The UK is moving away from traditional analogue and ISDN telephone services. For businesses, the important date is 31 January 2027, when remaining legacy services are expected to have been migrated to digital alternatives.
This is not only a telephone-system project. Analogue lines can still support alarms, lift emergency phones, door-entry equipment, payment terminals, fax services, legacy broadband and other devices that may have been left in place for years.
Start with a complete line and service audit
The safest first step is to identify every telephone number, circuit and device that still depends on the old network. Do not assume that an apparently unused line can simply be cancelled. Confirm what it is connected to and who owns the service before making changes.
- Main business numbers and direct dial numbers.
- ISDN circuits and analogue phone lines.
- Alarm and monitoring services.
- Lift and emergency phones.
- Door entry and access-control systems.
- Fax machines and payment terminals.
- Broadband services linked to older copper voice lines.
Choose the right digital replacement
There is no single replacement that suits every organisation. A small business may move fully to hosted cloud telephony. A larger organisation may retain an existing PBX and replace legacy lines with SIP trunks. Businesses already using Microsoft 365 may choose Microsoft Teams Phone, while others may use a UCaaS platform or a phased hybrid design.
The choice should take account of user numbers, sites, contact-centre requirements, existing contracts, call recording, resilience, emergency calling and the quality of the underlying internet connection.
Plan resilience as part of the migration
Digital voice normally depends on local power, routers, switches and connectivity. A migration therefore needs a clear resilience design rather than simply swapping one line for another.
- Primary and backup connectivity where required.
- Call forwarding or alternative routing during outages.
- Power protection for critical network equipment.
- Mobile or softphone access for key users.
- Testing of emergency and out-of-hours call routes.
Allow time for number porting and third parties
Telephone numbers may need to be ported to a new provider, and specialist services such as alarms or lifts may need their own supplier to test the replacement connection. Starting early reduces the risk of rushed decisions and gives each dependency time to be verified.
How Intuity can help
Intuity Communications can review an organisation’s existing voice estate, identify legacy dependencies and design a move to cloud, SIP, Microsoft Teams Phone or hybrid communications. Because the migration can affect connectivity as well as telephony, the review can include broadband, leased lines, failover and business-continuity requirements.
Key takeaway: treat the PSTN switch-off as a business-continuity project, not simply a telephone-line replacement. Audit early, identify hidden services and test every replacement before the old service is removed.
Need help with your communications or technology plans?
Speak to Intuity about your current environment, migration options and practical next steps.
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