The Copper Switch-Off Isn't Just About Your Phones: What Else Should Your Business Check?

When businesses hear about the UK's old telephone network being switched off, the obvious thing to think about is the telephone sitting on the desk.

Do we need new phones? Will our existing number still work? Do we need to move to VoIP?

They're all sensible questions.

But there's another question that could be considerably more important:

What else is connected to your telephone lines?

The UK's old analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is due to be retired on 31 January 2027. For businesses that haven't yet migrated, preparing for that change needs to involve more than looking at the office phone system.

Over many years, analogue telephone lines have been used to connect all kinds of equipment. Some of it may have been installed so long ago that nobody currently working within the business thinks about the connection behind it.

And that's where problems can arise.

Start Looking Beyond the Telephone on Your Desk

Imagine a business that has already moved most of its communications online.

Employees use mobiles. Meetings happen through Microsoft Teams. Files are stored in the cloud. Perhaps the main business telephone system has even been modernised.

It would be easy to assume that the organisation no longer depends on the old telephone network.

But somewhere else in the building there could be a completely separate analogue line quietly supporting another service.

It could be connected to a security or alarm system. In a larger building, it could support a lift emergency telephone. Other organisations may have payment equipment, entry systems, monitoring equipment or other operational technology that was originally designed to communicate through a conventional telephone line.

These services don't necessarily look like telecoms, which is precisely why they can be overlooked.

When Was the Equipment Installed?

This is a useful question to ask.

Businesses accumulate technology over time. A security system might have been installed ten years ago. The lift could have been commissioned when the building was developed. An alarm system may have been inherited from a previous tenant.

As long as everything continues working, there's rarely a reason for anybody to investigate exactly how it communicates.

The PSTN switch-off changes that.

If equipment relies on an analogue telephone connection, you need to establish whether it will continue working when your telecommunications services move to digital technology.

That doesn't necessarily mean the equipment needs replacing. Some devices may work with digital services, others may require an adapter or upgrade, and some may need an alternative connection entirely.

The important thing is finding out before the old service disappears.

Speak to the People Who Maintain the Equipment

Your telecoms provider can help you understand your telephone and connectivity services, but specialist equipment may need input from the company responsible for maintaining it.

If you have a lift, speak to the lift maintenance provider.

If you have a monitored alarm, speak to the alarm company.

If there is specialist building-management or payment equipment, find out who supplies or supports it.

Ask them a very simple question:

Does this equipment rely on an analogue PSTN telephone line, and is it ready to work with a digital replacement?

That conversation could identify something that would otherwise have remained unnoticed until much closer to the switch-off.

Don't Assume an Existing Wall Socket Means Everything Is Fine

The move to digital communications changes what sits behind the telephone service.

Traditionally, an analogue device could be connected directly to the telephone network. With digital services, voice and other communications increasingly operate through IP technology and broadband equipment.

That distinction matters.

An old device having a plug that fits into a familiar telephone socket doesn't automatically mean it will work in exactly the same way after migration.

Compatibility needs to be checked rather than assumed.

Think About What Happens During a Power Cut

There's another difference businesses should consider when moving from traditional analogue services to digital communications.

Digital services can depend on equipment at your premises, such as a router, being powered.

That means businesses with critical communication services should think about resilience as part of the migration.

If a particular system needs to remain operational during a power interruption, ask the equipment or service provider what backup arrangements are recommended.

Again, the answer will depend on the equipment and the importance of the service.

The point is to have that conversation before migration rather than discovering the dependency afterwards.

Create a Simple Picture of What's Actually Connected

You don't need to turn this into a huge technology project.

Walk around the business and think about anything that communicates outside the building.

Look beyond laptops and phones.

Ask facilities teams, building managers and employees whether they know of equipment connected to telephone sockets or dedicated lines. Look at old telecoms bills and identify numbers or lines that nobody immediately recognises.

That last point can be surprisingly revealing.

If you're paying for several telephone lines but nobody knows exactly what one of them does, don't simply cancel it.

Find out first.

It may be supporting something that has been quietly doing its job for years.

This Is Actually a Good Opportunity to Tidy Things Up

The PSTN switch-off creates a deadline, but it can also provide businesses with a useful reason to understand infrastructure that may otherwise have been ignored.

You might discover unused lines you're still paying for.

You may find equipment that is overdue for modernisation.

You could identify services that have been duplicated as the organisation has changed.

And you may realise that your phone system, mobiles, broadband and other communications have gradually been purchased from different providers without anybody ever stepping back and looking at the complete picture.

This is an opportunity to do exactly that.

January 2027 Is Closer Than It Sounds

Openreach plans to retire the old PSTN network on 31 January 2027.

The businesses most likely to experience difficulties aren't necessarily those with complicated technology.

They're the businesses that don't realise they're still using the old network.

So don't limit your preparation to asking whether your office phones are ready.

Ask what else is connected.

Complete IT Solutions can help you review your existing business telecoms, telephone lines, VoIP and connectivity as you prepare for the move away from legacy services.

Because the most important connection to find before the switch-off could be the one nobody knew was there.