Worried about the PSTN switch-off? You probably need less than you've been told.
- Keep your number
- Keep your phones
- Often pay less
- No hard sell
- We sort alarms and lifts
Established 2009
Cyber Essentials PlusThe PSTN and ISDN switch-off: your copper landline is being retired.
Since the 1980s, landlines have run on the PSTN: the public switched telephone network, carried over copper wire. It's expensive to maintain, spare parts are running out, and it can't carry the services businesses now rely on.
BT Group is retiring it on 31 January 2027. Openreach, who run the lines, has called the date "locked". Phone calls don't stop: they move to run over a data connection instead, which is how most businesses already make calls.
Openreach is withdrawing Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), the product every analogue landline is sold on. In its place, calls run over a digital landline: your number and phone, carried as data (VoIP) instead of over copper.
The old line is getting dearer, then it goes.
- Apr 2026+20%Legacy line rental up
- Jul 2026+40%Up again
- Oct 2026+40%Roughly double last year
- 31 Jan 2027ClosesCopper phone network switches off
- 1 Feb 2027£38.60Wholesale, per business line, per month
What it costs to stay
Openreach has raised the wholesale price of legacy business lines three times in 2026. From 1 February 2027 the wholesale price of a business (Premium) analogue line is £38.60 a month (£35 for Basic), and that's before any provider adds their own margin.
Typical price, excluding VAT. Wholesale figure from Openreach, effective 1 February 2027.
What happens if you do nothing
After 31 January, lines that haven't moved can be placed on Emergency Voice Access: a limited, temporary, last-resort service for essential calls, not a long-term home for a business line.
"CPs and businesses that fail to migrate will face these higher charges before losing service altogether."Openreach
If the line goes, the number on it can go too. Moving it before the deadline keeps it safe.
Sources: Openreach, "Time for a big switch-up as PSTN switch-off looms" · ISPreview, Openreach post-January 2027 measures
You don't need broadband to keep your phone.
A lot of small businesses only have a phone line. That's fine. We fit a small half-meg data line that does one job: carry your calls. It plugs into a router, your phone plugs into the router, and that's it.
- Typically £19.99 a month with Voice Lite, line and calls
- Usually less than you pay for the old line today
- No broadband package to buy, no internet you don't need
- Same number, moved across with no downtime
You don't need a new phone system because of the switch-off.
Some providers are using the deadline to sell systems people don't need. If your phones work for you today, Voice Lite keeps them working tomorrow.
Voice Lite
- Keep your existing handsets
- Two or three cordless phones are fine
- One or two calls at once, no problem
- Same number, same way of working
3CX phone system
For teams answering, transferring and routing calls, several sites, or working from mobiles and laptops. Worth it when you need it. Not because of a deadline.
See 3CXAlarms, lifts and card machines all have an answer.
Card machines
Most can be updated to run on a SIM. If your provider can't do it, we can supply a terminal that runs on 4G.
Runs on 4GLifts
The emergency line moves to a 4G modem with its own battery backup, so it still works in a power cut.
4G + battery backupAlarms
Older diallers that used the phone line are replaced by units with a multi-network SIM, which use whichever network is strongest.
Multi-network SIMWe'll coordinate it with your alarm and lift companies, and explain each step as we go.
Card terminals: an older terminal that dials out over a phone line stops taking payments when that line closes. Most can be moved to your broadband or a SIM, and if yours can't, we can supply a card terminal that runs on 4G.
Am I on copper?
5 quick taps. Nothing is stored or sent.
Book a Teams call. We'll do the checking.
- 1What's available at your siteWe check which lines and speeds your address can get.
- 2What you use and spend nowLines, numbers, alarm, lift, card machine, and your current bill.
- 3What fits youA recommendation that suits your plans, budget and needs. Often that's simply Voice Lite.
The switch-off, answered plainly.
Will my landline stop working?
An analogue landline on the copper network stops being supported when the PSTN closes on 31 January 2027. Your number doesn't have to stop: move it to a digital landline before then and it carries on working as normal, on the same phones.
Is the switch-off still happening in 2027?
Yes. Openreach has called the 31 January 2027 date "locked", and has raised the price of legacy lines through 2026 to encourage everyone to move. There is no general extension for businesses.
Is ISDN being switched off too?
Yes. ISDN2 and ISDN30 lines run over the same network and close with it on 31 January 2027. A phone system on ISDN moves to SIP trunks, and you keep your numbers.
What is a digital landline?
A phone line that carries your calls as data (VoIP) over a broadband or small data connection, rather than over the old copper network. You keep your number, and with Voice Lite you keep your existing phones too.
Can I keep my phone number?
Yes. We move your existing number across to the new service and plan the switch so there's no downtime. The risk to your number comes from doing nothing: if the old line is lost after the deadline, the number on it can go with it.
Do I need broadband?
No. If you only have a phone line, we fit a small half-meg data line just for your calls. It's typically £19.99 a month with Voice Lite, which is usually less than the old line.
Can I keep my phones?
Usually, yes. With Voice Lite your existing handsets plug into the router, including a set of two or three cordless phones. It handles one or two calls at a time comfortably.
What happens if I do nothing?
Openreach has raised the price of legacy lines through 2026, and from 1 February 2027 the wholesale price of a business analogue line is £38.60 a month. Lines that haven't moved can be placed on Emergency Voice Access, a limited last-resort service, and Openreach says businesses that don't migrate face higher charges "before losing service altogether".
What about my alarm and lift?
Alarm diallers move to units with a multi-network SIM. Lift emergency lines move to a 4G modem with battery backup. We'll coordinate it with your alarm and lift companies and explain each step.
Will my card machine still work?
Most card machines can be updated to run on a SIM. If your current provider can't do that, we can supply a terminal that runs on 4G.
How much will it cost?
For a business with just a phone line, a half-meg data line with Voice Lite is typically £19.99 a month excluding VAT. If you already have broadband, Voice Lite can run over it. We confirm the exact price for your site on the Teams call.
Site surveys are free across North and West Yorkshire and Lancashire, including Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, Burnley and Preston, and arranged on request anywhere in the UK. See Voice Lite and 3CX phone systems, business telecoms and managed IT support.
Start with a conversation.
Tell us what's on your line today: phones, alarm, lift, card machine. We'll tell you the simplest way to move before 31 January 2027, what it costs and when we can do it.