The PSTN switch-off is quickly approaching. Is your business ready?
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Managing Director @ RPS Telecom
For years, the UK telecoms industry has been talking about the PSTN and digital landline switch-off.
Now, BT has taken that message mainstream.
Its new “Don’t Put Off the Switch” campaign, launched alongside Clare Balding, is aimed at raising public awareness ahead of the nationwide analogue switch-off in January 2027. The campaign highlights a simple behavioural problem: people delay action when something still appears to be working.
That matters because the UK is now in the final phase of one of the biggest infrastructure changes the telecoms sector has seen in decades.
And while the campaign is consumer-focused, businesses should be paying very close attention.
BT’s own research says almost one in three UK adults have delayed or ignored messages from essential service providers, while 30% say they have missed a deadline that later caused consequences.
That is exactly what many businesses are doing with the PSTN switch-off.
Not because they are refusing to act but because the existing line still works today.
The problem is that many organisations still do not fully know what relies on analogue infrastructure behind the scenes.
In many cases, it is not just the main phone system.
It can include:
Some of these services have been quietly operating in the background for years. That makes them easy to overlook until a migration becomes urgent.
The telecoms industry has discussed the switch-off for years.
But BT publicly launching a national awareness campaign changes the context completely.
This is now the action window.
Businesses that leave reviews, audits or migrations until the final stages risk:
The businesses that will handle this best are the ones reviewing services now – before they are forced into reactive decisions.
One of the biggest issues RPS continues to see is businesses assuming that because they moved part of their estate to cloud telephony, they are fully prepared.
Often, they are not.
A business may already have hosted phones while still relying on analogue infrastructure elsewhere in the building or estate.
That is why the conversation should not simply be: “Have you moved your phone system?”
It should be: “What in your business still depends on analogue connectivity?”
Those are very different questions.
The PSTN switch-off is sometimes treated like an admin task or telecoms upgrade project.
In reality, it is a business continuity issue.
The organisations approaching this properly are using the change as an opportunity to:
Handled properly, migrations should feel planned and controlled, not rushed because the deadline has suddenly become too close.
BT’s campaign is significant because it signals the switch-off has moved beyond telecoms industry messaging and into mainstream public awareness.
That should be the trigger for businesses to act.
At RPS Telecom, we are helping organisations across Wales and the South West identify what still relies on analogue lines, what genuinely needs replacing, and what can be migrated safely before January 2027.
Because the biggest risk now is not lack of technology.
It is postponing action because the old line still works today.
If you are unsure what still relies on analogue lines within your business, now is the time to check — not when a forced migration or service disruption creates urgency.
At RPS Telecom, we are carrying out PSTN Switch-Off Reviews to help businesses identify:
The goal is simple: understand your exposure early and plan the transition properly.
Book a 20-minute PSTN Switch-Off Review with the RPS team and make sure your business is not caught out by hidden analogue dependencies.
RPS Telecom
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