Business Landlines Articles & Guides
Plain-English guides to business landlines, line rental and the PSTN switch-off on 31 January 2027 - what to replace your lines with, what it costs, and how to keep every number and device working through the all-IP move.
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Get a switch-off quoteThe UK's analogue phone network is being switched off on 31 January 2027. Every traditional business landline, ISDN circuit and analogue line in the country stops working on that date, and you cannot buy a new one today — Openreach's stop-sell closed that door in 2023. These guides are written for the person who has been handed the job: plain English, UK-specific, no jargon and no scare tactics, just what actually has to happen and roughly what it costs.
If you are starting from scratch, begin with the PSTN switch-off deadline guide for the dates and the order to do things in, then work through the switch-off checklist. When it comes to deciding what to move to, business landline alternatives weighs up hosted phone systems, Digital Voice, SIP trunks, Teams calling and going mobile-only for a small business, and keeping your existing phone system covers whether your current PBX can come with you. On money, we set out what business phone lines cost today, what the switch-off itself costs to do properly, and why line rental keeps rising the longer you wait.
Underneath the phones sits the broadband, which is why we compare SoGEA vs FTTP and explain what SoGEA is in the first place. And the part that catches businesses out is rarely the handsets: it is everything else on the line. We have dedicated guides to alarm signalling, lift emergency lines, card machines, telecare and nurse call in care settings, fax and the wider list of devices that rely on phone lines — several of which are safety-critical and have to be arranged with the company that maintains them, not with us.
There are practical guides too: how to keep your existing number, what happens when you move office, planning a multi-site PSTN migration across an estate, and how to keep phones working in a power cut now the copper no longer does it for you. Alarm and lift work is running four to twelve weeks and lengthening as the deadline approaches, so the genuinely useful thing you can do today is find out what you have. Ask us for a free line audit and quote and we will tell you honestly what needs replacing and what does not.
Alarm Systems and the PSTN Switch-Off: What Businesses Must Do
Your alarm system and the PSTN switch-off - how alarm signalling breaks, what replaces it, insurance implications, and what to ask your alarm company.Business Landline Alternatives: What to Replace Your Phone Lines With
Business landline alternatives compared - hosted phone system, digital line, SIP trunks, Teams calling or mobile-only. Which one fits, and what each costs.Card Machines and the PSTN Switch-Off: The Easy Fix With a Catch
Will your card machine work after the PSTN switch-off? How to tell if it dials out, what replaces it, and the contract trap in a "free" terminal upgrade.Fax After the PSTN Switch-Off: What Replaces It (and Should It?)
Can you still fax after the PSTN switch-off? Why fax over IP is unreliable, what cloud fax costs, and how to work out whether your fax line is worth replacing.Can You Keep Your Existing Phone System Through the Switch-Off?
Can you keep your existing phone system after the PSTN switch-off? When SIP trunks make sense, when replacing is cheaper, and the four questions that decide it.Lift Emergency Lines and the PSTN Switch-Off: A Safety-Critical Job
The lift emergency line and the PSTN switch-off - why office broadband will not do, what replaces the analogue lift line, signal issues, lead times and costs.Multi-Site PSTN Migration: Moving Many Lines Across Several Buildings
Planning a multi-site PSTN migration - estate-wide line audits, wave planning, pilot sites, number plans and where the savings really are across buildings.Openreach Stop-Sell Explained: What You Can (and Cannot) Still Order
Openreach stop-sell explained for business - what stop-sell means, why new analogue lines cannot be ordered, and which changes to existing lines are blocked.The PSTN Switch-Off in Care Homes: Telecare, Nurse Call and Resident Lines
The PSTN switch-off in care homes - why analogue telecare must not be improvised onto digital lines, what to replace, resilience, records and lead times.What Does the PSTN Switch-Off Cost a Business? (2026 Price Guide)
The real PSTN switch-off cost for a UK business - one-off migration spend, what your monthly bill looks like afterwards, and worked examples to budget from.PSTN Switch-Off Deadline: What UK Businesses Must Do Before 31 January 2027
The PSTN switch-off deadline is 31 January 2027. Here is exactly how much time is left, what stops working, what it costs and the order to do things in.SoGEA vs FTTP for Business: Which Should Your Phone Lines Move To?
SoGEA vs FTTP compared for business - speeds, upload, price, install times and which suits voice. Plus why ordering SoGEA where FTTP exists costs you twice.What Is a Business Landline? A Plain-English Guide
What a business landline is, how it differs from a home line, the types UK businesses use, how to tell what you have, and what replaces it after the switch-off.Do Businesses Still Need a Landline in 2026?
Does your business still need a landline? What a fixed number actually buys you, when mobile-only is genuinely fine, and what keeping a number really costs.How Much Does a Business Phone Line Cost in the UK?
What a business phone line costs in the UK as a guide - line rental, call charges, setup, the 2026 price rises, and how digital lines change the maths.Business Line Rental Explained (and Why It's Disappearing)
What business line rental actually pays for, how WLR works behind your bill, how to read a legacy phone bill line by line, and what replaces rental after 2027.WLR Withdrawal: The 2026 Line Rental Price Rises Explained
Openreach raised legacy WLR line rental in three steps through 2026. What changed, when, what it does to your bill, and when paying to exit early adds up.Analogue Phone Line Replacement: Your Options Explained
Analogue line replacement, line by line - work out what each of your analogue lines actually does, then look up exactly what it should be replaced with.What Is SoGEA? Single-Line Broadband Without the Phone Line
What is SoGEA? Broadband without a separate phone line, explained for business - how it differs from FTTC, the speeds to expect, what it costs and how to order.Digital Voice Explained: The Landline That Plugs Into Your Router
Digital Voice explained for business - what a digital phone line is, what actually changes day to day, what to check before you order, and where its limits are.What Full Fibre (FTTP) Means for Your Business Phone Lines
Full fibre has no phone line in it. What happens to your business landline on FTTP, how calls are delivered instead, and the sequence that saves your number.ISDN Replacement for Business: Life After ISDN2 and ISDN30
ISDN replacement step by step - read your ISDN2 or ISDN30 estate, size the channels you really need, port your DDI ranges and dodge the cease-notice trap.Multi-Line Business Phone Systems: Lines, Channels and DDI
Lines, channels, extensions and DDIs untangled - plus a working method for sizing how many simultaneous calls your business actually needs after the switch-off.What Is DDI (Direct Dial-In)? A Guide for Businesses
DDI explained for business - what Direct Dial-In numbers are, how ranges are allocated, how to plan yours, and what happens to the range at the switch-off.Can You Keep Your Business Landline Number When You Switch?
You keep your business landline number through the switch-off. How porting works, realistic timings, why ports get rejected and the one rule that loses numbers.Moving Office: What Happens to Your Phone Lines and Numbers
Moving premises? A countdown for the phone side of an office move - connectivity lead times, keeping your numbers, parallel running and the day-one fallback.Landline Calling Features Explained (and What You Gain by Upgrading)
Every landline feature mapped to its digital equivalent - divert, hunt groups, caller display, 1471, 141 and Select Services, plus what to check before moving.Landline Resilience: Keeping Your Business Reachable Without Copper
Digital phone lines need power and internet. How to design landline resilience - UPS sizing, mobile failover, 999 in an outage and the tests nobody runs.Business Phone and Broadband Bundles: Are They Worth It?
Are business phone and broadband bundles worth it? How to price one against buying separately, the co-termination trap, and when one provider genuinely pays.Adding a Second Phone Line to Your Business
Need a second phone line for business? What "second line" really means, the five ways to add one, what each costs and why you can no longer just order copper.Beyond the Phone: Devices That Rely on Your Landline
Alarms, lifts, card machines, telecare, fax and door entry all run on phone lines. How to find every one, who replaces it, and the order to tackle them in.