Protecting your business as the copper age ends

It’s the end of an era. As you may know, Openreach is shutting down the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and replacing it with modern digital technology, like FTTP (fibre to the premises) and SOGEA (single order generic ethernet access).

This is very good news. PSTN is the old copper network and it’s creaky and slow and increasingly difficult to maintain. Designed for telephone calls, PSTN doesn’t have the resilience or capacity for modern digital networking. If you’ve ever been on a stuttering video call, you’ll know what we mean. Its replacements are faster, more dependable and fit for the future.

The downside is that businesses of all sizes have to transition from PSTN to an IP (Internet Protocol)-based solution, and you need to do it soon. According to our new research, most businesses have yet to make the switch.

Most businesses are not switch off ready

Our survey found that only 18% of small and 26% of large businesses already have an all-IP solution in place. That leaves an awful lot of organisations that rely completely or in part on connectivity that is rapidly approaching end of life.

That’s a problem for two reasons. First, the switch off doesn't just affect your telephony and business broadband. It affects everything that sits on your network, from card machines and IoT devices to CCTV systems and alarms. For larger businesses, it could impact a wide variety of vital digital infrastructure.

Second, it might all be happening sooner than you think. There are two key deadlines to bear in mind:

• January 2027: This is the date of the complete shutdown of PSTN and ISDN (PSTN is your ‘landline’; ISDN is technology that allows it to carry voice and data services at the same time). But things start changing much sooner than that…
• December 2025: From this date, you could be given just 90 days’ notice to switch to an all-IP solution or risk losing connectivity and everything that relies on it.

The dangers of delay

Despite these upcoming deadlines, many businesses are still assessing their options, and a few remain blissfully unaware of the switch off altogether.

That’s not a sustainable situation. The deteriorating state of the PSTN network is already causing problems. A 2023 Connected Nations report found a 60% increase in lost hours for customers on PSTN, and the situation is only getting worse.

There are a number of others risks in delaying your connectivity upgrade too long:

• Service disruption. If you lose connectivity, the result could be lost sales, unhappy customers and expensive downtime
• Operational risk. Could you switch all your services to all-IP in just 90 days? Could you do it seamlessly? A rushed transition could be costly and disruptive.
• Higher costs. Your legacy systems may become more expensive to maintain. Leave your transition too late and the costs of switching may rise as demand spikes.
• Security risks. Older systems are more prone to cyber-attacks, while modern IP-based solutions are less vulnerable.

The good news here is that acting early could give you a significant competitive advantage. Why not enjoy crystal clear video calls and lightning-fast cloud applications while competitors struggle to get out of the slow lane?

What should you do now?

Having said that, you might not be able to switch at the moment, even if you want to. FTTP may not be available at your business postcode, though if not it’s likely to be soon. SOGEA is widely (but not universally) available. But whatever the situation, we’d strongly advise that you start planning anyway, so you can switch up smoothly as soon as possible.

• Check the connectivity available to you. You’ll need SOGEA, FTTP or a leased line.
• Conduct a full audit of all systems reliant on PSTN or ISDN, including telephony, security and critical operational infrastructure.
• Consult with technology partners to verify the IP-readiness of your existing systems and hardware.
• Analyse your requirements. Is this a good time to go full fibre as your business accelerates its digital transformation?

There’s a lot to think about, but it really is worth starting your switch off journey now. We’re here to help. Look out for our specific switch off communications over the next few months, packed with useful information and resources, and feel free to call our team.

In the next blog, we’ll look at conducting an effective technology audit.