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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Organisations using Openreach’s legacy Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) need to move to a new service by 31 January 2027. That is the deadline for users of the Openreach PSTN—not a single nationwide cutover appointment. Providers are managing migrations in phases, and each organisation must establish which lines and connected devices it has, what its provider will migrate, and what needs a separate upgrade.
What is the UK landline switch-off?
The PSTN is the traditional analogue telephone network. As it is retired, digital landline calls generally travel over broadband using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or a similar IP-based service, sometimes described as Digital Voice or All-IP. The industry announced the retirement of legacy networks in November 2017; communications providers and network operators are carrying out the phased migration.
The change is not limited to the handset on a desk. Any device that relies on a legacy phone line may need a replacement, reconfiguration or different connection. Government guidance says the reasons for retirement include the network’s end of serviceable life, a lack of spare parts, and faults associated with environmental conditions such as storms and heat. It attributes a 45% increase in reported PSTN incidents to Ofcom in 2024 and more than 2,600 major PSTN incidents to Ofcom in 2024/25. Those are network-wide figures, not estimates of incidents at an individual business. UK government guidance
When is the PSTN switch-off?
For users of the Openreach PSTN, the stated deadline to move to a new service is 31 January 2027. The migration is phased: the deadline does not mean every line will change on that date. Your provider’s notification, the date of your migration appointment and the plan for equipment attached to each line are separate details to confirm.
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BT Business says its PSTN, ISDN, ADSL and related Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) services are due to switch off by 31 January 2027. It also says some services—including ISDN, Featureline, multiline and certain broadband accesses—cannot be moved automatically through its Protective Migrations programme. This describes BT’s programme, not every provider’s process. Ask your own provider which services it covers, whether each will migrate automatically, and what action or date applies to your lines. BT Business: UK PSTN switch-off
Will my business phone stop working?
A phone or other service still dependent on the legacy network will need a migration path. Do not assume the provider will move every service automatically: eligibility depends on the provider and service type. Ask for a line-by-line list of what is scheduled, what needs a customer-led move and what replacement service is proposed. BT specifically warns that services outside its Protective Migrations programme could stop working if customers do not move them to an IP solution; confirm your own exposure directly with your provider.
Migration is well advanced among residential customers, but those figures are not business-line counts. Ofcom’s Connected Nations UK Report 2025, using provider data for July 2025, reports 3.2 million residential PSTN connections (19% of residential landlines), 9.8 million residential VoIP connections (57%) and 4.2 million emulated PSTN connections (24%), out of 17.2 million residential landlines. It also reports 1.9 million residential migrations from PSTN to VoIP in the year to July 2025: 0.6 million provider-led and 1.3 million chosen by customers. Ofcom says migration slowed significantly in 2024 during a temporary pause to strengthen protections for vulnerable customers, then provider-led migrations restarted after further process improvements. Ofcom Connected Nations UK Report 2025
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Ofcom says providers have largely migrated easier customers first, so complex cases are likely to make up a larger share of those still to move. If a line supports critical or specialist equipment, treat it as an early project item rather than waiting for a routine phone migration notice.
What equipment will the PSTN switch-off affect?
Start with everything that might use a phone line, not just equipment labelled “telephone.” Government guidance names phones, alarms, payment terminals, lifts, intercoms and broadband among the services or equipment to consider. A useful search of records and supplier arrangements includes:
- Analogue desk phones, fax machines, modems and diallers
- Fire, intruder and other alarm systems
- Payment terminals and other equipment that transmits transactions over a line
- Lifts, entry systems and intercoms
- CCTV or monitoring equipment with a phone-line connection
- Any broadband or other service delivered over an existing legacy line
For each item, ask its service provider or manufacturer whether it depends on PSTN, ISDN or another legacy service, whether it will work on the proposed replacement, and whether it needs new equipment or configuration. A working handset does not establish that an alarm, payment terminal or lift connection will work after migration. The government’s business guidance puts the responsibility on organisations to review their infrastructure and devices and check compatibility with suppliers. UK government business guidance
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Do alarms and payment terminals need to be upgraded?
They may. The relevant question is not whether a device is old or analogue in appearance, but whether it relies on a line or network being retired and whether its supplier supports the planned replacement. The same check applies to alarms, lifts, intercoms, payment systems and other connected equipment.
Ask the responsible supplier to confirm the dependency and migration route in writing. If a device needs replacement, configuration or a separate appointment, include that work in the cutover plan rather than treating the telephone line as the whole job. Government guidance advises businesses to contact the supplier or manufacturer to check whether equipment will work on digital services.
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1. Get a complete provider inventory
Ask each communications provider for the lines and services at every site, the proposed migration date and replacement, any services excluded from automatic migration, and the action required from your organisation. Reconcile the response against line bills, circuit lists and service contracts; one provider’s inventory may not reveal equipment or services contracted elsewhere.
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2. Find hidden dependencies
Search asset records, invoices, facilities logs and supplier contracts for terms such as PSTN, WLR, ISDN, analogue line, fax, dialler, modem, alarm, lift, intercom, CCTV and payment terminal. Check with site and facilities teams as well as IT: equipment may be maintained by a specialist supplier and absent from the central IT inventory.
3. Record ownership and criticality
For each line or dependent device, record its business owner, site, supplier, circuit or line, operational importance, migration route, outage tolerance, test owner and escalation contact. This gives the project a way to identify who must approve a change and who can verify the service afterward.
4. Confirm compatibility and outage behaviour
Have the equipment supplier or manufacturer confirm what replacement or configuration is required. Ask the communications provider how voice calls and dependent equipment will behave during a broadband or power outage, whether any backup is supplied, and how emergency calls are handled. Digital services can change both power and connectivity dependencies, so do not assume a device will keep working just because it previously used a wall socket and phone line.
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Government says providers are supplying battery backups and free engineering visits for telecare devices and landlines where needed. That is not a universal retail assurance or a guarantee for every business installation. Confirm what is actually provided for your service and equipment; buying a UPS alone does not establish that emergency calling or a connected device will remain available. UK government guidance on digital landlines
5. Test the whole service at cutover
Agree who will test each critical service, what counts as a pass, and whom to contact if it fails. After migration, check inbound and outbound calls as well as the actual function of every dependent device—for example, alarm signalling, payment processing, entry systems or lift communications. Define restoration or escalation arrangements before the appointment, not after a failure.
Ofcom reported process concerns in BT’s telecare migration campaign and later said it secured improvements to checking, restoration, post-migration checks and staff training. Ofcom said its remediation agreement was not a determination of non-compliance. The episode underlines why a completed line migration should not, by itself, count as validation that every connected service works. Ofcom: protecting telecare users during digital phone-line migration
6. Escalate unresolved complex cases early
Raise compatibility disputes, non-automatic migrations, missing supplier information and unclear backup arrangements with the provider while there is time to agree a route. Ofcom expects more complex customers to represent a larger share of those remaining, and its report points to Prove Telecare and pre-digital phone-line arrangements as tools expected to help with some remaining risks. Ofcom Connected Nations UK Report 2025
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There is no single replacement product established for every organisation. Compare provider proposals against the needs of each line and device, rather than choosing on the basis of handset functionality alone.
Quick Recap
- Device compatibility: Will each attached system work, and does it need replacement or reconfiguration?
- Connectivity: Is broadband available at the site, and is it required for voice or connected equipment?
- Continuity: What happens during a power or broadband outage, and what backup is actually included?
- Emergency calls and vulnerable users: How are emergency calls handled, and what provisions apply to users who need additional support?
- Migration responsibility: Is the service eligible for an automatic move, or must the organisation arrange a customer-led migration?
- Verification and recovery: Who tests the service, how are faults escalated, and what restoration arrangements apply?
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