Openreach: UK businesses must prepare for analogue network switch-off

Analogue phone lines will reach the end of their life by 2025

UK telecom infrastructure provider Openreach is urging UK businesses to audit their phone systems and devices, ahead of the planned closure of the copper-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

'Analogue phone lines will have reached the end of their life by 2025 - so we're replacing them with greener, faster, and more reliable digital services. To make this process as smooth as possible, we're asking organisations across the UK to plan ahead so they're ready to make the leap to a better-connected future,' Openreach said on its website

The company has launched a special help service, dubbed 'Call Waiting List', which will help customers to better understand the steps that they need to take to switch from PSTN to digital phone lines.

Some devices may function normally after the switchover, but others won't, so it's important to address any issues ahead of the transition, to limit disruption. Openreach is also advising customers to contact their device manufacturers to seek clarification in case of ambiguities.

"Ahead of the switch from analogue to digital phone lines, it's crucial that businesses understand their current systems and the implications of the shift," James Lilley, director of ALL-IP at Openreach, said.

"This upgrade will provide the nation with faster, more reliable services and will allow devices to become more connected, providing UK industry with a framework from which it can develop innovative emerging technologies. Taking these simple steps now will make the process of upgrading much smoother."

Openreach first announced the decision to switch off PSTN in 2019, citing the costs of running two parallel networks as a major motivation for the move. Legacy copper networks are expensive to maintain, as the telephone poles and cables are susceptible to weather damage. Replacement parts are also difficult to procure.

Last year, Salisbury became the first UK city where Openreach stopped selling new copper products; and in May, the 'stop-sell' order also came into effect in the tiny Suffolk town of Mildenhall.

Openreach will upgrade more than 14 million traditional phone lines across the UK to new digital services over the next four years: a rate of 50,000 lines a week.

Despite Openreach announcing the decision in 2019, nearly half of SMEs in the UK have no idea that their existing analogue phones and ISDN services will be switched off completely by December 2025, according to a survey conducted in March by Internet Service Provider Spitfire.

The research also revealed that 77 per cent of businesses are not prepared for the disruption the PSTN switch-off may cause, while 83 per cent have no visibility of when their services will be switched off.