arrange the number transfer and configure your modem or supply an adapter. If you're also moving broadband to fibre, both are scheduled together.
         3. Plug in and add backup. Connect your existing handset, test a call, and set up battery backup if you need the phone to run through power outages.

If you're moving broadband at the same time, our home phone bundles with Home Fibre Broadband on the nationwide fibre networks, so your voice and internet land on one bill.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to switch my home phone before the copper network shuts down?

Yes, if your copper line still carries your phone service. Once Chorus retires copper in your area, a copper-based phone stops working, so you need a replacement such as VoIP over fibre or wireless before that date. Chorus must give at least six months' notice under the Commerce Commission's Copper Withdrawal Code, but ordering early lets you control the timing instead of waiting for the cut-off.

Can I keep my landline number when I move to VoIP?

Yes. Your existing landline number transfers to the new service through a process called porting, so you can keep the same number, the same handset, and features like voicemail and call forwarding. Give your current provider details and number when you order so the transfer can be requested.

Will my VoIP phone work in a power cut?

Not on its own. Fibre and VoIP don't carry power the way copper did, so the phone stops if your fibre ONT, modem and or phone adaptor loses power unless you add battery backup, such as a small UPS unit. If anyone in your home relies on the landline to call 111, the Commerce Commission's 111 Contact Code requires your provider to support you with a backup option, so raise it when you order.

Is VoIP cheaper than a copper landline?

Usually, yes. A Latitude VoIP home phone starts at NZD 8.50/month, well below traditional copper line rental, and it bundles with fibre broadband on one bill. Because voice runs over your existing internet connection, there's no separate voice network to pay for.

What's the difference between switching to fibre and switching to wireless?

Both replace copper and both can carry a VoIP phone. Fibre uses a physical fibre line where it's available and generally gives the fastest, most stable connection, while 4G or 5G wireless broadband suits homes and rural properties where fibre hasn't reached. Latitude offers both, so if fibre isn't available at your address we can move your phone onto a wireless connection instead.

For more information please contact us

Author :  David Gabites