The short answer: The Big Switch Off is the closure of the UK’s analogue phone network (the PSTN), and 31 January 2027 is the last date to place migration orders. Openreach says there is “no extension to the deadline”. Lines still on the old network after that face a temporary, emergency-only voice service at best, and ISDN and multi-line business phone systems are not covered by it at all. Businesses need to move their phones to VoIP, their broadband to SoGEA or full fibre, and check every alarm, lift line, card machine and door entry panel that uses a phone line.
Last updated: 30 September 2026. Checked against Openreach’s announcements of 31 July 2026 and 12 November 2025, Openreach’s September 2026 briefing to providers (as reported by ISPreview), and Ofcom and gov.uk guidance on that date.
In this guide
- What is the Big Switch Off?
- Key dates for businesses
- Has the deadline been extended?
- What happens if you do nothing?
- What else stops working besides phones?
- Does the switch-off affect broadband?
- How much are legacy line prices rising?
- What replaces your landline?
- Will you keep your phone number?
- What happens in a power cut?
- Big Switch Off checklist for businesses
- How long does switching take?
- How ATS Connection helps
- Frequently asked questions
What is the Big Switch Off?
The Big Switch Off is the permanent retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the copper phone network that has carried UK landline calls for over a century. Openreach, which runs the network, is replacing it with digital lines that carry calls over broadband.
Anything that uses a traditional phone line is affected. That includes analogue phone lines and ISDN phone systems, and also equipment people forget is on a line: alarms, lift emergency phones, card terminals, door entry, fax and some CCTV. Openreach’s own advice to businesses is to “understand how the switchover impacts your business phone lines and any analogue-connected equipment such as CCTV, alarms, payment terminals or lift systems” (Openreach).
The numbers are falling but are still large. Openreach said on 5 February 2026 that around 2.8 million lines needed to move, more than half a million of them at business premises, including over 12,000 lift lines. By its 31 July 2026 update that was around 1.5 million lines, including about 350,000 business premises, and Openreach’s September briefing put the total at around 1.2 million.
Key dates for businesses
The dates that matter most now are 31 January 2027, the last day to place migration orders, and 31 March 2027, after which orders due to complete later are cancelled.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5 September 2023 | National stop sell: no new analogue (WLR) lines or ISDN can be ordered. |
| 1 April 2026 | Wholesale price of a basic analogue line rises by 20%. |
| 1 July 2026 | A further rise of 40% of the original price. |
| 1 October 2026 | A final rise of 40% of the original price, doubling it. |
| 31 January 2027 | Last date for migration orders and provider-requested ceases. |
| From 1 February 2027 | New, higher wholesale prices and terms apply. Openreach begins moving phone-only lines (no broadband) to its emergency voice service. |
| 31 March 2027 | Migration orders with completion dates after this are cancelled. |
| From mid-April 2027 | Openreach expects to move lines that also carry broadband and, where technically possible, keep the broadband working as a short-term measure. |
Some areas lose new copper orders earlier. Where full fibre reaches at least 75% of premises served by an exchange, Openreach stops selling copper-based services to premises that can get full fibre, while premises that cannot get it yet can stay on their existing copper service. By mid-February 2026 that covered 1,281 exchanges and about 12.5 million premises (Openreach).
Has the deadline been extended?
No. The deadline moved once, in May 2024, from December 2025 to 31 January 2027, after the industry paused forced migrations in December 2023 to protect telecare users. Since then Openreach has been consistent: in February 2026 it said “the deadline is locked” (Openreach), and on 31 July 2026 it said there is “no extension to the deadline” (Openreach).
What has changed is the detail of what happens afterwards. In September 2026 Openreach set out the post-deadline process to providers, and it extended its migration discounts for providers, previously due to end on 31 October 2026, to 31 January 2027 (ISPreview). Neither is a delay: they are the rules for the lines that do not move in time.
What happens if you do nothing?
If a single line has not been moved by the deadline, Openreach plans to move it onto a temporary, emergency voice-only service called Emergency Voice and Access Continuity (EVAc). Openreach describes it as “a temporary emergency voice-only service that keeps basic voice calls working for a limited time” (Openreach). It is a safety net, not a phone system.
For businesses, the key point is what it does not cover. Gamma, one of the UK’s largest wholesale providers, says “ISDN and multiline services” are “not covered by the EVAc arrangements”, that the moves are expected to happen exchange by exchange from April 2027, and that “migration is not guaranteed” (Gamma, 25 September 2026). Its advice is plain: “Migration orders must be placed before 31 January 2027 to avoid the risk of services being ceased.”
| Your setup | After 31 January 2027 if not moved |
|---|---|
| Single analogue line (phone only) | May be moved to the emergency voice service. Basic calls only, for a limited time, and it may not support the features you use today. |
| Single analogue line with broadband | Openreach expects to move these from mid-April 2027 and, where technically possible, keep the broadband working as a short-term measure. |
| Multi-line analogue system | Not covered by the emergency service. At risk of being ceased. |
| ISDN2 or ISDN30 phone system | Not covered by the emergency service. At risk of being ceased. |
| Alarm, lift, card machine or other device on the line | The emergency service is for voice calls. Do not rely on it to carry device signals: have each device checked and moved. |
It will also cost more. The wholesale price of the emergency service from 1 February 2027 is reported at £35 a month for a basic line, excluding VAT (ISPreview, reporting Openreach), compared with £21.30 for a basic analogue line after the October 2026 rise. Those are the prices Openreach charges providers; what you pay will be higher.
What else stops working besides phones?
Any device that sends a signal down an analogue phone line may stop working when the line is switched, so each one needs checking with its supplier. The government lists alarms, telecare, fax machines, lift alarms, burglar alarms and card payment systems, and says to “contact the equipment supplier” (gov.uk). BT adds EPOS, door entry and CCTV (BT Business).
| Equipment | Why it is affected | What to ask your supplier |
|---|---|---|
| Fire and intruder alarms | Many panels signal the monitoring centre over a phone line. | Is the panel and signalling unit digital-ready, or does it need a dual-path (IP and 4G) communicator? |
| Lift emergency phones | Lift alarm lines are often analogue. Openreach counted over 12,000 still to move in February 2026. | Can it move to a 4G unit? The Lift and Escalator Industry Association recommends a 4G solution with a SIM card and battery backup. |
| Card payment terminals | Older terminals dial out over the phone line. | Can it run over broadband, wi-fi or 4G instead? |
| Door entry and gate intercoms | Some dial a phone number when someone presses the button. | Does it need a SIM-based or IP replacement? |
| Fax and franking machines | Older models connect by analogue line. | Is there an IP version, or is the service still needed at all? |
| CCTV | Some older systems use a phone line for remote access. | Can it move to the broadband connection? |
| Telecare and personal alarms | Many dial out over the line. Openreach says it has safely upgraded more than 70,000 customers with telecare devices (ISPreview). | Tell your provider someone relies on one, so it is tested before and after the move. |
Openreach says equipment “can be tested for free at Openreach’s test labs” to check it works on digital lines (Openreach). Ask your provider or equipment supplier whether this is available for your devices.
Does the switch-off affect broadband?
Yes, if your broadband shares a line with an analogue phone. Broadband that relies on the phone line (ADSL, and FTTC or “fibre to the cabinet” provided alongside a phone line) ends when that line is ceased. FTTC itself is not being switched off: the same service continues as SoGEA, which is broadband on a line with no analogue phone service attached.
| Connection | What happens |
|---|---|
| ADSL or FTTC with a phone line | Must move. The usual replacement is SoGEA, or full fibre where available. |
| SoGEA | Unaffected by the switch-off. Carries broadband and digital calls. |
| Full fibre (FTTP) | Unaffected. The long-term replacement for copper. |
| Leased line | Unaffected. |
The switch is a good moment to upgrade connectivity at the same time. VoIP calls run over your broadband, so it needs to be reliable. See our business broadband options.
How much are legacy line prices rising?
Openreach is doubling the wholesale price of a basic analogue line during 2026, from £10.65 a month to £21.30 from 1 October 2026. Each rise is a percentage of the original £10.65 price, so they add up to double rather than compounding (Openreach, 12 November 2025).
| From | Rise (of the original £10.65) | Wholesale price per month |
|---|---|---|
| Before April 2026 | £10.65 | |
| 1 April 2026 | +20% | About £12.78 |
| 1 July 2026 | +40% | About £17.04 |
| 1 October 2026 | +40% | £21.30 (double) |
| 1 February 2027 (emergency service) | £35.00 reported |
In other words, staying on copper is no longer the cheap option. It is the expensive option with a hard stop at the end.
What replaces your landline?
Your landline is replaced by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): calls travel over your broadband connection instead of a copper phone line. For a business that usually means a hosted phone system with desk phones, softphone apps on computers and mobiles, and your existing numbers ported across. Our guide to what VoIP is explains how it works.
At ATS Connection we provide business VoIP phone systems built on the Xelion platform, a cloud phone system with call routing, voicemail to email, mobile apps, call recording and hunt groups. It is the same system we use ourselves. For businesses with ISDN, our page on the ISDN switch-off covers the specific points.
For most businesses the move is an upgrade rather than a like-for-like swap:
- Work from anywhere. Your business number rings on desk phones, laptops and mobiles, so staff at home or on site answer as if they were in the office.
- Professional call handling. Auto-attendants, hunt groups, queues and out-of-hours routing come as standard.
- Easier changes. Adding a user is a settings change, not an engineer visit and a new line.
- Continuity. If the office loses power or internet, calls can divert to mobiles instead of going silent.
Will you keep your phone number?
Yes. Your existing numbers can be ported to your new provider, including long-standing local numbers. Ofcom confirms you can keep your number when you switch, that how long it takes “will depend on the services you have”, and that you should ask your new provider to port it within one month of cancelling the old service (Ofcom).
Our advice from doing these moves: never cancel the old line yourself before the port has completed. Let the new provider manage the order, so the new system goes live, the numbers move across, and only then is the old line ceased. Ofcom’s One Touch Switch process covers homes, not businesses, so business ports still need a provider to run them.
What happens in a power cut?
A digital phone line needs power at your premises, whereas the old copper line was powered from the exchange. Ofcom guidance says providers should offer at least one free solution that gives “a minimum of one hour” of access to emergency services in a power cut to customers who depend on their landline, such as people with no mobile signal or who rely on telecare (Ofcom guidance). For a business, the practical answer is a battery backup (UPS) for the router and phone system, and mobile apps so calls can still be answered.
Big Switch Off checklist for businesses
Work through these steps now. The first four can be done this week.
- List every line and number. Check your phone bill for every line, including ISDN channels and any lines you have forgotten about.
- Find everything plugged into a phone socket. Alarms, lift phones, card machines, door entry, fax, franking and CCTV. This is where the nasty surprises hide.
- Call each equipment supplier. Ask whether the device is digital-ready and, if not, what the replacement is and how long it takes.
- Check your broadband. If it is ADSL or FTTC with a phone line, plan the move to SoGEA or full fibre alongside the phones.
- Map your calls. Who needs a handset, who is fine with an app, and how calls should route in and out of hours.
- Choose the new phone system and place the order. Migration orders must be in before 31 January 2027.
- Port your numbers, test everything, then cease the old lines. Only cancel once numbers have moved and every device is confirmed working.
Our free Switch-Off Checker runs through the main questions in a few minutes.
How long does switching take?
In our experience, a small office with decent broadband and no dependent equipment can usually be moved within a few weeks, most of it waiting for numbers to port. Multiple sites, a broadband upgrade or alarms and lift lines stretch that to one to three months, because each supplier has its own lead times.
With four months left before orders close, that leaves little slack. As our director Jake Boase told SussexWorld: “The businesses that get caught out won’t be the ones who planned ahead, they’ll be the ones who left it to January 2027. Audit your lines and any devices that use them now, and give yourself time to move calmly rather than in a panic.”
How ATS Connection helps
We move businesses across West Sussex off analogue and ISDN lines as one managed project: the audit, the new phone system, number porting, broadband and the final line cease. For Repaircraft, a defence engineering firm with 13 users across two sites, that meant replacing an old PSTN line with hosted VoIP and full fibre broadband. For Arundel Museum, we took over broadband and VoIP as part of a wider rebuild.
Jake has written about the switch-off for the Chichester Chamber of Commerce and been quoted on it by SussexWorld. We support businesses across Chichester, Arundel, Worthing and the rest of Sussex.
Book a free Big Switch Off readiness check, call 01903 255 159 or email hello@atsconnection.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Big Switch Off?
31 January 2027 is the deadline for the UK’s analogue phone network (the PSTN): it is the last date for migration orders. Openreach says there is no extension to the deadline.
What happens if my business does nothing?
Single lines not moved in time may be put on Openreach’s temporary emergency voice-only service from February 2027, at a higher price and with basic calls only. ISDN and multi-line phone systems are not covered by that service and risk being ceased.
Will the PSTN switch-off be delayed again?
No. It moved once, from December 2025 to 31 January 2027. Openreach said in February 2026 that the deadline is locked, and in July 2026 that there is no extension.
Is ISDN being switched off too?
Yes. ISDN2 and ISDN30 run on the same network and are withdrawn by 31 January 2027. They are not covered by the emergency voice service, so ISDN systems need to move to VoIP or SIP before the deadline.
Does the switch-off affect my broadband?
Only if your broadband shares a line with an analogue phone, such as ADSL or FTTC with a phone line. That moves to SoGEA or full fibre. SoGEA, full fibre and leased lines are unaffected.
Can I keep my business phone number?
Yes. Numbers can be ported to your new provider. Do not cancel the old line before the port completes; let the new provider manage the order.
What happens to our alarm, lift phone and card machine?
Any device that uses an analogue line needs checking with its supplier and may need a digital, IP or 4G replacement. The emergency voice service is for calls, so do not rely on it for alarm or lift signals.
Are analogue line prices going up?
Yes. Openreach is doubling the wholesale price of a basic analogue line during 2026, from £10.65 to £21.30 a month from 1 October 2026. The emergency service from February 2027 is reported at £35 a month wholesale.
What will my phone line be replaced with?
VoIP, where calls travel over your broadband. Businesses usually move to a hosted phone system with desk phones and mobile apps, on SoGEA or full fibre broadband.
What happens to a digital phone line in a power cut?
It needs power at your premises. Ofcom guidance says providers should offer at-risk customers a free solution giving at least one hour of emergency access. Businesses should put the router and phone system on a battery backup.
Sources
- Openreach: six months left before the old phone network is switched off (31 July 2026)
- Openreach: time for a big switch-up as PSTN switch-off looms (5 February 2026)
- Openreach: price changes to encourage digital adoption (12 November 2025)
- Openreach: the Big Switch Off
- Openreach: stop sell of copper in full fibre areas (January 2026)
- ISPreview: Openreach confirms post-January 2027 measures (24 September 2026)
- ISPreview: Openreach extends migration discounts (29 September 2026)
- ISPreview: analogue phone switch-off moved to January 2027 (17 May 2024)
- Gamma: statement on Openreach’s latest PSTN switch-off announcement (25 September 2026)
- Ofcom: the future of landline calls
- Ofcom: switching your business landline
- Ofcom: guidance on emergency access during power cuts
- GOV.UK: the UK transition from analogue to digital landlines
- BT Business: the PSTN and ISDN switch-off
- Lift and Escalator Industry Association: digital switch and lift alarm calls
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