The UK's traditional phone network — the copper-based system known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) — is being switched off nationally, in stages, over the next few years, replaced by digital, internet-based alternatives. If your business still relies on the old network for calls, alarm systems, or other connected equipment, this is worth planning for properly rather than discovering at the last minute.
Why this is happening
The underlying copper network is old, increasingly expensive to maintain, and was never designed for how telecommunications work today. Providers are migrating everyone to digital alternatives — primarily VoIP and full-fibre connections — as the modern replacement, in a nationally coordinated process rather than a choice any individual business or provider is making alone.
What's genuinely affected, beyond the obvious phone line
The most obvious impact is your main phone line itself, but it's worth checking for anything else quietly relying on the same old network: alarm systems and CCTV that dial out over a phone line, older card payment terminals, fax machines, and door entry or intercom systems. These are easy to forget because they're not something anyone thinks of as "the phone system," right up until they stop working.
What replaces it
For most businesses, the replacement is a VoIP-based phone system running over a broadband or full-fibre internet connection, often bundled with the kind of features covered in our piece on VoIP vs traditional phone lines. For equipment like alarms or payment terminals, there's usually a specific digital-compatible replacement or upgrade path, but it needs checking individually rather than assumed to just work.
Why waiting until the last minute is the wrong approach
Because this is a nationwide, staged rollout, exact local timelines vary, and your own provider will typically contact you directly as your specific line approaches switch-off. Waiting for that notice before thinking about it at all risks a rushed, poorly-planned transition, especially if any of your equipment — alarms, payment terminals — needs a longer lead time to replace or reconfigure than the phone line itself.
A sensible way to approach it
Start by listing everything in your business that still uses a phone line for anything beyond ordinary calls, check with your current provider or installer whether each piece has a confirmed digital-compatible replacement, and plan the switch on your own timeline where possible, rather than being pushed into a rushed one.
If you're not sure what in your business still depends on the old network, or want help planning the move properly, our IT support page covers how we can help, or get in touch.
Talk to a local IT team
Get in touch and we'll talk you through how we can help — no pressure, no jargon.