By 31 January 2027, the UK's old analogue telephone network will be switched off for good.

PSTN stands for the Public Switched Telephone Network, the copper based system that has carried UK phone calls for over a century. Alongside it, ISDN lines used by larger sites are also being retired. Both are being replaced by all IP connections that carry voice over broadband instead of copper.

Openreach stopped selling new copper lines in 2023 and has been raising prices on the ones that remain, to encourage schools and businesses to move across.

Ask most school leaders what runs over the old phone line and they will say the office handsets. In practice, that copper connection has ended up carrying far more, added by different contractors over the years and often without anyone keeping a full record.

It's not a simple swap from analogue to digital.

A digital line depends on your broadband connection and your mains power, so it will now need its own battery backup to ensure there is an active communication channel in place in the event of a powercut.

As well as phone lines, lift emergency phones, fire alarm signalling to a monitoring centre, intruder alarms, door entry systems and intercoms at gates and reception all need checking.

If any of these are quietly depending on a copper connection that is being switched off, this is where the PSTN switch off also becomes an estates and safeguarding issue. 

So for the systems you would never want to fail (a lift phone during a power cut, a fire panel during an evacuation, a door entry system when a visitor needs to be let in safely), each needs a transition plan to ensure continuity.

What your school should do now

1. Audit every service that still runs over a copper line, working across ICT, estates and facilities so nothing is missed, and map the dependencies for each one, including who installed it, who maintains it and what it connects to.
2. Prioritise anything tied to safety or safeguarding, such as lift phones, fire alarms and door entry systems.
3. Agree who is responsible for each supplier relationship, so replacing one system does not leave another unmanaged, and build the cost and timing into your procurement planning now, rather than reacting once a line stops working.
4. Give your Senior Leadership Team and governors visibility of the plan, so they have assurance the school is prepared.