Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) lines in the UK will officially end service on 31 January 2027. And if your business continues to use them, now is the time to take action.
‘Urgent!’ and ‘Act Now!’ messages are two-a-penny in business communications, but here’s something that genuinely requires prompt attention.
BT Openreach has confirmed the PSTN Switch Off will go ahead on 31 January 2027. On this date, it will permanently switch off the UK’s old copper telephone network, the PSTN – which supports WLR and ISDN services – and businesses will need to have migrated to a digital alternative.
Fail to switch in time and you’ll revert to a basic fallback analogue provision called Emergency Voice Access (EVAC). It’s as stripped back as it sounds and won’t support the many services businesses require today. This includes anything relying on copper lines such as ADSL broadband, alarms, lift phone lines, door entry systems and payment terminals.
The upshot is that it’s simply not viable for any modern business to stick with copper lines. Upgrading is essential. In our view, updating your network is also a huge opportunity for businesses not to just meet modern standards, but also to embrace much better ways of working.
| What’s Affected | Why it Will Stop Working |
|---|---|
| Analogue landline phones | Fully depends on PSTN copper lines |
| ADSL broadband | Runs over PSTN copper lines |
| Burglar and fire alarms | Uses analogue phone lines to send alerts |
| Lift emergency phones | Emergency calls use analogue phone lines |
| Card payment terminals | Older PDQ machines use analogue phone lines to process payments |
| Door entry systems | Uses analogue phone lines to connect visitors to staff |
Why is the PSTN Switch Off Happening?
Because copper lines are redundant.
They’ve had a good run. Incredibly, the UK’s copper landline network – the PSTN – was originally rolled out in the late 19th century, starting with Europe’s first public telephone exchange in London in 1879.
Technology has moved on considerably. (And it’s probably fair to say that even the most forward-looking Victorians were not considering the bandwidth required for international Teams calls).
That’s why a once-in-a-generation upgrade of the nation’s telecoms infrastructure is currently rolling out, including full fibre technologies such as digital VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
Why is the PSTN Switch Off a Good Thing?
Before addressing the benefits, it’s worth reiterating that services such as broadband, alarm lines, lift lines, card machines and payment terminals, telemetry and monitoring systems simply won’t work if you don’t switch.
That’s the ‘push’ factor. But there’s a strong ‘pull’ factor, too, reflecting the many advantages of the new network.
- Faster, More Reliable Broadband. Full-fibre broadband is up to 25x faster and 5x more reliable than traditional copper line-based broadband.
- Holistic IT and Communications. Upgrading your communications provides an opportunity to properly integrate services with Microsoft Teams and your CRM, ‘joining up’ your business systems and improving processes and collaboration.
- Lower Costs. Cloud-based phone systems and digital voice services are more efficient, flexible and scalable. They’re more cost-effective in the long-term, too.
Why Should I Move Now Rather Than Later?
Here’s where the push factor becomes a bit of a shove.
In a move clearly designed to incentivise businesses to hurry up and make this essential switch, BT Openreach is increasing prices throughout 2026, following a 20% increase in April:
- July 2026: Prises rise by a further 40%.
- October 2026: A final 40% increase, meaning costs will be roughly double what they were in 2025.
If you hold back until the bitter end, it’s going to cost you.
So, is Everyone Migrating?
You’d think so – and many are.
But in February 2026, BT Openreach confirmed 500,000 business lines still haven’t migrated away to IP-based alternatives. This may be because the deadline was pushed back previously – and businesses thought that would happen again – or perhaps the urgency of the situation hasn’t hit home.
If you are one of those businesses that haven’t switched, you may already be doing a back-of-an-envelope calculation of how long you’ve got to make the transition.
If your calculation amounts to ‘not very long’ you’d be about right.
What Should We Do Next?
Forget the ‘Urgent!’ and ‘Act Now!’ messages we mentioned at the top of the article – there’s still time before the 31 January 2027 deadline and no need to panic.
A good first step is to audit your existing setup, assessing how reliant you still are on PSTN and ISDN for both your phone systems and other services such as alarms, door entry systems, lift emergency phones and card payment terminals. We’re here to help you take that first step with a free PSTN Switch Off Readiness Assessment.
From there, we can work with you to put a clear migration plan in place so you can move across well before the switch-off. That way, you can ensure services continue to run smoothly, while also benefiting from systems that are faster, more flexible and often more cost-effective.
Free Readiness AssessMENT
PSTN Switch Off Readiness Assessment
Is your business switch off ready?
Arrange a free readiness assessment, and understand clearly what your move to an all-IP setup would look like.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Not Sure Where To Start?
Don’t worry — we’re always here to help.
We have experts in Infrastructure and Connectivity who can advise and support you through your migration from copper to full fibre. We’re also backed by trusted partners, including Zen Internet, helping to ensure the transition is as smooth for your business as possible.
Says Hayden Castleton, Account Manager at Zen Internet, “Great to see Aztek continuing to lead the way in helping businesses transition from legacy copper to full fibre. As a valued partner of Zen since 2018, it’s been a pleasure working closely together over the past year to support that journey — from cleansing and analysing address data to identify upgrade opportunities, through to providing access to a wide range of FTTP solutions across multiple networks. A true partnership focused on delivering the best outcomes for customers.”
Get in touch to start planning your move.
