Britain’s 40‑year‑old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will fall silent by 31 January 2027, and every landline will be carried over broadband instead, a move known as Digital Voice. The change promises clearer calls and paves the way for gigabit fibre, but it also raises questions about power cuts, telecare alarms, price hikes and so much more. Here’s what you need to know (and do) well before the wires come out of your wall.
1. Why is copper being retired?
- The copper network is brittle, expensive to maintain and caps broadband at <80 Mbit/s. Moving voice to fibre frees up billions for faster internet and 5G back‑haul.
- Openreach has already declared “stop‑sell” on copper in 1,175 exchanges where ≥ 75 % of homes can order full fibre; another 137 exchanges joined the list in July 2025 alone.
- National full‑fibre coverage is now 74 % and growing, see the regional breakdown in our UK Broadband Market 2025 report.
2. What Digital Voice means for your landline
Most households will simply plug the phone handset into the broadband router, enjoy HD audio and extra scam‑call protection. But any device that still expects an analogue dial‑tone, or draws power from the copper pair, faces a hard stop when the switch‑off reaches your exchange.
| Device / service | Risk when PSTN dies | Quick fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pendant alarms & telecare boxes | Lose emergency dial tone; 1.8 m users depend on them | Ask provider for a tested VoIP adapter or 4G/SIM‑based unit |
| Burglar & fire alarms (inc. BT Redcare) | 4 m legacy panels rely on copper signalling | Upgrade to IP/GSM dual‑path signalling before Aug 2025 |
| Lift emergency phones | Auto‑diallers need line power & DTMF; may fail mid‑rescue | Fit a GSM/VoLTE module with battery backup |
| Door / gate entry & intercom systems | No call path to flats or security desk | Swap to SIP‑based panels or cellular modules |
| Traffic‑light & roadside monitors | 1 k+ TfL signals still use PSTN modems | Migrate telemetry lines to IP or private APN SIMs |
| Credit‑card / EPOS terminals | Dial‑up authorisation will time‑out | Replace with Ethernet/Wi‑Fi or 4G reader |
| ATMs & cash machines | Analogue fallback lines go dead | Move to IP‑VPN or 4G router with fail‑over SIM |
| Fax & franking machines | Analogue-only hardware stops sending | Adopt cloud‑fax or postal frank‑on‑web services |
| CCTV & security cameras | No uplink to alarm receiving centre | IP‑enable DVR or add PoE/SIM backhaul |
| Utility SCADA / remote telemetry | 25 k+ water & 43 k gas/electric lines at risk | Shift monitoring to VPN, LoRaWAN or NB‑IoT links |
BT is urging anyone with “special services” on copper; anything from alarm panels to traffic signals, to migrate by December 2025, well before the final cut‑over :content
3. Keeping the phone on during a power cut ⚡️
Digital lines go down when the router loses mains power. BT, Vodafone, Zen and KCOM have launched seven‑hour battery backup units and government guidance now calls for eight hours in homes that need it.
Tip: if you’re in a storm‑prone area, bundle a battery pack with a 4G router and bookmark our checklist in Feel Like Your Broadband Is Letting You Down? for extra resilience.
4. Prices, contracts and your right to switch
From 17 Jan 2025 no new broadband or phone contract can hide inflation‑linked price rises. If you’re still on an older deal, use the One‑Touch Switch (OTS) portal: over 1 million households have already swapped provider since its September 2024 launch, and Ofcom is cracking down on ISPs that try to dodge it.
Not sure when to jump? Our rent‑squeeze explainer As Rents Rise by £221, Why Should Your Broadband Bill Go Up Too? — shows how to lock in a fixed‑price fibre plan before copper disappears.
5. Speed, symmetry and your future‑proof to‑do list ✅
- Check coverage and stop‑sell status with the rollout tracker in our latest Morning Update – it confirms that full fibre now reaches 74 % of UK homes and lists the 137 new exchanges where copper services are in “Stop Sell”.
- Pick a package that matches tomorrow’s habits. If you livestream, edit video or run large cloud backups, look for symmetrical speeds our guide Are All UK Fibre Broadband Deals Symmetrical? highlights CityFibre‑based ISPs (Vodafone, Zen, Sky via CityFibre), Community Fibre, YouFibre and Openreach’s new 1000/1000 Mbps trial.
- Don’t stop at 100 Mbit/s. The typical UK plan still hovers around that mark, but Think Your Internet Is Fast? Think Again shows Japan’s 1.02 Pb/s breakthrough and why a gigabit upgrade now gives head‑room for the next wave of apps, from 4K/8K streaming to ever‑larger game downloads.
You can search over 30 UK ISP’s all from one location using our advanced widget – its FREE. If your curious as to what speed you currently get we’ve also developed a FREE tool for this here.
6. Key dates at a glance 🗓️
| Milestone | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Copper stop‑sell triggers when FTTP ≥ 75 % in an exchange | Rolling |
| Digital Voice national awareness campaign | Now |
| Inflation‑proof contracts mandatory | 17 Jan 2025 (in place now 👍) |
| Business OTS testing begins | Q4 2025 |
| PSTN switch‑off complete | 31 Jan 2027 |
Conclusion
The copper era is ending, but the future is brighter (and faster) if you act early: order a fibre line, test any life‑saving devices, fit a battery backup if you need one, and lock in a fair‑price contract via One‑Touch Switch. Do that, and the 2027 deadline will feel like just another day online. 🌐✨
#DigitalVoice #CopperSwitchOff #FullFibre #OneTouchSwitch #UKBroadband #SwitchAndSave
External Sources & References
Third‑party links that informed the article’s facts and figures.
- BT Business – PSTN & ISDN switch‑off – confirms the 31 Jan 2027 deadline and explains the shift to Digital Voice.
- Giacom – Openreach delays PSTN switch‑off – details the May 2024 announcement extending the copper cut‑off to 2027.
- Ofcom – Connected Nations Spring 2025 update – provides the 74 % full‑fibre and 86 % gigabit coverage stats.
- Ofcom – Ban on inflation‑linked mid‑contract price rises – sets the 17 Jan 2025 start date for fixed‑price telecom contracts.
- ISPreview – Stop‑sell reaches 1,175 exchanges – tracks Openreach’s Tranche 18 copper stop‑sell rollout.
- ISPreview – One‑Touch Switch passes 1 million moves – logs consumer uptake of the OTS process since Sept 2024.
- ISPreview – TOTSCo begins business OTS onboarding – confirms business‑sector testing slated for Q4 2025.
- Telecoms.com – Vodafone/BT Broadband Battery Backup – covers the new 4‑to‑7 hour router BBU launch ahead of the switch‑off.
- The Guardian – 95‑year‑old cut off during Digital Voice switch – illustrates real‑world telecare risks of the transition.
- Ofcom – Battery Backup Statement (2011) – sets the recommended eight‑hour emergency‑power standard for fibre voice lines.