The traditional copper phone network that has carried UK landline calls for generations is being switched off. For most households this means a new kind of phone connection. For businesses, it can mean more, because phone lines often do jobs that nobody thinks about until they stop working: card machines, alarms, lift emergency phones, door entry systems and fax machines.
This guide explains what is changing, what it affects, and what to check so your business is not caught out.
What is the landline switch off?
The UK is retiring the public switched telephone network, usually called the PSTN. This is the analogue system that carries voice calls over copper wires from exchanges to homes and businesses. The main network operator, Openreach, stopped selling new analogue lines nationally in September 2023, and the switch off is due to be completed by the end of January 2027.
In its place, calls are carried digitally over broadband connections, using what is often called VoIP (voice over internet protocol) or a digital landline. The phone number stays the same kind of number; it is the way the call travels that changes.
What about ISDN?
ISDN is an older digital service that many businesses use to connect a phone system with several lines. It relies on the same legacy network, so it is being withdrawn as part of the same programme. If your office phone system connects through ISDN, it will need to move to a different service, typically SIP trunks or a hosted phone system that runs over your broadband.
Why is it happening?
The analogue network is old, increasingly hard to maintain and expensive to keep running alongside modern networks. Spare parts and the skills to repair the equipment are becoming harder to find. Full fibre and other broadband networks can carry calls as data, so the industry is moving everything onto one modern network rather than running two side by side.
What moves to digital?
Anything that currently uses an analogue phone line or ISDN will need to work over a digital connection instead. For a typical business, that includes:
- Phone lines and phone systems. Desk phones, reception lines and older on site phone systems.
- Card payment terminals that dial out over a phone line.
- Intruder and fire alarms that send signals to a monitoring centre over the line.
- Lift emergency phones that connect trapped passengers to help.
- Fax machines and some franking machines.
- Door entry systems, gate intercoms and some CCTV that use a phone line to call out or be accessed remotely.
- Telecare and personal alarms, which matter if your business provides care or supported housing.
What to check, device by device
Card machines
Many modern card terminals already connect over broadband, WiFi or a built in mobile SIM, so they will not be affected. Older countertop terminals may still dial out through a phone line. Check the terminal settings or ask your card terminal provider how it connects. If it uses the phone line, ask them about a replacement or a change of connection before the switch off reaches you.
Alarms
Monitored intruder and fire alarms often use a communicator that sends signals over the phone line. Some older units do not work reliably over a digital line. Ask your alarm installer or monitoring company whether your system is ready, and whether it can use a digital or mobile signalling path instead. Ask them to test it once any change has been made, because an alarm that cannot reach the monitoring centre may give no obvious warning.
Lift lines
Lift emergency phones connect trapped passengers to help, and many use an autodialler on an analogue line. If your building has a lift, speak to your lift maintenance company about moving the emergency line to a digital or mobile solution and confirming it works.
Fax
Fax was designed for analogue lines and can be unreliable over digital connections. If you still send or receive faxes, consider whether you can move to secure email or an online fax service. If a customer, supplier or regulator still requires fax, ask your phone provider what they support.
Door entry, gates and CCTV
Intercoms and gate systems that dial a phone number, and older CCTV systems that use a line for remote access, may need upgrading. The installer or maintenance company for each system is the right place to start.
Power cuts and emergency calls
An analogue line carries its own power from the exchange, which is why a basic corded phone could keep working in a power cut. A digital phone service depends on your router and other equipment having power. If the power goes off, calls may stop unless you have a battery backup.
For most businesses, mobile phones cover emergency calls during a power cut. If anyone at your premises depends on a landline, for example for a telecare alarm, tell your phone provider, because providers should offer a solution such as a battery backup. For critical systems like alarms and lift lines, ask the supplier how the system behaves during a power cut and whether it has its own backup.
What you need to do
- Make a list. Walk round the building and note everything that plugs into a phone socket, including equipment in cupboards, plant rooms and lift motor rooms.
- Check your contracts. Find out which provider supplies each line and whether the number is used for anything other than calls.
- Talk to each equipment supplier. Ask whether the device will work on a digital line, and what they recommend if not.
- Get a reliable broadband connection. Digital calls need a stable connection with enough upload capacity. Full fibre is a strong foundation where it is available at your address.
- Choose a digital phone service. Plan the move of your numbers, and test everything after the change.
- Think about resilience. If losing your connection would stop calls and payments, consider a backup. Our guide to broadband backup and failover explains the options.
Business phone lines: Virtual Voice
You can add a digital phone line to your Cyber Fibre broadband when you order, and keep your existing number. For several lines, VoIP phones and team calling plans, our sister company Virtual Voice Office can help you move your numbers onto a digital service. You can find out more at virtualvoice.uk. Our guide to VoIP business calls over broadband explains what your connection needs to carry calls well.
Get your connection ready
Digital phones, card machines and alarms all depend on the broadband behind them. Check your address to see the business full fibre packages available at your premises, or read about business broadband and leased lines. If you would like help planning the move, contact our team in Sunderland.