The UK’s traditional copper phone network, known as the PSTN, and the ISDN lines that many businesses use for phone systems, are being withdrawn. BT has set 31 January 2027 as the deadline. After that, any phone line, broadband service or device that relies on the old network will stop working. For most Kent businesses the move is straightforward, but the devices nobody remembers are what catch people out.

What is actually being switched off?

Two old services are closing:

  • PSTN, the analogue network that carries traditional landline calls.
  • ISDN, the digital lines many offices use to connect an on-site phone system.

Everything is moving to internet-based (IP) services. Calls will travel over a broadband connection using VoIP, and broadband itself will no longer need a phone line underneath it.

What stops working if you do nothing

  • Traditional phone lines and ISDN phone systems. Calls will stop when your line is withdrawn.
  • Broadband that depends on a phone line. ADSL and many fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) services ride on the copper voice line and need to move to SoGEA or full fibre.
  • Alarm systems that dial out to a monitoring centre over a phone line.
  • Older card payment terminals that connect through a phone line.
  • Lift emergency phones, door entry systems, fax machines and franking machines.

The last three groups are the ones most often forgotten, usually plugged into a socket nobody has looked at for years.

A step-by-step plan

1. Find every line and what’s on it

Get a copy of your phone bill and list every number and line. Then walk the building and trace what is plugged into each socket: phones, alarm panels, card machines, the lift, the fax. Ask your alarm and lift companies directly whether their equipment uses a phone line.

2. Check what broadband you can get

Full fibre is now available at many addresses across Kent, but coverage still varies street by street. If you can get it, it’s usually the best long-term choice. If not, SoGEA gives you the same fibre-to-the-cabinet broadband without the phone line. Our guide to business broadband in Kent compares the options.

3. Choose a phone system

A cloud phone system (VoIP) replaces the old line and the box in the cupboard. Calls ring on desk phones, a mobile app or Microsoft Teams, and you can change call routing, opening hours and voicemail from a web portal. See our business VoIP service for how it works.

4. Port your numbers

Your existing numbers move to the new system on an agreed date. Set the new system up and test it first, then port. Done in that order, customers don’t notice the change.

5. Move the special devices

Alarm companies can usually fit a digital or 4G communicator. Card machines can switch to broadband or a SIM. Lift phones may need a GSM unit. These changes are made with each supplier, which is why it pays to start early.

6. Plan for power cuts and outages

Copper phone lines kept working in a power cut. VoIP doesn’t, unless your router and phones have backup power. If you rely on the phones for safety or sales, add a small UPS to the comms cabinet, and consider a 4G/5G backup connection so calls and card payments carry on if the broadband drops.

Why not wait until your provider moves you?

Providers are migrating lines area by area, and some customers are being moved on the provider’s timetable rather than their own. Waiting saves nothing, and it means the switch happens when you haven’t checked the alarm or the card machine. Moving on your own schedule lets you:

  • pick a quiet day for the change;
  • test everything before the old line goes;
  • review your phone system and contract at the same time, often saving money.

What does it cost?

For most small businesses the switch costs less than they expect. Line rental for a phone you don’t use disappears, and cloud phone systems are typically priced per user per month. The main one-off costs are new handsets (if you want desk phones rather than apps) and any changes to alarms or lift lines. We’ll quote everything together so there are no surprises.

Get switch-off ready

We help businesses across Kent list what’s on their lines, choose the right broadband and phone system, and move over without missing a call. Ask us for a switch-off check or call 01843 482 279. You can also download our phone line switch-off checklist.