The Northern Ireland landline switch-off guide
On 31 January 2027 the copper telephone network that most UK landlines run on is retired. This page is a plain-English guide for Northern Ireland businesses, schools, clubs and charities. No jargon, no scare tactics, and no requirement to buy anything from anybody.
What is actually happening
The PSTN, the public switched telephone network, is the copper phone network that has carried UK landline calls for around a century. It is old, expensive to maintain and being closed down. After 31 January 2027 it will not exist.
Calls move onto internet connections instead. For most organisations the change is straightforward and often cheaper. The part that causes problems is everything else that quietly runs over a phone line without anybody thinking of it as a phone.
What stops working
- Analogue landlines. The single line in a shop, salon or small office.
- ISDN2 and ISDN30 circuits. The lines feeding an on-site phone system.
- Alarm signalling. Intruder and fire alarms that dial a monitoring centre.
- Lift emergency phones. Legally required to work, usually on an analogue line.
- Telecare and personal alarms. Critical in care settings and sheltered housing.
- Card payment terminals. Older units that dial out rather than use the network.
- Door entry and intercom systems. Common in older and shared premises.
- Fax lines, franking machines and redcare circuits. Still in use in more places than people expect.
The six-step checklist
Walk the building and list everything on a phone line
Not just the phones. Alarms, lifts, card machines, door entry, fax, franking, intercoms. Most organisations find two or three they had forgotten about.
Find out what lines you actually have
Your bill will usually say. Look for the words analogue, PSTN, ISDN2, BRI, ISDN30 or PRI. If it says any of those, you are affected.
Check what you are really paying
Add line rental, maintenance contracts and call charges together. This is the number a replacement should be compared against, not the headline monthly figure.
Test your internet connection
Voice needs very little bandwidth, roughly 0.1Mb per call each way, but it needs consistency. Any supplier worth using will test this before quoting rather than after installing.
Start the number transfer early
Moving your existing numbers is the step with a real lead time and it is the one you cannot rush in January 2027.
Deal with the non-phone equipment separately
Alarms, lifts and telecare often need a different solution from a phone supplier. Ask who is taking responsibility for each item, and get the answer in writing.
Sector by sector
The general advice is the same everywhere. What differs is which forgotten thing catches you out.
Retail and hospitality
Worth checking:
- Card payment terminals that dial out
- Alarm signalling to a monitoring centre
- Door entry and intercom
- The single line that gives an engaged tone at the worst moment
Professional services
Worth checking:
- ISDN2 or ISDN30 circuits feeding an on-site phone system
- Call recording kept for compliance
- Dictation and fax lines still in use
- DDI numbers that must survive the move
Care and healthcare
Worth checking:
- Telecare and personal alarm pendants
- Nurse call systems
- Lift emergency phones
- Out-of-hours call routing that must not fail
Manufacturing, trades and logistics
Worth checking:
- Lift and machinery emergency lines
- Alarm redcare circuits
- Site-wide cordless coverage
- Weighbridge and gate intercoms
Schools, clubs and charities
Worth checking:
- Fire alarm signalling
- Lift phones
- Caretaker and out-of-hours lines
- Old analogue extensions across multiple buildings
Where to get independent help
These are not our pages and we have no relationship with any of them. They are the places we would send our own family if they ran a business here.
nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Closure of landlines and fixed telephone services
The Invest NI-backed business support site. The natural first stop for a Northern Ireland business.
Ofcom: Moving landline phones to digital technology
The regulator’s own guidance, including your rights and protections during a migration.
GOV.UK: UK transition from analogue to digital landlines
Government guidance covering the national programme and vulnerable customers.
Openreach: the switch-off programme
The network operator running the retirement, including dates and the legacy price increases.
Also worth a conversation: your local council business support team, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, and the Federation of Small Businesses, all of whom have been briefing members on this.
Choosing a supplier without getting stung
Whoever you go with, including us, these are the questions worth asking:
- What is the total monthly cost per user, and what is not in it?
- Is there a separate maintenance or support fee?
- What does it cost to add a starter, move an extension or change call routing? Ask for a number, not a reassurance.
- How long is the contract and what are the exit terms?
- Who is dealing with the alarm, the lift line and the card machine?
- Do we keep our existing numbers, and is there a charge for that?
A supplier who answers all six plainly is probably fine. One who avoids the third and fourth is where the trouble usually starts.
Common questions
Is this a real deadline or a sales tactic?
It is real and it is national. 31 January 2027 is the date the public switched telephone network is retired. It has moved before, but it is now fixed and the whole industry is working to it.
Who does it affect?
Any organisation with a traditional analogue landline, an ISDN2 or ISDN30 circuit, or an on-site phone system connected to copper lines. If your calls already run over broadband, you are unaffected.
What is most often missed?
Everything that quietly uses a phone line without being a phone: alarm signalling, lift emergency phones, telecare pendants, card terminals, door entry, fax and franking machines.
Do we have to change provider?
No. Your existing provider will have a migration path. Whether it is a good one is a separate question, and it is worth getting a second quote either way.
Will we lose our phone numbers?
No. Numbers transfer between providers and between technologies. Anyone telling you a new number is required should be asked why.
Can we republish this guide?
Yes. Any Northern Ireland business group, chamber, council or publication is welcome to quote, adapt or reproduce it, with a link back. No permission needed.
For press and business groups
This guide is free to quote, adapt, print or republish, in whole or in part, with a link back to this page. No permission needed and no fee.
The facts, if you need them
- Switch-off date: 31 January 2027
- Affects analogue lines, ISDN2 and ISDN30
- Openreach raised legacy line prices in stages through 2026
- Most commonly missed: alarms, lift phones, telecare, card terminals
- Numbers transfer and do not need to change
Talking to someone about it
If you are writing about this, running a members' briefing, or want someone to explain it to a room of business owners, we will do it for nothing. We would rather people understood this than panicked about it.
Or email info@northcomm.co.uk.
Written and maintained by Northcomm, an independent telecoms company in Northern Ireland. We do sell phone systems, which is why this page deliberately points you at independent sources first and our own prices last. If you want those, they areon the pricing page, published in full.