CEO (Christmas Executive Officer) @ The North Pole
Every December, Santa’s workshop faces tight deadlines, peak demand and more incoming requests than any call centre on Earth. But this year, Santa saw something that would be far more disruptive than even a global shortage of wrapping paper: the UK’s PSTN network will be fully switched off in 2027.
And unfortunately for the North Pole, their tech is, let’s say – not quite future-ready.
Once Santa discovered half the workshop’s systems were running on copper, he promptly placed them on the Naughty List.
Many UK businesses are discovering the same: hidden analogue dependencies, ageing systems and slow connectivity that won’t survive the 2027 switch-off.
The PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the UK’s long-standing analogue phone network. By 2027, it will be shut down completely, meaning analogue phone lines, fax lines, lift lines, alarm systems, payment terminals and monitoring systems will no longer function unless upgraded.
Santa realised this the hard way when:
The North Pole needed a communications overhaul – fast.
Santa’s team listed every device that still depended on analogue lines, the elves discovered PSTN in places nobody expected: The Elf Hotline, the Nice List Verification Terminal, workshop alarms and even the conveyor system controls. Businesses often forget that it’s not just phones, many systems depend on PSTN without you realising.
To replace the failing Elf Hotline, Santa moved to VoIP, delivering clearer calls, greater reliability, remote capability, and scalable capacity during peak periods.
The elves particularly enjoyed the voicemail-to-email feature, making it much easier to process Christmas wish lists.
Slow, intermittent broadband was delaying orders and freezing cloud tools. After switching to full fibre, toy production updated in real time, route-planning tools ran smoothly, and overall performance improved dramatically.
Even Mrs Claus was impressed.
A specialist partner (not mentioning any names) supported the North Pole through the full transition – the same approach RPS Telecom delivers for businesses preparing for 2027.
If the North Pole needs a reliable partner, your business probably does too!
Delaying transition risks downtime, disconnected systems, service disruption, and costly emergency upgrades.
Here are Santa’s top reasons for acting early:
Avoid downtime – Like Christmas Eve, there are no second chances.
Stay connected – Many alarm and payment systems won’t work on PSTN.
Boost efficiency – Modern telephony cuts costs and improves performance.
Future-proof operations – Digital communication is here to stay.
“You wouldn’t wait until Christmas Eve to start shopping – don’t wait until the last minute to modernise your communications!”
Analogue phone lines
PSTN-reliant alarms or payment terminals
Slow or unstable broadband
No 2027 migration plan
A fax machine still in active use
VoIP or cloud telephony
Full-fibre connectivity
Completed PSTN dependency audit
A clear migration roadmap
Support from a trusted telecoms partner
Santa’s workshop now runs with speed, clarity and reliability and your business can too.
RPS Telecom can help you review systems, identify PSTN dependencies, upgrade communications, improve connectivity and manage your full migration.
Start planning now and keep your business on Santa’s Nice List this Christmas and beyond.
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