PSTN lines will be gone by 2027. Does your business have a plan?

We are only just in 2024 and it is very easy to dismiss January 2027 as a date in the distant future. As a business owner, with all the daily pressures you have it is likely you have put very little thought into PSTN lines getting switched off, but does your business have a plan? If it doesn’t, then now is the time to have one.

Way back in November 2017, BT Openreach advised that they would disabling all PSTN services on their network. PSTN (or Public Switched Telephone Network) supports various products, including ISDN lines and analogue lines which most businesses use.

Anthony Temperton of KAT Communications advises “Originally planned for 2025, Openreach have moved the switch off date to 2027 but this will not be changed again. PSTN lines will be gone by January 2027 but it affects more than just voice services. If affects alarm lines, emergency lift phones, some card machines but also any phone lines that are used for broadband. If they get switched off your broadband gets switched off too. Anything that connects to a PSTN line must be upgraded”.

Still not sure if you are affected?

Have a look at your latest telecoms bill and see if the below are listed. If so, you will be affected by the switch off, and run the risk of losing your services in January 2027:

• PSTN
• Analogue
• Single Line
• Multi Line
• Premium Line
• ADSL
• FTTC
• GFast
• ISDN2 and/or ISDN30

So if as a business owner you haven’t considered your options and not considering no action could mean losing your phone number as well as your service then you are not on your own. Recent research showed that nearly half of businesses and business owners are unaware of Openreach switch off. This is despite all the media attention and all of the new telecoms companies who have come to market who have seen the opportunity in moving old pstn lines to VoIP.

The blog, titled ‘Nearly half of businesses unaware of PSTN switch-off,’ sheds light on crucial findings from recent research. Shockingly, only 54% of UK businesses directly impacted by the switch-off are currently aware of the need to upgrade their services and 49% of UK businesses haven’t as yet started researching alternatives to their legacy PSTN services.

Are you one of these businesses?

Now is the time to start looking at alternatives. Leaving the research until 2026 runs the risk of making a rash decision. This is what happened in the pandemic when those companies without remote working solutions and policies signed up on long term agreements for something they thought would help them get through the other side and keep them trading. Time, though only just is still on your side.

There is a lot to consider and not all telecoms providers and solutions are the same. In the last 12 months a number of telecom providers have introduced new 5 and 7 year agreements for VoIP phone systems with no guarantee your prices will remain the same over those terms.

Anthony Temperton of KAT states “Business owners who are starting their journey of looking at alternatives to their legacy solutions have time, they don’t need to be rushed into a decision but they do need to start doing their research now. It is known in the industry that a series of price hikes are coming for ISDN and analogue phone lines all designed at encouraging people to make the move. Openreach don’t want everything moving in January 2027!”

It is recommended for your business to ensure a smooth transition away from the old Openreach legacy technology to act now. This way as a business owner you will have time to choose a bespoke solution, right for your business with all the benefits that go alongside it.

If, as a business owner you are unsure of the first step to a digital future contact our team of experts for a free, no obligation consultation on 01302 260195 or via enquiries@katcommunications.co.uk