PSTN Switch Off guide for facilities managers

For over a hundred years, copper wire has been the backbone of the UK’s telecommunications. Connecting all of our most vital services, from schools to hospitals and emergency services. These wires power everything from the smart meters in our homes, the card machines in our stores, and the equipment that keeps our offices working. 

During this time, all of these devices have run off BT’s copper-based public switched telephone network (PSTN) - an analogue system that connects via specific phone numbers. But after operating for over a century, the PSTN has become outdated and difficult to maintain, with both the parts and the skills needed to install them increasingly difficult to source. Which is why new digital services like Voice over IP (VoIP) - where voice calls are transmitted the same way that broadband works, are being implemented.

With all of this innovation, the PSTN is officially being retired on January 31st, 2027, following years of work by Openreach to remove all technical barriers to migration. But, as we enter the final countdown, there are still around a million lines on the PSTN network that need to migrate,  with around 300,000 of these serving business premises.

The risk of small and medium-sized businesses being caught unaware is high. Many lack dedicated technical support, and are naturally focused on their day-to-day operations. Those that treat the switch-off as a routine or network upgrade, or worse, assume their providers have already handled it, risk being exposed to escalating costs, severe bottlenecks, or the threat of complete broadband loss.

Perhaps the greatest risk for SME’s is simply the lack of awareness around how many of their essential services may still be reliant on analogue copper lines. With ‘stop-sell’ in place, meaning new analogue lines can no longer be purchased, legacy infrastructure is essentially in a state of managed withdrawal. 

When that ends, and copper lines are finally switched off for good, hardware that still relies on it will immediately stop working. For SMEs, the non-voice dependencies include: 

• Payment and Point of Sale Systems: Older dial-up card readers, common in retail and hospitality businesses, may still process transactions over copper lines. SMEs that fail to migrate over could suddenly find themselves unable to process card payments.   

• Building Security & Access Controls: Many security camera systems may use dial-up modems that rely on copper lines to feed video clips off-site after hours. Additionally, security panels could be reliant on copper lines to send alerts to remote monitoring stations during break-ins.  

• Facility Safety Infrastructure: For businesses in multi-story buildings, elevator emergency call buttons that dial through to monitoring centres could rely on copper lines. 

• Office & Administrative Equipment: Older office equipment like franking machines, fax machines and dial-up modems may also depend on this legacy network. 

As well as the direct connectivity impact of the PSTN network switch-off on these devices, the power impact also must be considered. The older copper PSTN lines carry their own low-voltage electricity through the line, often serving as both the connectivity and power source for these devices. So, migration needs to take place promptly, leaving time not just for the transition to VoIP but for the installation of batteries for these digital routers, as well as the installation of backup battery systems and cellular failovers to ensure functionality, even in the event of local power outages. 

Financially, the costs of failing to migrate should also be a significant concern for SMEs. Smaller businesses, who already often have finer margins or can be more vulnerable to unexpected costs,  are currently struggling with high rates of inflation and high interest rates. 

While many might see the migration itself as an additional burden,  businesses that leave migration to the last minute face higher charges as the switch-off date draws closer. As previously confirmed by Openreach, a tiered price increase is already in place for those on the legacy PSTN-dependent products. In most cases, it is already cheaper today to be on the new all-IP products than the older, copper-reliant offering. Previous price increases occurred on April 1st and July 1st 2026, with the final set to take effect from October 1st 2026 - after which, the rental cost of legacy lines will have effectively doubled when compared to the 2025 rates. 

The switch-off also brings legal and compliance implications that SMEs need to consider.  These mostly concern safety equipment and insurance compliance. Alongside general health and safety regulations, standards around lift emergency systems as well as fire and security alarms are the most likely to be impacted by the switch-off. 

• Lift Emergency Systems - Regulations like BS EN 81-28 and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations dictate that passenger lifts need to have a 24/7 monitored two-way comms system for use in an emergency.  Mismanaging the PSTN switch-off could impact these systems and constitute a failure to manage foreseeable safety risks.

• Fire and Intruder Alarms - Standards like BS EN 50131 set performance expectations for alarm systems. They must meet specific standards, particularly when sending alerts to the Alarm Receiving Centre.  If an alarm loses its signalling path when the copper line is disconnected, the system becomes non-compliant and can immediately invalidate the building's insurance coverage. 

• General Health and Fire Safety - Regulations like the Health and Safety at Work Act require businesses to have risk assessments and control measures in place. Leaving lifts or alarms on a withdrawing network may fail certain requirements to have reasonable controls and safety measures in place. 

Because the transition affects critical infrastructure, SMEs should consult with compliance, insurance or legal professionals to understand their exact obligations and requirements. 

In January 2027, the UK’s digital landscape will change forever. Businesses should not wait for this deadline, or for their communications providers to reach out.

SMEs that believe they may be impacted, or are unsure about their current PSTN status, should take action now and follow the Review, Test, Switch Process. 

Review

The first step is to review all business sites and all connectivity-based technology and identify any PSTN-connected hardware or systems. Some of these may be non-telephony devices with hidden PSTN connections, like lifts, fire alarms, and payment terminals. It may be necessary to physically trace wall sockets to identify these. 

Test 

Do not assume legacy systems will seamlessly operate over IP. Any unmigrated hardware can be tested in Openreach’s free labs to verify its full operational performance on a digital IP network before any commitment to line switches is made. To find out more or to book a visit, click here: Test Lab 

Switch 

Once certain that their equipment is compatible, SMEs should migrate their premises to a digital solution as soon as possible ahead of the switch-off on January 31st, 2027. Openreach is offering a range of resources to help navigate this transition, including support for edge cases and temporary solutions where needed. As part of this switch, businesses should ensure all modern IP routers are fitted with battery backup units rated for at least one to four hours of continuous operation during mains power cuts across the premises they manage. 

To minimise any disruption caused by the migration, businesses should coordinate directly with their CP to schedule off-peak migrations to minimise disruption to day-to-day operations.