Openreach has issued a stark reminder to customers that the legacy phone network is being officially switched off on January 31, and says the deadline will not be postponed. The infrastructure arm of BT Group, Britain’s biggest telecoms biz, circulated the warning this week in a letter to comms providers that use its network to deliver their services. It informs them that any customers still on legacy public switched telephone network (PSTN) connections are at risk of disruption when these are retired at the end of January, 2027. The switch-off could affect businesses and consumers alike. Beyond the plain old telephone, systems that rely on PSTN connectivity include point-of-sale terminals, fire and security alarms, and personal care alarms for elderly and vulnerable people. The move is part of a wider government scheme to get the UK onto all-digital high-speed networks running on fiber-optic infrastructure, and the legacy phone service – with its dependency on copper cabling – was standing in the way. Many households have now ditched landline handsets and instead use only mobile phones, yet for those who still want a landline, the changeover means plugging the phone into the back of a broadband router to access a Digital Voice service. Openreach has been planning this move for the best part of a decade . It has already pushed back the deadline at least once, after the government asked telecoms providers not to force vulnerable customers who use phone-network systems such as TeleCare to switch until fixes are in place. Nevertheless, public awareness seems low that analog phone services will soon be disconnected. "Openreach and all providers need to coordinate a much more cohesive campaign that reaches customers directly," said telecoms analyst Paolo Pescatore at PP Foresight. "TV, billboards and newspaper advertising should reinforce a consistent message, supported by targeted letters, calls and door-to-door support for older and vulnerable people who need extra help," he told The Register . "Customers need to understand what is changing, what action to take, and who will help them…