Openreach confirms there will be no further extension to the deadline for shutting down analogue telephone network

Openreach has issued a strongly worded warning to UK communications providers (CSPs), confirming that there will be no further extension to the deadline for shutting down the country’s traditional analogue telephone network.

With the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) scheduled for permanent closure on 31 January 2027, Openreach is increasing pressure on providers that still have customers relying on legacy copper-based telephone services.

In a letter sent to communications providers, Openreach made clear that the deadline would not be moved, warning that organisations which fail to migrate customers in time could face significant service disruption.

The letter stated: “This letter serves as confirmation that the January 2027 deadline will not be moved.”

The PSTN shutdown has been planned for several years, with BT originally targeting the end of 2025 before extending the deadline to January 2027. The additional time was intended to allow providers to migrate customers to modern digital telephone services, particularly those relying on specialist equipment such as telecare alarms.

However, despite the extended timetable, a significant number of customers remain connected to the legacy network.

Openreach previously estimated that around 1.5 million lines were still operating on the old copper infrastructure, including approximately 350,000 business premises. More recent estimates suggest that around one million copper-based lines remain active.

Customers Face Potential Service Disruption

Openreach has warned that customers who remain on traditional PSTN services after the shutdown could have their connections automatically transferred to Emergency Voice Access (EVAc), or have their services terminated.

EVAc is designed as a temporary safeguarding measure, providing basic telephone connectivity for customers who have not migrated before the deadline.

However, Openreach stresses that EVAc is not a permanent replacement for existing telephone services and will not provide the functionality required by many businesses.

Moving customers from EVAc to a full digital service could also introduce additional costs and further service interruptions.

Businesses relying on traditional telephone connections for operational systems could be particularly affected. These include payment terminals, security systems, lift emergency telephones, alarm systems and other equipment that depends on analogue telephone lines.

Legacy Telephone Services Becoming More Expensive

Openreach is also using wholesale price increases to encourage communications providers to accelerate their migration programmes.

The latest price increase, which came into effect on 1 October 2026, has roughly doubled the rental cost of legacy telephone lines compared with 2025 prices.

A further increase is scheduled for services remaining on the network from 1 February 2027, immediately after the PSTN shutdown deadline.

The financial pressure is intended to encourage providers to move customers towards modern alternatives, including fibre broadband and digital voice services.

Openreach has also warned that providers leaving migrations until the final weeks could struggle to secure sufficient engineering support to complete the work before the deadline.

Final Months of the PSTN Network

The move away from the PSTN represents one of the biggest changes to the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure in decades.

Traditional analogue telephone services are being replaced by digital, internet-based alternatives that carry voice calls over broadband connections.

Although millions of customers have already migrated, the remaining connections are often among the most complicated, particularly where specialist equipment and business infrastructure are involved.

Openreach is now making it clear that communications providers must take immediate action to identify remaining customers and complete their migration plans.

For households and businesses still using traditional landlines, the message is equally important: contact your telephone or broadband provider to establish whether your existing equipment and services need upgrading before January 2027.

The deadline is approaching, and this time Openreach appears determined that there will be no further delays.