Fewer than 100 days to the PSTN switch-off: the business systems most likely to be missed
Openreach says about a million lines are still on the old analogue network, 300,000 of them in business premises, and that the ones left are the hardest to move. Card machines, alarms, lifts and door entry are on its list.
Openreach issued a warning to businesses and communication providers on 30 October: fewer than 100 days remain before the Public Switched Telephone Network, the old analogue phone network, is permanently retired on 31 January 2027. It says about one million copper based lines are still active across the UK, including 300,000 within business premises. ISPreview, reporting the update, says those figures are down from 1.5 million lines and 350,000 business premises in July 2026.
Why the last lines are the hardest
Openreach says standard business phone lines are straightforward to upgrade, but the connections that remain are among the most complex to migrate. Legacy circuits connected to specialist equipment need deeper investigation, testing and possibly new equipment, and large multi site organisations may have several suppliers and undocumented circuits. James Lilley, Director of All-IP at Openreach, said the straightforward migrations have largely been completed and that what is left are the complex connections that underpin critical operations.
The systems Openreach is worried about
Beyond ordinary phones, Openreach lists five groups of systems that still rely heavily on PSTN connections: payment terminals and cash handling systems; lift emergency telephones and auto diallers; fire alarm communication panels and security monitoring; building access controls, automated gates and door entry units; and industrial telemetry and building energy management systems. It says failing to move these before 31 January 2027 poses severe operational, safety and compliance risks, and that unmigrated building systems could lead to commercial buildings closing and supply chain delays if safety critical systems stop working.
What happens to lines that have not moved
Openreach says customers who have not moved by 31 January 2027 may be transferred automatically to EVAc, a limited, temporary, last resort phone service designed to keep access to essential calls. It says it will keep linked broadband running where technically possible, but that EVAc has limited capacity and is significantly more expensive than the digital alternatives. Waiting also costs money now: Openreach says the final phase of its rental price rises for its WLR products and legacy ISDN services took effect on 1 October 2026, doubling the 2025 rental price for legacy lines, with further rises in the pipeline from February 2027.
Where the remaining lines are
Openreach's regional breakdown of legacy lines still in use puts London and the South East at 250,473, Wales and the Midlands at 233,033, Northern England at 207,135, Wessex at 156,141, Scotland at 112,794, East Anglia at 99,050 and Northern Ireland at 32,809.
What this means for your business
Your main phone line is probably the easy part. The risk sits in the boxes on the wall that dial out on their own. Walk round your premises and list everything that connects to a phone line: card machines, the alarm panel, a lift, a door entry system or gate, any monitoring or telemetry kit. Then ask the company that maintains each one whether it uses an analogue line and what its digital replacement is, and get a date in writing. Check your phone bill for lines nobody can account for, because an unknown line could be an old alarm or lift circuit. Openreach's own advice is to audit what you have now and agree a migration plan with your communications provider. If you are in Exeter or the wider South West and want help working through that list, we can do it with you.
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