The PSTN switch off: what it means for your business
The UK's analogue phone network is being switched off. After January 2027 the copper-based system that has carried voice calls for over a century stops carrying them.
What is actually being switched off
If your business still uses analogue lines or ISDN, your phones stop working on that date unless something changes before then.
The PSTN, the public switched telephone network, and ISDN, the digital service that ran over it. Both are being retired by Openreach and replaced by voice over internet services.
What replaces it
Voice over IP, delivered as hosted seats or SIP trunks, over a broadband or dedicated circuit. Usually cheaper than what you have. Almost always more capable.
What this affects, and it is more than phones
- Phone lines and phone systems
- Alarm and CCTV monitoring
- Lift emergency lines
- Door entry
- Card payment terminals
- Fax lines
- Some legacy broadband where line and broadband are linked
The equipment people forget is usually the one that matters most. A lift alarm that stops reporting is a compliance problem, not an inconvenience.
How to tell if you are affected
- Your phone system sits in a cupboard rather than in the cloud
- You have ISDN2 or ISDN30 on your bill
- Your broadband and phone are on the same line
- You have alarm, lift or card terminals with a dedicated line
- You are unsure, which is the most common answer
Five steps
What to do now
-
Check your bills for line types
-
List every device using a phone line, not just the phones
-
Check your internet connection will carry voice reliably
-
Talk to a provider about migration and keeping your numbers
-
Do not leave it to the deadline. Migration takes weeks and providers get busier as the date approaches
Will you keep your number
Yes. Numbers port to the new service. Porting takes time and needs paperwork, which is another reason not to leave it late.
Common questions
-
The UK's analogue phone network is being switched off. After January 2027 the copper-based system that has carried voice calls for over a century stops carrying them.
-
The PSTN, the public switched telephone network, and ISDN, the digital service that ran over it. Both are being retired by Openreach and replaced by voice over internet services.
-
Phone lines and phone systems, obviously. But also alarm and CCTV monitoring, lift emergency lines, door entry, card payment terminals, fax lines, and some legacy broadband where line and broadband are linked. The equipment people forget is usually the one that matters most. A lift alarm that stops reporting is a compliance problem, not an inconvenience.
-
Your phone system sits in a cupboard rather than in the cloud. You have ISDN2 or ISDN30 on your bill. Your broadband and phone are on the same line. You have alarm, lift or card terminals with a dedicated line. You are unsure, which is the most common answer.
-
Voice over IP, delivered as hosted seats or SIP trunks, over a broadband or dedicated circuit. Usually cheaper than what you have. Almost always more capable.
-
Check your bills for line types. List every device using a phone line, not just the phones. Check your internet connection will carry voice reliably. Talk to a provider about migration and keeping your numbers. Do not leave it to the deadline. Migration takes weeks and providers get busier as the date approaches.
-
Yes. Numbers port to the new service. Porting takes time and needs paperwork, which is another reason not to leave it late.
-
A telecoms provider or reseller handles the migration end to end: assessing what you have, choosing a replacement, moving the numbers and setting up the new system.
Who to talk to
A telecoms provider or reseller handles the migration end to end: assessing what you have, choosing a replacement, moving the numbers and setting up the new system.
We are not a telecoms provider. We work with the companies that are. If you would like an introduction to a provider in your area, get in touch and we will point you somewhere useful.