Will my lift phone work after the PSTN switch-off?

The short answer

A lift's emergency phone is the autodialler that lets someone trapped in the car call for help. Many of them were installed to work over the analogue phone line — and that network switches off on 31 January 2027.

The lift industry body, LEIA, is clear that some of these devices won't work on a digital or VoIP line, or will need adjusting. So a lift phone that works fine today can go silent after the switch-off if nothing is done — and a silent lift phone is a safety and a legal problem, not just an inconvenience.

Why this is a duty, not a maintenance footnote

Lifts have had to provide a way for trapped passengers to call for help since 1999. There's no law saying that must be a phone line specifically — LEIA notes the connection can be radio, a digital network, or a hard-wired link to a manned rescue service. But there is a legal effect that matters here:

The level of safety of a lift must not be reduced. Where an alarm device has been provided, the owner must ensure the connection is maintained or, if replaced, is compatible.

In plain terms: if your lift's emergency phone works over the analogue line today, you can't let the switch-off quietly break it. As the lift owner or building duty holder, keeping it working is your responsibility.

The two ways the switch-off can break it

LEIA flags two distinct risks, and a dialler can hit both at once:

1. Compatibility. Some autodiallers aren't designed for digital or VoIP lines and need adjusting or replacing.
2. Power. Some diallers draw their power from the old phone line itself. A digital line doesn't provide power the same way — so the device can lose its connection and its power source together.

Which of these applies to your lift is a question for the people who maintain it, not a guess to make from the ground floor.

What to do — and who to call

1. Contact your lift maintenance company now, well ahead of January 2027. LEIA's advice is that they check with the original alarm-device provider whether your dialler will work on the proposed new line and stay compliant with the standard it was installed to (BS EN 81-28).
2. Don't change the line first and hope. Replace or adjust the alarm side in step with any line change, so there's never a gap where a trapped passenger can't call out.
3. Have a plan if it can't be fixed in time. It's the owner's decision what to do if two-way communication is down — for example, taking the lift out of service or arranging a temporary alarm. Build that into your timeline.

What this page can't do

It can give you the deadline, the duty and the right call to make. It can't confirm whether your specific lift phone is compatible, tell you which device to fit, or stand in for your lift maintenance company's assessment. A lift emergency phone is life-safety equipment — get the answer from the company that maintains your lift, in good time before January 2027.