The BT Copper Switch-Off: What It Means for Your Business

Openreach is retiring its copper PSTN and ISDN networks by January 2027. If your business still relies on copper-based telephone lines, broadband, or legacy connectivity, now is the time to plan - and act.

Openreach, the infrastructure arm of BT, is in the process of retiring the UK's legacy copper telephone network - the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). The current target date for completion is January 2027, and while that may seem distant, the migration process for many businesses takes longer than expected.

The switch-off affects more than telephone lines. Businesses running FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet) broadband - which still relies on a copper connection from the street cabinet to the premises - will need to migrate to a fully fibre solution such as FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) or a leased line. ISDN circuits, which many businesses still use for telephony and data connectivity, will also cease to function. Alarm and lift monitoring systems connected via PSTN will require separate consideration.

In practical terms, any business that has not yet assessed its exposure to the switch-off should do so now. The key questions are: what services you currently have that run over copper, what your fibre coverage looks like at your premises, and how much lead time you will need to complete the migration without operational disruption.

For businesses in areas where FTTP is not yet available, or where coverage is available but a physical fibre connection has not yet been pulled to the building, a fibre installation may be required before services can be migrated. This involves a physical survey and a fibre run from the nearest point of presence to your premises - a process that takes time to survey, design, and deliver.

If you are unsure where your business stands, or if you already know you need a new fibre connection and want to get ahead of the deadline, call us on 0151 440 3001. We will assess your current infrastructure, identify what needs to change, and manage the fibre installation and service migration end to end.