Openreach warns landline phones will stop working on January 31, 2027
Legacy PTSN system is going digital, so users should switch now
Openreach remind businesses and consumers alike to check their connections
Openreach has issued a reminder warning that the UK’s legacy landline phone network will be switched off in less than 100 days. BT’s infrastructure arm, responsible for deploying, maintaining and upgrading most of the country’s networks, has reminded users the copper-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN) network will be retired on January 31, 2027. There will be no extension to this cut-off, meaning users, both business and consumer alike, will need to ensure their systems are ready for the change. Time to switch
The news of the "big switch off", as Openreach’s advice hub calls it , should not be a surprise, as plans were first announced to shut down the PSTN and ISDN networks by the end of 2025 back in 2017 – with the deadline later extended to 2027. It notes that the aging landline network is harder to maintain and more vulnerable to faults, whilst also being unable to keep up with the demands posed by modern usage. Openreach says it has already supported the migration of around 15 million lines off the old copper-based network, and although most of our homes and offices will have already switched to digital-based Internet Protocol (IP) fiber networks, there are a wide range of systems which still rely on PSTN connectivity…