PSTN switch off delayed to 2027: The lowdown for UK businesses
Author: Sonia Older | Date published: July, 15, 2024, UK | Read est: 6 min read
In a recent announcement, BT confirmed that the switch-off of the legacy PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) has been delayed to January 2027, rather than the original deadline of December 2025. This includes the switch-off of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).
Whilst this news hasn’t come as a huge surprise to many, it’s essential to know what this means for you and your business.
Why the PSTN switch off has been delayed until 2027
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch off, initially planned for late 2025, has now been postponed by just over a year. This decision reflects a complex interplay of technological, logistical and social factors, highlighting the challenges inherent in transitioning from a legacy system to a modern infrastructure. Let’s take a look at the key reasons why the switch off has been delayed:
1. Technological transition challenges
Transitioning from PSTN to an all-IP network is not a simple task. The existing PSTN infrastructure has been in place for over a century, and whilst it is clearly known for supporting voice services, many other services rely on this stable and ubiquitous system.
Replacing - or upgrading - millions of lines and associated hardware across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors involves significant technical challenges. Ensuring that the new fibre-based networks can be rolled out past all premises and ultimately offer the same coverage as PSTN is crucial to facilitate the success of the transition.
2. Consumer readiness and adaptation
A major reason for the delay is the readiness of consumers to adapt to the new technology. A considerable portion of the population, particularly the elderly and those in rural areas, still rely heavily on traditional landline phones. The transition to an IP-based system requires not only new equipment but also a certain level of technical literacy that some users might lack. Ensuring that all users are adequately prepared and supported during this transition is essential to prevent widespread disruption.
3. Service continuity concerns
The PSTN is more than just a means of making phone calls; it's integral to various critical services, including alarm systems, emergency call boxes, and certain types of medical equipment. Ensuring that all these services can seamlessly transition to a new IP-based network without interruption is a massive undertaking. The delay allows more time for thorough testing and validation of new systems to ensure they meet the required standards of reliability and safety.
4. Regulatory and compliance issues
Regulatory bodies play a crucial role in the switch off process, ensuring that the transition adheres to legal and safety standards. The delay allows regulators more time to develop comprehensive frameworks that address issues such as data privacy, network security, and service accessibility. This is particularly important given the increasing concerns over cybersecurity and increasingly sophisticated attacks.
5. Quality assurance
The delay, in a nutshell, provides more time for BT to work with suppliers and partners to ensure a seamless transition for all customers. Firstly, service providers have a responsibility to end users to understand how they use their legacy lines, to ensure new services implemented are fit for purpose. This discovery process naturally takes time, especially if legacy services were implemented by a different provider initially. In turn, the extra time will allow all service providers the time to complete the essential testing and validation of new digital solutions, to ensure they meet required standards and compatibility with existing systems, together with providing the opportunity to resolve any technical issues which may arise during the transition.
Why act now?
The decision to delay the PSTN switch off until January 2027 is a pragmatic one, reflecting the complexity and critical nature of the transition – particularly when it comes to considering vulnerable users. Ensuring technological readiness, consumer adaptation, service continuity, economic feasibility, and regulatory compliance are all vital to a successful switch over.
That said, it’s important to highlight that the PSTN switch off is happening because the legacy technology is nearing the end of its serviceable life. Put simply, it is becoming unfit for purpose. The broadband industry is changing fast, and analogue services continue to be withdrawn from exchanges up and down the country. As such, businesses need to prepare for the switch off, to avoid service issues, delays and disruption further down the line.
Furthermore, many businesses may need to retire large amounts of outdated equipment and work on a strategy for new opportunities offered by IP, together with planning for the transition itself. This will require extensive planning, so should be completed sooner rather than later to prevent a stressful and costly transformation closer to the deadline.
How can my business prepare for the analogue switch off?
Our advice to our customers remains unchanged. A transition to digital solutions will not only alleviate potential service issues with legacy PSTN lines but it will bring about a raft of benefits and ultimately provide better, more reliable and more innovative communication services for everyone.
What are the benefits of switching to digital services?
Cost savings
The most immediate, and naturally one of the most appealing benefits will be the cost. PSTN is generally more expensive to operate on than IP, largely because all calls are routed over the internet. The fact that everything is internet-based means the technology is easy to install, there are no upfront connection costs and it’s easy to maintain or upgrade.
Higher productivity
With VoIP phones, employees can easily make and receive calls, send messages, and participate in video conferences from their preferred devices, whether it's a desktop computer, laptop, or mobile phone. This flexibility allows employees to stay connected and productive even when they are on the go or working remotely.
Flexibility
Business numbers are no longer tied to physical premises, which is especially useful at a time when hybrid working has become the norm. In this context, IP is brilliantly agile, allowing a business to easily transfer calls between sites, add new lines on-demand, or scale back as necessary. VoIP technology allows businesses to be much more flexible because you can take and manage calls; anytime, anywhere and from any device – meaning you’ll never miss an important call again.
Advanced features
VoIP phone systems come with a wide range of advanced features to give your business the competitive edge and integrate your business phone with other tools and platforms to provide a unified solution. By upgrading to VoIP, you can build a solution that includes telecoms, email, instant messaging, and video conferencing, to create a streamlined communication experience. Additionally, VoIP systems support advanced features like call analytics, call recording, and virtual meetings, allowing you to optimise and enhance operations and improve customer service.
Reliability
One of the critical drawbacks of the PSTN is its vulnerability to disruptions and outages. Harsh weather conditions, physical damage, or equipment failures can severely impact voice and broadband services, causing significant disruptions to businesses and individuals. In contrast, full fibre networks are inherently more reliable and resilient. A full fibre infrastructure ensures consistent and uninterrupted service, even in adverse conditions, providing the resilient connectivity a business needs to operate.
How can Focus Group help?
As always, we are committed to keeping you informed about the PSTN switch off and any changes that may affect your services. If your lines are supporting vulnerable users, connecting services such as telecare devices, personal alarms and emergency pull cords, please get in touch at the earliest opportunity. Our specially trained team are ready to expedite the transition of your services so you can rest assured you’re in good hands.
You can read more about the PSTN switch off here and if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call. Our team are with you every step of the way.
Sonia Older
Brand & Campaign Manager
Sonia Older is the Campaign Manager at Focus Group and a highly experienced copywriter. She boasts over 20 years of experience in content marketing and PR across multiple industries, and is the key driver of content and PR for Focus Group across all UK offices. Away from work, Sonia usually swaps keyboard strokes for ski slopes in the Alps with her family.
