The PSTN switch-off checklist
Openreach closes the old analogue phone network, the PSTN, on 31 January 2027, and says the date is not moving. Every line, and everything plugged into one, needs a digital replacement before then. This card is the checklist.
A two-page A4 PDF to print and keep, free, with no email asked for. Edition 1, November 2026, reviewed every 12 months.
Who the card is for
For any business with a landline, an ISDN phone system, or equipment that uses a phone line: alarms, door entry, lift phones and payment terminals among them. It sets out where the switch-off stands as of November 2026, from Openreach's and Ofcom's own pages, and the steps to take before 31 January 2027.
5 parts, on two pages
- 01Where things stand
- 02Find everything on a line
- 03Ask the right people
- 04Plan the move
- 05After each switch
Read it here
The same words as the PDF, with its sources at the end.
Where things stand
Checked on Openreach’s and Ofcom’s own pages on 10 November 2026.
- The date: the PSTN will close on 31 January 2027, and the closure date “remains unchanged” [1]. Ofcom says BT plans to retire its old landline network by then; for other networks, dates have not yet been set [3].
- ISDN: services supported by ISDN need to move to an IP service by January 2027, or they will be ceased [2].
- After the date: a line that has not moved may be put temporarily on EVAc, an emergency voice-only service that cannot be ordered in advance or reserved, or may lose service altogether [1, 2]. Where it can, Openreach will keep linked broadband running, but that does not extend the deadline [1].
- Power cuts: digital phone lines rely on power and broadband, so they may not work in a power cut unless you have backup power [2].
Find everything on a line
Walk the building and note every device that plugs into a phone socket or the phone system.
- Phones, the phone system, and any ISDN lines.
- Alarm systems, fire alarm monitoring, CCTV, door entry, lift emergency phones and payment terminals [2].
- Anything else on a line, such as a fax or a franking machine.
- Any care alarm or telecare device used in the building. Ofcom asks you to tell your provider and the device’s supplier before the change [3].
- For each one: its supplier, its contract, and who to call about it.
Ask the right people
- Your phone provider: when each line moves, and to what [2].
- Each equipment supplier: whether it works on a digital line, or what needs changing or upgrading [2]. Openreach says equipment can be tested free at its test labs, so ask whether yours has been [4].
- Your alarm monitoring company and your insurer, if an alarm is monitored or a policy depends on it.
Plan the move
- Keep your numbers. Ask the new provider to port them, and do not cancel the old line yourself before the port is complete.
- Check the broadband, because the calls will run over it [2].
- Plan for a power cut: battery backup for the router and the equipment that matters, or another way to call. A provider must offer a free backup lasting at least an hour to someone who depends on their landline and has no working mobile or reliable signal [3].
- Every site, if the business has more than one.
- A date for each line, well before 31 January 2027, with time to fix anything that fails.
After each switch
- Test calls in and out, voicemail and call forwarding.
- Test each alarm, lift phone, door entry unit and payment terminal with its supplier, and keep their confirmation in writing.
- Update your continuity plan and contact list with the new provider’s details.
Sources
- [1] Openreach, Openreach to protect broadband connections as PSTN closure approaches, 24 September 2026, checked 10 November 2026 · openreach.com/news
- [2] Openreach, Switching your business to digital, checked 10 November 2026 · openreach.com/big-switch-off/digital-phonelines-for-businesses
- [3] Ofcom, Your landline is going digital: what you need to know, updated 26 August 2026, checked 10 November 2026 · ofcom.org.uk
- [4] Openreach, Time for a big switch up as PSTN switch-off looms, 5 February 2026, checked 10 November 2026 · openreach.com/news
The things people ask
Is 31 January 2027 the final date?
Openreach said on 24 September 2026 that the closure date remains unchanged, and that keeping linked broadband running after it does not extend the deadline. Ofcom says BT plans to retire its old landline network by that date, and that dates for other networks have not yet been set.
What happens if we have not moved by then?
Openreach says lines that have not moved may be transferred temporarily to EVAc, an emergency voice-only service, or may lose service altogether. EVAc cannot be ordered in advance or reserved.
Will our phones work in a power cut?
A digital line relies on power and broadband, so it may not work in a power cut unless you have backup power. Ofcom says a provider must offer a free backup lasting at least an hour to someone who depends on their landline and has no working mobile or reliable signal.
Where to go next
Would you rather have it done for you? The free review, done remotely: what you run, what is exposed, and where the risk actually sits, written down. The document is yours regardless of what happens next. Book the free review.