PSTN Switch Off
We would like to draw you attention to this very important communique from BT relating to the transition from traditional analogue (copper) phone lines to new full digital fibre and VOIP networks. This transition is likely to impact premises who utilise PSTN lines for their alarm systems including SECURITY, FIRE, LIFTS and CCTV, which have traditionally been provided over old copper networks.
Where you are in a managed building, you may need to discuss this with your landlord.
What’s happening and when?
In December 2024, we (BT) informed you about the UK’s transition from traditional analogue phone lines due to their increasing unreliability and maintenance challenges. It’s time for a new, robust digital network that offers stable, secure, and sustainable connectivity.
We’re urging all customers to migrate off the analogue network by December 2025, ahead of the switch-off.
The key takeaways to migrating by Dec 25 are as follows:
- The PSTN is now well beyond its intended lifespan
- It’s an ageing network running on copper cables that have been in the ground for many, many decades. It’s becoming ever more unreliable, prone to faults and difficult to maintain. Spare parts are harder to come by, and the network is so old that even the skills to fix issues are now in short supply.
- In its Connected Nations Report in 2023, Ofcom reported that the number of PSTN incidents had increased by 20%, and that there was a 60% increase in the number of hours lost for customers on the PSTN.
- In their most recent report, covering the last 12 months, Ofcom states this: “There has been a further increase in the number of significant network resilience incidents reported to us. This includes a 45% rise in incidents regarding the legacy public switched telephone network (PSTN).” These are indeed worrying statistics.
- The PSTN is also expensive to maintain and can’t support the data traffic we are expecting in the future. Fibre is a much more robust, reliable and easy to maintain, and we’re rolling it out across the UK.
- A wide range of products are affected
- The analogue wholesale line rental (WLR) network covers an extensive range of products and services which are used for different business scenarios. The BT analogue products that give you your voice, Internet, and data services, are listed below and will be impacted.
- Voice:
- Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
- Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN2 and ISDN30)
- Featureline
- Data connectivity services / Broadband: utilising Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) & Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC)
- Business Broadband
- Broadband One
- IP Connect; Ethernet Connect and BTnet
- BT Business cannot contract new extensions for WLR services past December 2025.
- Openreach sent an industry briefing earlier this year to Communications Providers (BT, Sky, Vodafone, VMO2, TalkTalk etc) as part of its ongoing All-IP programme stating that continuation of lines and services after 31 December 2025 will be at Openreach’s discretion. To ensure certainty of service, we are strongly recommending that customers switch to All-IP before the end of 2025.
- BT Business have no pricing or service terms to flow down from Openreach for extensions post December 2025. BT Business cannot and will not contract past this date.
- BT Business, Government and OFCOM are considering options for customers who don’t have a migration plan past December 2025.
Where customers don’t have a committed migration plan and newly signed contracts in place by the end of December 2025, an option BT is considering is a proposal where legacy circuits can be migrated using Protective Migrations to All-IP alternative products from January 2026. The option of using Protective Migrations is being considered to safeguard customers’ services. The Government and OFCOM have both been briefed and are supportive of this proposal
Please contact your BT account manager or customer service advisor who will be able to advise on next steps for transitioning to the new digital networks.