In January 2027, the UK’s PSTN network is going to be switched off. For something that impacts British businesses and households so much, we are frankly surprised to see that there hasn’t been much in the way of public information campaigns about it – not at the time of writing, anyway.
So, let’s uncover what exactly is happening, explore the rationale behind it, and find out why such an Earth-shattering change to the country’s infrastructure is actually a great opportunity for businesses.
First thing’s first:
What is the PSTN Switch-Off?
The UK’s copper-cable “landline” telephony network, called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), will be completely switched off in January 2027. Therefore, every analogue phone line in the UK will need to move to digital “VoIP” telephony over a fibre broadband connection to continue operating.
Yes, after the switch-off, every landline phone line in the UK will cease to function. It’s also bad news for organisations who use ISDN telephony systems and ADSL internet connectivity as these technologies depend on the PSTN.
Please note that the PSTN switch-off does not impact mobile telephony or mobile internet connectivity like 4G/5G.
Before we go any further, let’s demystify a bit of jargon:
What is the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)?
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is the copper-line communications network that many homes and businesses currently rely on for analogue, landline telephony. This connectivity also serves as the backbone for ISDN phone systems, ADSL internet connectivity, and fax.
However, the PSTN network also connects emergency lift alarms, burglar alarms, payment terminals, CCTV systems, door entry systems, personal alarm services, and much more.
So the PSTN switch-off will affect much more than just bog-standard telephony! Both businesses and consumers will need to be prepared ahead of time to avoid disruption.
What is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)?
VoIP, sometimes called IP telephony, refers to technologies that allow users to make voice calls digitally over the internet rather than a landline connection. If you’ve ever taken part in a voice call over a platform like Zoom, Skype, or WhatsApp, you’ve experienced VoIP first hand.
How Should Businesses Prepare for the Big PSTN Switch-Off?
Thankfully, most businesses will already have the one thing that you need for reliable, company-wide VoIP telephony: a fibre broadband connection. However, do familiarise yourself with the bandwidth you receive from your internet service provider – that’s the maximum amount of data your connection can transmit at one time.
If you’re already nearing your maximum bandwidth just with your regular internet usage, then it’s likely you will need to upgrade your connection in order to accommodate VoIP telephony over the same connection.
We’d recommend that any organisation take stock of the different types of connectivity at play within their infrastructure. As mentioned above, the PSTN switch-off will affect lifts, alarms, fax machines, payment terminals, and loads more, so speak to the companies who provide these services for guidance on making the move away from PSTN.
If your business is a part of the third (33%) of British businesses who are still using ISDN telephony, the switch to VoIP-based telephony isn’t a scary one – in fact it can come with a number of benefits which we will cover shortly.
Rest assured that mobile telephony and 4G/5G internet connectivity will not be impacted by the PSTN switch off, so mobile phones and routers will still keep trucking along, as will any kind of satellite connectivity.
What does the PSTN switch-off mean for individuals?
It’s worth mentioning that the switch-off won’t just affect businesses – it will impact any premises that uses landline connectivity, including our homes. Older people may be particularly impacted, as they are statistically less likely to be internet users and may rely on devices like panic alarms, some of which use analogue telephony.
Age UK figures show that more than two out of five (42%) aged 75+ do not use the internet at all – it’s therefore unlikely that individuals of that group who live alone are likely to have a fibre connection. However, one saving grace here is that mobile telephony and broadband is unaffected by the PSTN switch-off, so older people who may not want to pay for a broadband connection they’ll barely use could consider using a mobile for phone calling.
If you take anything away from this article and into your personal life, it’s this: make sure your elderly and/or vulnerable friends and family know about the switch-off well ahead of time so appropriate preparations can be made.
How Will the PSTN Switch-Off Benefit Businesses?
Though sudden change can be worrisome, we feel that moving to VoIP telephony presents a lot of benefits to organisations of all types and sizes.
- With a digital phone system, your team can be anywhere in the world and still make/receive calls as if they were in the office, provided they have a reliable internet connection. Understandably, this is great for hybrid working and for business continuity.
- Digital telephony is much more scalable than traditional telephony. Digital systems let you add new users at the click of a button, where legacy systems can suffer hardware limitations that stand in the way of growth.
- Tech support for VoIP can generally be handled remotely but when analogue telephony needs fixing, you may have to book an engineer visit.
- Digital call quality is generally a lot higher compared to analogue calls.
- VoIP systems can be more cost effective than traditional telephone systems. Not only can digital systems work out cheaper per user, but additional features like voicemail and conference calling can be far more cost efficient than on analogue systems.
- Unified Communications (UC) solutions let you incorporate all manner of business communication and telephony through one platform, including VoIP telephony, VoIP conference calling, video calling, calendar sharing, document sharing, instant messaging, and more depending on the package you choose. UC platforms can also collect call-handling statistics too.
- VoIP has been around since the 1990s, so it’s not some fly-by-night fad. Late tech-adopters needn’t worry!
To explore the benefits of VoIP telephony in more depth, check out this article from our pals at Just Business Phones – Free Your Biz: 6 Reasons to Ditch Your Analogue Phone Line
Also, a brief word to the wise: don’t put off the switch to VoIP ‘til the last minute – three reasons why:
- If you make the switch to VoIP while the PSTN is still available, you will still have the old system as a backup if you need to iron out any wrinkles in VoIP implementation or staff training.
- The sooner you make the switch, the sooner you will be able to harness the above benefits.
- Despite words of warning from ISPs and telephony providers, there are always going to be businesses who leave it until the 11th hour in order to make the switch to VoIP. By acting now, you potentially avoid clamouring for installation and support assistance when other users will likely be most fraught and providers will likely be most stretched.
Why is the PSTN Switch-Off Happening?
The way we communicate has changed dramatically since the PSTN’s Victorian-era beginnings. Modern fibre broadband can now reliably facilitate both internet and telephony at the same time, and can provide a much faster connection and higher call quality than telephony over copper lines.
Pretty much all modern fibre internet connections have the bandwidth to handle both internet connectivity and VoIP telephony in stride. So when the fibre network can do double duty, and currently covers 97% of UK premises, there’s little reason to keep the old copper network around.
There are likely other considerations at play here too. As infrastructure like the PSTN gets older, it may grow less and less reliable, and upkeep may become more and more costly. With that in mind, and knowing that the PSTN is growing increasingly surplus to requirements, 2025 is probably a good time to retire the old copper network.
And it’s not just happening in the UK. Estonia and the Netherlands have already completely retired their PSTN networks, and Germany, Japan, and Sweden are also making the switch.
Who Decided to Switch Off the PSTN?
The decision comes from BT Openreach, the organisation that maintains the UK’s telecoms infrastructure. In a BT article about the switch-off, they state:
”As people switch to mobile and internet communications, everyone demands much more than the traditional technologies were designed to deliver.”
How Will the Switch Off Happen?
Measures ahead of pressing “the big off button” are already taking place. Openreach is in the process of enacting PSTN/WLR “stop sells” across the country, area by area. A stop sell means that you can no longer request a new PSTN service, or add new analogue phone lines to existing installations.
The last phase of stop selling has concluded. The last date for any new PTSN services was the 5th September 2023. No new PSTN services will be available to order, a few areas have an exceptions rule due to the infrastructure or upgrades. We recommend that all readers take action well before this point. As mentioned above, this switch-off can impact lifts, alarms, security, payment terminals, door entry systems, and more, so aim to convert these to a digital service ASAP.
When is the Big Switch Off Happening?
At the time of writing, the only date being given is “January 2027” – so it would seem that no specific day has been publicly earmarked for the switch-off.
Our advice: take action now before it’s too late! For a no-obligation chat about moving your organisation’s telephony over to VoIP, migrating your business’s existing PSTN services, or to make sure you have a robust enough broadband connection to move to digital telephony, simply request a call back from our friendly team.