UK's Openreach Confirms PSTN Analogue Phone Network Dies January 31, 2027, With No Extensions
With 100 days to go, BT's network arm warns the shutdown reaches beyond phones to payment terminals, fire alarms and elderly care devices, urging businesses to audit remaining analogue services.
Openreach, BT Group's network infrastructure arm, has reiterated that the UK's PSTN analogue telephone network will switch off on January 31, 2027, with no extensions, exactly 100 days ahead of the deadline. The company is warning that the impact extends far beyond traditional landline phones: point-of-sale payment terminals, fire and security alarms, and personal telecare alarms used by elderly people all rely on the analogue network.
Businesses are advised to audit any remaining analogue services and prepare migration plans; customers without fiber can be moved via the SOTAP for Analog product. The warning lands as regional operators complete their own legacy sunsets — Guyana's One Communications finished switching off its national 2G network on November 1 — a reminder that network shutdowns trigger migration work well beyond the telecom layer itself.