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Openreach says the UK’s legacy public switched telephone network will be retired on Jan. 31, 2027, and it does not plan to postpone the deadline. The change affects more than traditional landline handsets: businesses and households should check whether alarms, payment terminals or care equipment still depend on the old network.
Openreach says the UK’s legacy landline network will be retired on Jan. 31, 2027, and that the deadline will not be postponed, putting homes and organizations still using the public switched telephone network (PSTN) at risk of service disruption if they do not arrange a suitable replacement. The BT Group infrastructure company sent the warning to communications providers that use its network; the change can also affect equipment such as care alarms, security systems and payment terminals.
Openreach’s notice says customers still connected through the old PSTN may lose service when the network is retired at the end of January. The switch-off concerns the legacy copper-based telephone service, not simply the use of a handset: other devices that place calls or transmit data over a traditional phone line may also need to be checked and migrated.
For customers who want to keep a home phone and have a broadband router, the usual digital arrangement is to connect the handset to the router and use a Digital Voice service. Openreach has previously said that customers without a fiber connection may instead be moved to SOTAP for Analog, a service using equipment at the local telephone exchange to let them continue using an existing phone line. The appropriate option depends on the connection and the provider’s arrangements.
Openreach advises consumers to contact their communications provider as soon as possible to check whether they still rely on PSTN and what migration is required. It has also warned commercial customers that late changes could bring disruption and extra costs, and that engineering support may be harder to secure close to the deadline. The company says many straightforward migrations have already taken place, leaving some more complex services to coordinate and test.
Phones, Alarms and Business Systems
The retirement reaches beyond people who still make calls on a landline. TeleCare and personal care alarms may depend on a phone connection to summon help, while businesses can use PSTN lines for point-of-sale terminals, fire alarms and security systems. A missed migration could therefore affect safety or business operations, not just the ability to make a voice call.
The switch also places practical demands on customers who may not be able to identify every device connected to an old line. Providers and equipment suppliers may need to establish which systems are affected, arrange replacements or alternative connections, and test them. Age UK has emphasized that support should not depend solely on vulnerable customers recognizing the issue and making contact themselves.
For households, the digital replacement may require a broadband connection and a router, and some digital phone services may not work in the same way during a power cut as a traditional line. The source material does not specify the arrangements available to each customer, so people with a phone used for emergencies or care equipment should ask their provider and alarm supplier how continuity will be maintained.
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A Long-Planned Copper Retirement
Openreach has been preparing to retire the PSTN for years as the UK moves toward digital communications and fiber-based infrastructure. The old service relies on copper telephone lines; digital voice services carry calls over broadband instead. Many households have already stopped using landline handsets, but lines can remain active for devices people may not think of as phones.
The timetable has already been delayed at least once. According to the report, the earlier postponement followed a government request that providers not force vulnerable customers using systems such as TeleCare to switch before fixes were available. The current warning says the Jan. 31, 2027 date will not be moved again, although the report does not set out detailed protections or exceptions for every type of customer.
Openreach has also raised charges affecting providers and companies that continue to operate legacy business lines. The report says some are now paying double the rental cost compared with the previous year. That pricing change adds pressure to migrate, but it does not replace the need to identify and test the services attached to each line.
“Nobody who relies on their landline or TeleCare should be left behind.”
— Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK
Who Still Needs a Migration Plan
The report does not give a count of customers, businesses or critical devices still connected to PSTN, and it does not quantify how many are likely to face disruption. Public awareness is described by the sources as low, but no survey figures are provided. It is also unclear how many customers have received direct notice or what further outreach each provider will conduct.
Individual migration arrangements depend on the provider, broadband availability and the equipment attached to a line. Openreach’s reference to SOTAP for Analog applies to some customers without fiber, but the report does not establish that every customer without fiber will qualify or describe the full terms. Details of backup power, emergency calling and specific compatibility for individual alarms and payment systems must be confirmed with the relevant provider or equipment supplier.
Openreach says the deadline will not be postponed, but the report does not explain how cases involving unresolved technical problems or vulnerable customers will be handled after Jan. 31. Customers should not assume that a device is unaffected simply because it is not used to make ordinary calls.
Checks Before the January Deadline
Customers should contact their communications provider promptly and ask whether their service still uses PSTN, what replacement is available, and whether any connected devices need separate changes. People who use a TeleCare or personal alarm should also speak with the alarm provider and confirm that the new connection has been installed and tested before relying on it.
Businesses and public-service organizations should audit analog lines, identify the systems they support, and coordinate migration and testing with both communications providers and equipment suppliers. Openreach says complex connections can require planning and engineering support, making late action risky. The next key date is Jan. 31, 2027, when the planned retirement is due to take effect; the report gives no later milestone or separate completion schedule for individual customers.
Key Questions
When is the UK PSTN landline network scheduled to close?
Openreach says the legacy public switched telephone network is due to be retired on Jan. 31, 2027. The company says it does not plan to postpone the deadline.
Will every home landline stop working?
The change retires the legacy PSTN service, not necessarily every landline handset. Customers may be able to keep using a phone through a digital voice service connected to a broadband router, or another arrangement offered by their provider. They should check their own service rather than assume it will continue unchanged.
Which devices besides phones could be affected?
Equipment that may rely on PSTN includes personal care and TeleCare alarms, fire and security alarms, and point-of-sale terminals. Customers should check with both their communications provider and the supplier of any connected equipment.
What should someone without fiber broadband do?
Openreach has previously said some customers without a fiber connection may be moved to SOTAP for Analog, which uses equipment in the local exchange. Customers need to ask their provider whether this option applies to their connection and what they must do.
What should customers do now?
Contact the communications provider as soon as possible to confirm whether the service uses PSTN and arrange migration. Anyone relying on a care alarm or other critical device should also confirm compatibility and test the replacement setup with its supplier.
Source: theregister.com
