Openreach will retire the legacy landline phone network on January 31, 2027, and it says that date will not move. Anyone still on PSTN connections faces the risk of losing service, including people whose equipment depends on the old line.
The warning went out this week to comms providers that use Openreach’s network. It matters because the switch reaches beyond handsets. Point-of-sale terminals, fire and security alarms, and personal care alarms for elderly and vulnerable people all rely on PSTN connectivity.
Openreach and the Digital Voice path
The change is part of a wider move to all-digital high-speed networks running on fiber-optic infrastructure in the UK. Many households already use mobile phones instead of a fixed line, and customers who still want a landline can plug a phone into the back of a broadband router to use Digital Voice.
Openreach also has a webpage with information on the switch-off. The practical message for customers is simple: contact their service provider as soon as possible so the line is not interrupted when the old network goes.
Caroline Abrahams on TeleCare
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, warned that the final stretch still carries risk for vulnerable users. “With only three months to go, the digital landline switchover is entering a critical final phase. Most people have moved over without major problems, but nobody who relies on their landline or TeleCare should be left behind,” she said.
She added: “Anyone with concerns should contact their provider, but the responsibility cannot rest with customers alone. Providers must not give up on people who have not responded. They need to keep trying to reach them and offer practical, individual support, recognizing that some may be unwell, living with dementia, worried about scams or without anyone nearby to help.”
Openreach’s earlier delay
Openreach has already pushed back the deadline at least once after the government asked telecoms providers not to force vulnerable customers using phone-network systems such as TeleCare to switch until fixes are in place. That makes the current no-extension stance harder for providers to sell to customers who have delayed the move.
For customers without a fiber connection, Openreach has said they will likely be switched to SOTAP for Analog, where equipment in the local telephone exchange lets them keep using the old phone line as before.
The unanswered issue is how many customers are still using legacy PSTN connections and still need to move before January 31, 2027.
