It's Not Just Your Telephone That Could Be Affected
Many businesses still have equipment connected to traditional analogue telephone lines, sometimes without even realising it.
These connections can include:
Traditional business telephone lines Alarm signalling systems Fire alarm diallers Lift emergency phones Door entry and intercom systems Fax machines Payment and point-of-sale terminals CCTV or remote monitoring equipment Telecare and personal alarm systems Building management and telemetry equipment
Some of these services may have been installed many years ago and simply continued working in the background. As a result, they can easily be overlooked when a business migrates its main telephone or broadband services.
That is why carrying out an audit of existing analogue lines is so important.
What Is Replacing PSTN?
The UK is moving towards an all-IP network, where voice and other communications services operate over a broadband or data connection rather than the traditional telephone network.
For a typical user who wants to retain a landline-style telephone service, this may mean connecting their existing telephone, or a replacement handset, to their broadband router and using an IP-based Digital Voice service.
For businesses, however, the migration can be considerably more complicated.
A company may have already moved its office telephone system to Microsoft Teams, VoIP or another cloud-based platform while still having analogue lines hidden away for alarms, lifts, gates or other equipment.
Don't Assume an Analogue Device Will Continue to Work
One of the biggest risks is assuming that existing equipment will simply work after the underlying telephone service has been changed.
It may not.
Equipment designed specifically for an analogue PSTN line can behave differently when connected through an IP-based adapter or replacement service. Alarm signalling, modem-based equipment and other specialist systems can be particularly sensitive.
There is another important consideration: power.
Traditional telephone services could often continue operating during a local power cut because the telephone line itself was powered from the exchange. IP-based services depend on equipment such as routers, ONTs, switches and VoIP adapters at the customer's premises.
If that equipment loses power, the telephone or connected service may stop working unless suitable battery backup or another resilient solution has been installed.
For critical systems such as fire alarms, security systems, lift phones and personal alarms, this needs careful consideration.
Businesses Should Act Now
The remaining PSTN connections are increasingly likely to be the more difficult ones to migrate.
Your everyday office telephone system may already have been replaced, but what about the line connected to the intruder alarm in the storeroom? Or the emergency telephone inside a lift? Perhaps there is an old fax line, gate intercom or card terminal that nobody has considered.
Waiting until a service stops working is not a sensible migration strategy.
Businesses should identify every telephone number and analogue line associated with their premises and establish exactly what each one is being used for.
A Simple PSTN Audit
We recommend checking the following:
Identify all telephone lines Review telephone bills and supplier records to find every active line associated with the business.
Find out what each line does Don't assume an unfamiliar number is redundant. Trace it and identify the equipment connected to it.
Check alarms and safety systems Speak to your fire alarm, intruder alarm, lift, access-control and monitoring providers.
Check compatibility Confirm whether existing equipment supports an IP-based service or whether it needs upgrading or replacing.
Consider resilience If a service is business-critical, consider what happens during a broadband failure or power cut. UPS battery backup and cellular 4G/5G connectivity may be appropriate.
Plan the migration Arrange changes well before the existing analogue service is withdrawn.
Test everything Once migrated, test alarms, emergency phones, door systems and other connected equipment rather than assuming they are operational.
The Biggest Risk Is Doing Nothing
For many businesses, the move away from PSTN will be straightforward. The greatest risk lies with older or forgotten services that have quietly relied on an analogue telephone line for years.
Discovering that an alarm, lift phone or other critical system no longer communicates correctly after the analogue service has been disconnected could result in disruption, additional expense and potentially serious safety implications.
The important thing is not to panic, but equally, don't leave it until the last minute.
Q6IT Can Help You Prepare
At Q6IT Services, we can help businesses identify legacy telephone services and understand how the PSTN switch-off may affect their IT and communications infrastructure.
We can assist with:
Auditing existing telephone and connectivity services Identifying legacy analogue lines VoIP and cloud telephone migrations Broadband and full-fibre connectivity Network upgrades UPS and power resilience 4G/5G backup connectivity Starlink from SpaceX Liaising with telecoms and specialist equipment providers Planning and testing migrations
For systems such as fire alarms, lift emergency phones and monitored security equipment, we can work alongside your specialist maintenance provider to make sure the communications infrastructure is suitable for their replacement solution.
If your business still has analogue telephone lines and you're not sure what they're being used for, now is the time to find out.
Contact Q6IT Services to arrange a review of your existing telephone, broadband and network infrastructure and make sure your business is ready for the move away from PSTN.