The UK is switching off the copper-based landlines that have handled our phone calls for the last 100 years. The decision to rip up this ageing infrastructure was taken by the biggest telecom companies — it was not mandated by the UK Government. In place of traditional landlines, the UK will rely on broadband-powered phone lines, often referred to as Digital Voice landlines.
Telecom providers had hoped to complete the switchover by the end of next year. After the process was suspended for millions across the UK last year over fears that personal safety alarms would not work with the internet-powered new system, last month BT confirmed that it would postpone the switch-off of all copper-based lines until 2027 — 13 months later than originally planned.
Openreach and other leading telecom firms spearheaded plans to modernise the ageing landline infrastructure across the UK
OPENREACH PRESS OFFICEAccording to BT-owned Openreach and other telecom providers, the decision to replace the 14 million or so copper-based phone lines across the UK with Digital Voice phones will result in clearer calls, especially over longer distances. Not only that, but it'll add new functionality, like the ability to block calls from withheld numbers and put incoming calls in a queue when you’re already talking on the phone.
Powering these modernised landlines will be a technology known as Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. If you’ve ever made a call over Wi-Fi to friends or family on WhatsApp, Skype, or Messenger, then you’re already familiar with VoIP technology and how it can offer improved call quality.
It also won't be impacted by bad weather and other interference.
Digital Voice handsets, pictured here, connect to the back of the Wi-Fi router supplied by your broadband provider and route calls over the internet — not a traditional phone line
BT PRESS OFFICEGB News spoke to Jamie Snaddon, who serves as Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at 8x8, to find out how the decision to delay the roll-out has landed with small business owners. The veteran of the telecom industry told us that "a lot of organisations will be delighted at the news of the PSTN delay."
PSTN is an industry term that means Public Switched Telephone Network and refers to the cable infrastructure that enables landline calls from one telephone to another.
"So many organisations, from local authorities, housing associations and health trusts to small micro-businesses, told us that they weren’t ready to switch over," he revealed during our conversation. "Now, you would think that 18 months or so would be plenty of time for most organisations to make a switch but the reality is that time wasn’t the main factor here: it was cost.
"A lot of UK businesses and organisations are struggling in the current economic climate and having to find funding for a major digital transformation project like this was an issue that many didn’t have the capacity to deal with.
"Economic forecasts suggest that the UK will be in a slightly better place by 2026, which is when the revised switch-off date will need to be budgeted for — of course, if BT sticks to the 2027 deadline — so that may give companies a chance to budget appropriately instead of rushing into a solution."
Not everyone in the UK will be held to the revised January 31, 2027 deadline. Landline-only customers without a broadband connection at home, as well as those who rely on telecare alarms or those with additional needs will not need to make the switch before the 2027 date, BT confirmed to GB News.
Behind the scenes, telecom providers are developing new landline technology that could solve some of the compatibility issues with Digital Voice. Reiterating the changed timeline, BT Chief Security and Networks Officer, Howard Watson told GB News: "The urgency for switching customers onto digital services grows by the day because the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile.
"Managing customer migrations from analogue to digital as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary provisions for those customers with additional needs, including telecare users, is critically important.
"Our priority remains doing this safely and the work we’re doing with our peers, local authorities, telecare providers and key Government organisations is key. But more needs to be done and we need all local authorities and telecare providers to share with us the phone lines where they know there’s a telecare user."
According to Jamie Snaddon, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in the next 970 days before the landline deadline will be education. The 8x8 executive said: "Study after study, as well as from what I hear on the ground, show that around 30 per cent of most businesses were completely unaware of the December 2025 cut-off date.
"With this new deadline, the industry, Ofcom and the Government — whoever that is — post-election, need to work together to make this seamless and easy. The Comms industry was trying hard and you had seen many of them come together for the Fit to Switch campaign. It’s not enough though.
"We will need both Ofcom and the Government to be more involved."
Jamie Snaddon has one final unanswered question about the decision to postpone the UK landline overhaul by 13 months — whose credit card is this all going on?
"There’s a question from the announcement of the switch-off delay though: who is going to foot the bill for the running costs of this legacy technology? The delay may not be the blessing that it seems because there is going to be a cost here," the telecoms veteran tells us.
Industry heavyweights have repeatedly claimed they struggle to find parts to maintain and repair analogue phone lines as few companies are still making the components used by this Century-old system.
“For companies that can switch over earlier than 2027, it may make sense to do so as legacy technology only gets more expensive as time goes on," Snaddon adds.
"We’ve seen businesses save up to £500,000 over three-year periods when moving from legacy to cloud communications. Sometimes it is more expensive to do nothing and wait.”
8x8 is a leading provider of cloud call centres and other communication tools. The software is used by NHS Trusts, London Boroughs, Acer, and Halfords, to name just a few.
It's worth noting that if you've already upgraded to a full-fibre broadband connection at home or with your business, you're likely already using Digital Voice for your calls. BT and other telecom providers have included Digital Voice handsets for all-fibre customers as the standard for many years.
In fact, BT suspended sales of traditional landlines to all new customers in September 2023. While many of the most popular personal alarm systems do work with digital landlines, a power cut or internet drop-out can cause them to fail, while copper phone lines typically continue to work even during power cuts.
Elsewhere, unfortunate BT customers have lost access to the landline number they’d held for 50 years and others stranded without a landline connection for days during the switchover process, something that a new charter agreed by all phone and broadband operators has been designed to fix.
