The UK’s copper telephone network — the PSTN — is being switched off, with the industry working to a deadline of 31 January 2027. Everything that currently runs over a traditional analogue line has to move to a digital equivalent before then.
Most businesses hear “phone lines” and assume it is a small job. The phones are usually the easy part. It is everything else quietly plugged into a copper line that causes the trouble.
Why it is happening
The copper network dates back decades and is increasingly expensive to maintain. Openreach is retiring it in favour of digital services running over broadband. This is a national programme, not an offer, and it is not optional.
The phones are not the problem
Moving a phone system to a cloud service is well-trodden and usually straightforward. What catches businesses out is the list of things nobody thinks of as telephony:
- Intruder and fire alarms that dial a monitoring centre
- Lift emergency phones
- Door entry systems
- Card payment terminals on a dedicated line
- Franking machines
- Emergency lines in stairwells or lone-worker areas
- CCTV that dials out
- Gate and barrier controls
Several of these are safety-critical, and some are subject to their own compliance requirements. A lift phone that stops working is not an inconvenience; it is a serious problem, and potentially a legal one.
The other thing worth knowing early: these devices frequently belong to different suppliers, on different contracts, with different renewal dates. Coordinating them takes longer than the technical work.
The power question
Analogue phones drew power from the line itself, so they worked in a power cut. Digital services do not. No power means no broadband, which means no phone.
If you have a genuine need for a line during an outage — a lift phone, an alarm, a lone-worker point — that needs a deliberate answer. Battery backup on the router, a mobile fallback, or a device with its own cellular connection. Decide it now rather than discovering it during a storm.
A sensible plan
Audit every line. Not just the ones you make calls on. Walk the building, find every socket, and work out what is plugged into it. This nearly always turns up something forgotten.
Contact the suppliers behind each device. The alarm company, the lift maintainer, the card terminal provider. Ask directly what their digital path is and what it costs. Some will swap the device; some need a full replacement.
Sort the phone system. Usually the most visible change and the one with the clearest upside — calls from a laptop or mobile, one number that follows people, and no more paying per line.
Check the broadband underneath it. Voice quality depends on the connection carrying it. If your line is marginal now, fix it before you put your phone calls on it.
Plan for power. Battery backup where continuity actually matters.
Do not wait for the deadline
Two practical reasons to move early. Installers get busier as the deadline approaches, and lead times stretch. And doing it under time pressure is how businesses end up with a rushed decision and a contract they regret.
There is an upside worth taking, too. Most businesses find the digital replacement cheaper and considerably more capable than the copper lines it replaces.
The bottom line
The deadline is January 2027 and it applies to everything on a copper line, not just the phones. Audit every line you have, get the alarm and lift suppliers moving early because they take longest, decide where you genuinely need power resilience, and move before the rush.
FAQ
What happens if we do nothing? The line stops working when the exchange is switched off. Anything depending on it — including alarms and lift phones — stops with it.
Can we keep our existing phone numbers? Yes. Numbers can be transferred to a digital service, and for most businesses that is a routine part of the move.
Will our alarm still work? Only if it is upgraded or replaced with something designed for a digital connection. Speak to your alarm provider early, because this is the item that most often has the longest lead time.
