The confirmed date: 31 January 2027
The final retirement date for the Public Switched Telephone Network in the UK is 31 January 2027. After that point the copper voice network is withdrawn and services that depend on it stop working.
That is the date to plan against. It applies to analogue phone lines and to the equipment plugged into them, not only to handsets.
Why the date moved twice
The industry originally targeted 31 December 2025. The migration was then paused twice, largely because of concerns about customers who rely on their landline and about connected devices such as telecare alarms that were being cut off during migrations.
The extension exists to protect vulnerable customers and to give equipment owners time to check compatibility. It is not a signal that the switch-off will be shelved, and it may move again — which is another argument for moving on your own timetable rather than waiting.
Is the UK landline being switched off in 2027?
Yes — the analogue landline as most people know it is being switched off. The PSTN switch off in 2027 is the point at which the copper voice network stops carrying calls, so traditional landlines are phased out rather than simply upgraded in place.
You will still have a business phone number and you can still have a desk phone. What changes is how the call travels: over your internet connection instead of a copper pair. That is why the change is often described as the UK landline switch off or the digital phone switchover — the same thing under different names.
This is a phased withdrawal, not one overnight cutover
The analogue stop-sell phase has been in place since September 2023. That means no new PSTN or WLR lines can be sold, and in many exchange areas existing lines cannot be upgraded or amended either.
- September 2023 onwards: national stop-sell — no new analogue line sales
- 2024 to 2026: staged migrations, exchange by exchange and customer by customer
- 31 January 2027: final retirement of the PSTN
In practice many businesses are migrated well before the final date, at a point chosen by their provider. If you'd rather choose the date yourself, you need to act first.
How far migration has got
Ofcom-reported figures show the number of UK landline customers still on the PSTN fell from roughly 5.2 million in July 2024 to around 3.2 million in July 2025.
That is real progress, but it also means millions of lines still need moving in the time remaining. Migration capacity is finite, and the closer you get to the deadline the busier providers and installers become.
What happens if you don't migrate in time
If a line is still on the PSTN when the network is retired, the service on it stops. Calls will not connect, and anything else using that line — alarm diallers, lift lines, card terminals — stops with it.
The part that catches businesses out is the number. An unmigrated number cannot be recovered once the line has been ceased. If that number is on your van, your website and years of paperwork, losing it is far more expensive than the migration would have been.
Start earlier than you think you need to
Porting a number is a scheduled process, not an instant one. Single-line ports typically take a couple of weeks from order to cutover, and multi-line or ISDN ports commonly take longer once site surveys and provider validation are involved.
Add time to check connected equipment, test the new setup on a temporary number and train the team, and a comfortable plan is months rather than weeks. If you're on an analogue line today, read our practical guide to PSTN replacement and get the inventory done now.
Want this set up for you?
Plans start at £19 per user per month with UK calls included. See pricing or get a quote.