Openreach has confirmed that the UK landline switch-off will take place on 31 January 2027, giving the country 100 days to prepare for the complete retirement of the legacy public switched telephone network, with the infrastructure provider ruling out any further deadline extensions.
Key points
- Openreach confirmed the legacy public switched telephone network will shut down on 31 January 2027.
- The network provider ruled out any extensions, giving telecoms providers and users 100 days to migrate.
- The transition marks the final closure of traditional analogue copper landline services across the UK.
A firm 100-day deadline
The announcement establishes a hard stop for the UK’s traditional copper-based phone system. Openreach stated that the legacy public switched telephone network (PSTN) service will be retired on 31 January 2027, with no grace period or deferrals planned beyond that date.
The declaration leaves phone providers, businesses, and residential customers with exactly 100 days from the start of November to complete migrations to digital voice alternatives. The retirement affects traditional landline voice connections across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Moving from copper to digital voice
The public switched telephone network has supported British voice communications for decades. The infrastructure relies on analogue signals sent through traditional copper wiring, routing calls through physical telephone exchanges.
Telecommunications operators are replacing this setup with digital voice services routed over broadband lines. These voice over internet protocol connections send calls as digital data packets rather than analogue electrical signals. While the underlying physical line into a property may still use copper in areas without full-fibre coverage, the voice signalling itself moves entirely to internet protocols.
What happens next
With Openreach confirming that no extensions will be granted, communication providers must migrate any remaining legacy connections to digital alternatives before the January deadline.
Equipment that depends on analogue phone lines, including traditional telecare alarms, payment terminals, and older security systems, must be upgraded or adapted to work over digital lines before the analogue signal is turned off permanently on 31 January 2027.
