UK PSTN switch-off 2027: what every small business must do

The UK Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the copper-wire system that has carried Britain’s voice calls for a century, is being retired by BT Openreach on 31 January 2027. Every analogue line — including WLR 2 wholesale lines, ISDN2, and ISDN30 — will stop working that day.

Who is affected

If your business uses anything other than a SIP / cloud phone service, you are affected. That includes: alarm panels using auto-dial, lift telephones, fax machines, EPOS terminals dialling for card auth, and any office where the desk phones plug into a master socket rather than a router.

What to do

1. Audit every line. List analogue lines, fax DDIs, alarms, and lift phones. Note their numbers.
2. Pick a successor. Hosted VoIP (Silux Call) is the standard answer for SMBs. Larger sites may need full-fibre SoGEA + SIP trunks.
3. Port your numbers via PAC (mobile) or STAC (landline). Silux Call ports free on Plus and above.
4. Move ancillary devices to an ATA box or replace them with IP-native versions.
5. Run in parallel for at least 7 days before you decommission the old line.

Budget

For a 1-10 user UK SMB, expect £6.95–£17.95 per user / month plus £0–£30 one-off porting. Lift / alarm / EPOS migration ranges from £50 to £400 per endpoint depending on age.