UK phone companies have halted plans to make vulnerable customers switch to digital landlines.
Phone providers have paused the move after "serious incidents" which saw telecare devices stop working, with almost two million people believed to use the equipment, which can be used to call for help in an emergency.
However, in some situations - such as a power cut - digital landlines can fail.
Although the UK is in the midst of a move to digital landlines, there has been some concern from people who rely on an analogue landline.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan met with firms including BT, Sky, Virgin Media O2 and TalkTalk.
She said the firms "agreed that the right thing to do is to temporarily pause all non-voluntary, managed migrations to a digital landline where there is any risk that a customer's telecare service will not continue to work".
They also vowed to carry out additional checks on customers who have already switched to make sure they didn't have a telecare device the company was unaware of.
And the company's will not switch users to a digital landline without confirming a compatible telecare solution has been established.
Donelan added: "The recent issues families have had to endure are unacceptable and [the] agreements will help to protect consumers in future."
