As an authority in cloud technology with deep experience evaluating how different providers and their tech stacks serve various industries, Maryanne Baines offers a crucial perspective on one of the biggest infrastructure shifts in a generation: the impending shutdown of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). With less than a year to go, she discusses the escalating financial pressures on businesses, the hidden risks lurking in forgotten hardware like lift lines and security systems, and the critical importance of robust power backup solutions in an all-digital world. The conversation navigates the practical steps businesses must take, from auditing their technology estate to engaging with their service providers, and explores the challenges of a last-minute migration.
With prices for legacy phone lines set to double this year, what specific financial and operational impacts should a business expect if it delays migration? Please walk us through how this pricing strategy pressures both companies and their service providers to finally act.
The financial pressure is becoming immense, and it’s designed to be. Think of it less as a penalty and more as a stark reflection of reality: the old analogue network is obsolete and costs a fortune to maintain. Openreach is simply passing those escalating costs on. For a business, this isn’t a gentle nudge; it’s a series of powerful shoves. A 20% hike in April, another 40% in July, and a final 40% in October means you’re paying double for a service that’s on its last legs. Operationally, this forces a difficult conversation. Do you absorb these costs, impacting your bottom line for a dying technology, or do you finally invest in the inevitable digital transition? It also puts immense pressure on those smaller, slower communication providers who now have to explain to their clients why their bills are skyrocketing while competitors who migrated their customers long ago are offering stable, future-proof solutions.
We understand over 12,000 lift lines and hundreds of CCTV networks still rely on the old system. What are the most severe, real-world risks for a company if these critical, non-voice systems fail, and what are the first steps to auditing this hidden hardware?
The risks are incredibly severe because these systems are often out of sight, out of mind, until they fail catastrophically. Imagine a power flicker or a line issue, and suddenly the emergency line in one of your 12,000 lifts goes dead. Someone could be trapped with no way to call for help. Or consider the 500 or so CCTV networks; a failure there means a total loss of security surveillance, leaving a facility completely vulnerable. These aren’t just IT problems; they are significant safety and liability issues. The first step is an immediate and thorough audit. Don’t just look at your phone system. You need to physically trace the connectivity for every piece of critical hardware—fire alarms, security panels, payment terminals, and especially those lift lines. If you’re unsure, the responsibility falls on you to contact your service provider and demand clarity on which of your services are still tied to the old copper network.
Many businesses may find their communications provider has been slow to migrate them. If a company is in this situation, what are the immediate steps they should take, and what key challenges or costs should they anticipate when switching providers at this late stage?
If your provider hasn’t proactively moved you or even contacted you about this, it’s a major red flag. Your first step is to get on the phone with them immediately and ask for their migration plan and timeline. You need to ask why they have been so slow when most major providers handled this ages ago. If their answer is vague or unsatisfactory, you cannot afford to wait. The second step is to start shopping for a new provider, but be prepared for challenges. Switching at this late stage means you’re competing for resources and technician time with thousands of other businesses in the same boat. You may face expedited migration fees, and there could be a waiting list for installations, which is a risk with the price hikes kicking in. The biggest cost, however, could be the business disruption if your old service is cut off before the new one is fully operational.
Digital lines lose power during an outage, and the standard battery backups may only last an hour. What are the practical implications of this for business continuity and emergency service access? Please share some examples of more robust backup solutions companies should be considering.
This is perhaps the most overlooked but critical aspect of the digital transition. For decades, we took for granted that our landlines worked during a power outage because they were powered from the exchange. That safety net is gone. A standard battery backup offering a minimum of one hour of life is simply not enough for any serious business. Imagine a prolonged outage; after 60 minutes, your phones go dead. That means no communication with customers, no ability to coordinate with employees, and, most frighteningly, no way to dial emergency services. This is a massive business continuity failure. Companies must look beyond the free, basic units and invest in more robust uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that can power their entire communications stack—routers, switches, and phones—for several hours, or even consider generator backups for critical sites.
For businesses with specialized equipment, what does the process of testing hardware at a dedicated lab actually involve? Could you provide a step-by-step example of how a company with a unique “edge case” would navigate the transition and what temporary solutions are available?
The testing process is a lifeline for businesses with unique hardware. Let’s say you run a manufacturing facility with a proprietary piece of machinery that uses an analogue modem to send diagnostic data. You can’t just assume it will work on a digital line. The first step is to contact Openreach to arrange a free slot at their test lab. You would then physically bring or ship your unique device to the lab. There, technicians will help you connect it to a simulated all-IP environment, allowing you to run a full suite of tests to see if it functions correctly. If it fails, they can help diagnose the issue. While you’re working on a permanent fix or replacement, which could take time, Openreach can offer temporary solutions, like a special SOTAP (Single Order Transitional Access Product) line, that can keep your legacy device running for a limited period post-migration, preventing an immediate operational shutdown.
What is your forecast for the final months leading up to the PSTN switch-off, particularly for the businesses that have yet to migrate?
I forecast a frantic and potentially chaotic scramble for the businesses that have delayed. The price hikes will be the initial shock, forcing many to finally pick up the phone, but they’re going to find that the migration process is no longer as smooth as it was a year ago. There will be a bottleneck of demand for technicians, equipment, and support, leading to longer wait times and higher costs for last-minute movers. We’ll likely see stories of businesses facing brief but painful service interruptions as they get caught between the final shutdown of their old lines and the activation of their new ones. For those with complex or specialized equipment, the risk is even higher. My hope is that the urgency creates a final wave of successful migrations, but my fear is that a significant number of companies will be caught unprepared, facing a very disruptive start to 2027.
