If your business still has “a phone line” in the traditional sense (copper pair, dial tone, maybe an old ISDN circuit humming away in a comms cupboard), the clock is ticking. The UK’s analogue phone network (the PSTN) is being retired and the end date is now 31st January 2027.
That sounds ages away. It isn’t. The industry has already moved into the “no more messing about” phase, where changes, upgrades, office moves, and even simple contract renewals can force you onto IP services anyway.
And yes, for SEO purposes and because it’s the reality: this is the PSTN shutdown VoIP transition for small business moment.
What’s actually being switched off?
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is the old circuit switched network that carried voice calls over copper. It also underpins a surprising number of “not really phones” in SMEs, like:
- Alarm panels and autodiallers
- Lift emergency lines
- Payment terminals and PDQ lines (in some setups)
- Door entry and intercoms
- Analogue lines for fax (still out there,mainly in football clubs for transfer deadline day)
- Legacy ISDN for phone systems and conferencing
These services worked because copper carried power and dial tone in a very predictable way. Digital voice doesn’t. It runs over broadband (VoIP), so it behaves more like an internet service than a “magic always-on phone socket”.
The timeline, and why the deadline slipped
For years, the headline date was 31 December 2025. That changed. In May 2024, BT/Openreach confirmed the final switch-off and Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) withdrawal would move to 31 January 2027.
The big driver for the delay wasn’t technical. It was safety and process, especially around telecare (panic buttons, fall alarms, health monitoring devices) and how these behave during migrations and power cuts. Ofcom and government got involved, migrations were paused more than once, and the sector has been pushed to tighten safeguards.
This matters to SMEs because it shows the direction of travel: the network retirement is happening, but providers are under pressure to do it properly. Also, it highlights a key risk for businesses: anything “critical” that relies on an analogue line needs to be identified and handled deliberately, not discovered on the day it fails.
“Stop Sell” already changed the game
Even if 2027 feels distant, the commercial reality is more immediate. Openreach introduced a UK-wide WLR Stop Sell from 5 September 2023, meaning new supply of many legacy copper telephony products is effectively off the table.
So if you’re planning a move, adding lines, upgrading broadband, or changing provider, you may find the old options simply aren’t offered anymore. You’ll be nudged (or shoved) toward all-IP products like SoGEA/FTTP for connectivity and VoIP for voice.
What SMEs should do now
- Audit everything that touches a phone line
Don’t just list handsets. Trace lines into alarm panels, entry systems, lifts, EPOS, franking machines, and any “mystery box” in the corner. This is where nasty surprises live. - Check your connectivity and resilience
VoIP needs stable broadband. If your internet is flaky now, voice will inherit that flakiness. Fix the root problem first: fibre where possible, business-grade routers, proper Wi-Fi coverage, and ideally a backup connection. - Plan for power cuts
Old-style lines often worked during local power outages. Digital voice generally won’t unless you add battery backup or alternative calling options. Ofcom has set expectations around access to emergency calling during power cuts (including resilience measures).
For businesses, the sensible approach is UPS/battery backup for network kit plus a mobile fallback plan. - Choose the right VoIP setup
Basic hosted VoIP works for many SMEs. If you need call recording, hunt groups, CRM integration, contact centre features, or multi-site support, design it properly now rather than bolting it on later. - Test the “non-phone” devices early
Alarms and lift lines might need GSM/IP modules, managed signalling, or specialist adapters. Some devices will not behave reliably over cheap analogue terminal adapters. Treat this as an engineering change, not an admin change.
The risks of doing nothing
- Service disruption at the worst time: leaving migration to the last minute means you’ll be competing for engineer time, ports, numbers, and attention.
- Hidden business-critical failures: the phone might work, but the alarm dialler doesn’t. Or the lift line fails its compliance test. Or card payments intermittently drop.
- Safety and duty-of-care exposure: if your premises have devices tied to emergency response (lifts, lone worker systems, safety alarms), failure becomes a serious issue, not just an IT headache. The real-world consequences of poor migrations have already been scrutinised publicly.
- Higher costs: rushed projects cost more. Also, legacy services can become more expensive as fewer people remain on them.
Bottom line
The PSTN switch-off date moved, but the industry didn’t hit pause. For UK SMEs, the smart move is to treat 2026 as your transition year, not a warm-up lap. Get your audit done, fix connectivity, design VoIP properly, and migrate on your timetable, not under a forced change window.
Because “we’ll deal with it later” is not a strategy. It’s just future-you inheriting a mess.
The PSTN shutdown is coming whether you’re ready or not. If you want to get ahead of it, now is the time to review your phone systems, connectivity, and any services still relying on old copper lines. We help UK SMEs plan and deliver a smooth VoIP migration, without disruption, guesswork, or last-minute panic. Get in touch with our team to talk about your PSTN shutdown VoIP transition for small business and see how our Managed Communications services can support you.