On 31 January 2027 the UK's copper phone network shuts down for good. Here is what actually stops working, what to check in your own business, and how to move across without a scramble.
The Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN, is the copper-based network that has carried UK phone calls for well over a century. Openreach is retiring it. On 31 January 2027 the PSTN switches off permanently, and anything that depends on it stops working.
This is not a soft deadline or a marketing device. The date already moved once, from December 2025, to give the industry more time to migrate vulnerable users safely. Openreach has since been clear that January 2027 is the date, and that lines still connected will be switched off regardless.
People assume this is only about desk phones. It is broader than that, and the forgotten items cause the most disruption:
The whole of the UK is affected, with the exception of the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the KCOM network in Hull.
The switch-off itself is straightforward to plan for. The problem is that everyone leaves it late, and a few things get harder as the deadline approaches.
Number porting takes time. Moving your existing numbers to a new provider is a regulated process with lead times. It is comfortable when you have months and stressful when you have weeks.
Nobody wants to migrate in a rush. A planned switch happens on a date you choose, with your team trained and your numbers tested. A forced one happens on Openreach's date.
Your line audit will find surprises. Almost every business we audit has at least one line nobody can account for, or an alarm that turns out to be dialling out over copper. Better to find that now.
Moving off the PSTN is precisely the job NMPBX does. We audit your existing lines, tell you what each one is actually doing, port every number across, and run the switch on a date that suits you. Calls, handsets and support are included in one per-user monthly price, and every contract carries a three-month satisfaction guarantee.
We have done this for schools coming off ageing ISDN, multi-site manufacturers and single-office businesses. If you would like to see how it looks for your setup, send us your recent bills and we will come back with a line-by-line picture.
