What happens to my business landline in January 2027?

What actually changes — and what already has

The deadline is real, and it covers everyone. BT Group is retiring the public switched telephone network (PSTN) — the copper network that carries analogue phone calls — and Ofcom confirms every provider that sells over BT's network has to follow the same timetable, with Virgin Media on a similar one. By 31 January 2027, all UK providers must have moved customers from analogue to digital phone lines.

Part of this has already happened: analogue lines haven't been sold to new customers since September 2023. Order a "landline" today and you're already getting a digital one. The 2027 date is the end for lines that were already there before the stop-sell — which is exactly the kind most small businesses are still sitting on.

Two things don't change. You keep your number — it moves to the new digital service. And in most cases you keep your phones: a digital line carries calls over your broadband, and Openreach says existing handsets can usually plug into the back of the router instead of the wall socket.

What does change is everything that quietly depends on the old line. Ofcom's specific warning to small businesses: card payment machines, alarms and monitoring equipment connected to your landline may stop working after the switch. That's where the planning effort goes — not the phone itself.

The timeline

Date	What happens
September 2023	Stop-sell: analogue phone lines no longer sold to new customers. Any "landline" ordered since is already digital.
Now → January 2027	Providers move existing analogue customers across in waves. You may be moved before the deadline — Openreach says a provider change, a contract renewal or a service update is often what triggers it.
December 2026	Openreach's target for Full Fibre to reach 25 million homes and businesses. A phone service ordered on Full Fibre is digital as standard.
31 January 2027	The analogue network is switched off. All UK providers must have moved customers to digital lines by this date.

What that table really says: the deadline is the end of the process, not the start. The switch is happening around you now, and a contract renewal between today and 2027 is probably when yours lands. So get the device checks done before that renewal conversation, not after it.

Your realistic options compared

Option	What it costs	Best for	What you give up
Hosted VoIP service	From £7.00/user/month +VAT with 100 outbound minutes, or £13.95 with unlimited UK calls (bOnline, Feb 2026 pricing, 12-month minimum)	Most small businesses — modern features, apps, easy to add people	A 12-month commitment; promo prices go back up out of contract; needs working broadband
Digital line from your current provider	Bundled with your broadband renewal — ask for the quote; BT sells this as Digital Voice for Business	Least disruption; one bill, one supplier	Renewal quotes are rarely the best price on the market; fewer features than hosted VoIP
Mobiles only	The mobile plans you already pay for	Sole traders who never use the landline number	The fixed business number, shared lines, and anything that plugs into a line (card machine, alarm)
Do nothing yet	Nothing today	Nobody, honestly	Your provider moves you on their schedule, not yours — and the closer to January 2027, the less choice and engineer availability you'll have

The prices above are ones we've checked — the date is at the bottom of this page. They're not a market average. Pricing pages for the major providers get their own entries on this site, each with its own verification date.

Steps to take now

1. List what's plugged in. Walk the building and note everything in a phone socket: phones, the alarm panel, telecare pendants, the card machine, the fax, the lift phone. The switch-off checker on this site gives a verdict per device.
2. Ask your current provider two questions. When they plan to move you, and what happens to your service in a power cut. Ofcom says you can wait for them to contact you — a business shouldn't; you want the switch on your calendar, not theirs.
3. Check every connected device with its supplier. Ofcom says to speak to both your landline provider and whoever supplied the equipment. For anything safety-related — alarm signalling, telecare, lift lines — the supplier's answer is the only one that counts, and you want it in writing.
4. Pick the replacement and move your number. Porting is routine — bOnline, for example, quotes 10–20 days and handles it for you. Order the new service before you cancel anything; the old line is your safety net until the number has moved.
5. Plan for power cuts. Unlike a corded analogue phone, a digital line stops working in a power cut unless it has battery back-up — Ofcom is clear about this. If someone at your site depends on the line to reach 999 and has no mobile signal, your provider must offer a back-up solution free of charge under Ofcom's rules — ask for it.

The catches that cost people money

Power cuts. Worth repeating outside the checklist: a digital line only works in a power cut with battery back-up. If your site has poor mobile signal, that back-up isn't optional kit — it's your only way to reach the emergency services when the power goes.

Life-safety equipment. Telecare pendants, alarm signalling and lift phones aren't ordinary phone devices — they're regulated, monitored services. Nothing on this page tells you whether yours stays compliant: speak to your monitoring provider and maintainer before changing the line they depend on. Dedicated guides for each are on their way on this site.

No broadband at the site. A digital phone line needs a broadband connection, but not having one doesn't mean you can skip the switch — Ofcom's guidance says your provider will supply a connection to carry the phone service, and you shouldn't pay extra for the phone service alone if you don't take internet access with it.

Assuming you'll be contacted in good time. Providers are expected to move customers safely — Ofcom wrote to the industry in January 2026 setting out exactly that — but "safely" isn't "conveniently for your business". A switch you booked for a quiet month beats one that lands in your busiest week.