Openreach closes the analogue phone network on 31 January 2027, 104 days from today and about 70 working days once Christmas is taken out. If your phones have already moved, check what else still uses a copper line: alarms, lift phones, door entry, card terminals, franking machines and broadband that needs a landline. Two industry cut-offs fall before then, on 30 October and 6 November. Aim to have every order placed by the end of November.
Where do things stand?
Our guide to the PSTN switch-off covers what the switch-off is and what happens to each type of device. This article is the countdown version: what's left, and what order to do it in.
The date isn't moving. On 24 September 2026, Openreach confirmed 31 January 2027 again. Around 1.2 million lines were still on the old network, including about 350,000 business premises (Openreach, reported by ISPreview). A week earlier, Openreach named the cities with the most lines still to move: Glasgow had 30,653 and Edinburgh 39,132 (ISPreview, 17 September 2026).
Staying put is getting more expensive every quarter. Openreach raised wholesale rental on legacy lines by 40% in July and again by 40% this month, roughly double what it was (Openreach, July 2026). Lines still on copper on 1 February 2027 move to a temporary emergency voice access service, from £35 a month per line wholesale, before your provider adds its margin.
What do businesses usually miss?
Most businesses we speak to at this stage think they've finished, because the phones moved last year. Openreach's own warning is that many organisations "may have already upgraded their phone line but may not realise how many other services still rely on the old network" (Openreach, September 2026). These are the lines we find most often:
| What's still on copper | How to spot it | What to move it to |
|---|---|---|
| Intruder or fire alarm line | A "spare" line on the bill near the alarm panel | Dual-path signalling (IP plus 4G), arranged by the alarm company |
| Lift emergency phone | A line in the lift motor room or shaft | A digital or 4G autodialler, arranged by the lift company, then tested |
| Door entry or gate intercom | A line at the entrance panel or gate | A 4G or IP intercom |
| Card terminal | An older countertop model with a phone cable | A terminal on broadband, WiFi or 4G |
| Franking machine | A phone cable to the machine | A networked model |
| Broadband on a phone line | ADSL, or fibre broadband with a line rental charge | SoGEA or full fibre (FTTP) |
| Fax, modem or old remote access line | Numbers nobody can explain | Usually cancel, after tracing it |
| Branch offices and small sites | Lines at depots, shops or yards billed separately | Same checks as head office |
The last row matters for multi-site businesses. Head office gets the attention. The depot in Lanarkshire with a single line for the alarm and the card machine gets forgotten.
Which dates matter before 31 January?
Two industry dates fall well before the switch-off (Openreach, reported by ISPreview, 28 September 2026):
- 30 October 2026: Openreach's exceptions process for legacy lines closes, except for emergency cases where a copper line needs restoring.
- 6 November 2026: the deadline for submitting letters of authority to transfer legacy lines between providers.
In plain terms: after 6 November, you can no longer move an old copper line to a different provider. You can only move it to digital. If your plan was to switch supplier first and go digital later, you now need to go digital first.
Then work back from the deadline. Number ports follow minimum industry lead times, from 4 working days for a single line to 7 working days for small multi-line numbers and 10 or more for larger ranges of direct dial (DDI) numbers, before any installation work (Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator). Openreach schedules ports between 9am and 5pm on working days. Christmas and New Year take out at least a week. And 31 January 2027 is a Sunday, so the last working day is Friday 29 January.
A week-by-week plan from here
| By | Do this |
|---|---|
| Friday 30 October | Pull the last bill for every site, list every line, and match each one to a device. Contact every alarm, lift and intercom supplier in writing |
| Friday 6 November | Decide the target for every line: move, replace or cancel. If you're changing supplier as part of the move, sign off now |
| Friday 27 November | Place every order: new phone system, SoGEA or full fibre, number ports, alarm and lift upgrades |
| Friday 18 December | Finish installs at your main sites and test every alarm, lift phone and intercom that has moved |
| Friday 15 January | Complete any remaining ports and small sites, and cancel lines you've confirmed are unused |
| Friday 29 January | Last working day before the switch-off. Anything still on copper now goes to emergency voice access |
If you're reading this with nothing done, don't panic, but don't wait for the new year either. The phone system is usually the quickest part. The alarm and lift companies are the slowest, because every business in the country is calling them at once.
Worked example: a 20-person firm that "already switched"
Example (an illustration, not a real client): a 20-person Glasgow business moved its phones to a cloud system in 2025. In October 2026, its bill still shows four copper lines.
A walk round with the bill finds that one line serves the intruder alarm, one the fire alarm communicator, one an old franking machine and one nothing anyone can find. The alarm company quotes dual-path signalling for both panels and books an engineer for late November. The franking machine supplier swaps it for a networked model. The fourth line is traced to a disconnected fax socket, confirmed dead and cancelled.
By mid-December, the business has no copper lines left. Without the review, all four would have moved to emergency voice access on 1 February 2027, at a higher price than the lines cost today, and the alarms might not have signalled at all.
How Indigo does this. Indigo Unified Communications' free PSTN switch-off check lists every line at every site, what's connected to it and who supplies it, then recommends 8x8, 3CX or Microsoft Teams Phone and the broadband to run it on. We send the phone system review within 2 working days. New phones go in during working hours alongside the old ones, and Openreach ports the numbers between 9am and 5pm. Hosted phones start from about £10 per user per month, SoGEA costs about £32 a month, and 4G or 5G connectivity is usually live within 2–3 working days where a fixed line will take longer. Take the free switch-off check → There's no fixed cut-off for orders, but installation slots are filling, so the earlier you order the better. To have new phone or broadband services installed before Christmas, order by 4 December 2026.
What to do next
- Pull the latest bill for every site and count the copper lines, including branch offices and yards.
- Match every line to a device before 30 October, and email each alarm, lift and intercom supplier.
- Decide the target for every line by 6 November, especially if you plan to change provider.
- Place every order by the end of November, leaving December for installs and testing.
- Take our free PSTN switch-off check, and we'll do the line-by-line list with you.
Frequently asked questions
How many days are left until the PSTN switch-off?
On 19 October 2026 there are 104 days until Openreach closes the analogue network on 31 January 2027. That's about 70 working days once weekends and the Christmas and New Year bank holidays are taken out. As 31 January is a Sunday, the last working day before the switch-off is Friday 29 January 2027.
What happens on 30 October and 6 November 2026?
Openreach's exceptions process for legacy lines closes on 30 October 2026, apart from emergency restoration cases. The deadline for letters of authority to transfer legacy lines between providers is 6 November 2026. After that, a copper line can't simply move to another supplier: it needs to migrate to a digital service instead.
How long does it take to port a business number?
Minimum industry lead times start at 4 working days for a single line and 7 working days for small multi-line numbers, rising to 10 working days or more for larger ranges of direct dial (DDI) numbers. Openreach carries out ports between 9am and 5pm on working days. Allow extra time in December and January, when the Christmas break and demand will slow everything down.
Our phones are already digital. Are we finished?
Not necessarily. Many businesses moved their phones but still have copper lines for alarms, lift phones, door entry, card terminals, franking machines or broadband. Check every line on your bill and trace what each one is connected to. Anything still on copper on 31 January 2027 moves to emergency voice access, which costs more and may not keep alarms working.
Sources: ISPreview, Openreach confirm post-January 2027 measures for UK analogue phone switch-off (UPDATE2), 24 September 2026, updated 28 September 2026 (https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/openreach-confirm-post-january-2027-measures-for-uk-analogue-phone-switch-off.html) · ISPreview, Openreach list UK cities with most analogue phone lines yet to make digital switch, 17 September 2026 (https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/openreach-list-uk-cities-with-most-analogue-phone-lines-yet-to-make-digital-switch.html) · Openreach, Openreach warns businesses: just six months left before the UK's old phone network is switched off, 31 July 2026 (https://www.openreach.com/news/openreach-warns-businesses-just-six-months-left-before-the-uks-old-phone-network-is-switched-off/) · Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator, Geographic Number Porting: Quick Start Guide, accessed 30 September 2026 (https://www.offta.org.uk/siteassets/ota/number-porting-quick-start-guide.pdf)
Related: The UK PSTN switch-off explained · PSTN switch-off for construction sites and new builds · Free PSTN switch-off check · Number porting · How much does a business phone system cost?
Is your business ready for the PSTN switch-off?
Answer five questions to see what's affected, then book a free switch-off check. We'll contact you within 2 working days.