The UK’s traditional phone network is being retired and replaced with a more modern, digital alternative. The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is an old-school, analogue system that uses copper wires to connect calls. But as technology has evolved, this legacy infrastructure has become increasingly fragile and no longer fit for purpose.

In fact, Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report revealed a 45% rise in major PSTN failures in 2024 alone. To keep up with the demands of today’s digital world, the UK is moving to a fully digital phone network using IP (Internet Protocol). This means all calls will be routed over the internet rather than through the ageing PSTN. If services don’t make the switch, they’ll stop working.

To help you understand the impact this will have and the necessary steps to take, we recently hosted a webinar where Ciaran Donnelly, our Head of Provisioning, discussed the topic with David Howson from our partner Zen Internet.

In the webinar they covered the 2025 plan to retire copper services such as PSTN, ISDN, ADSL, and Fibre broadband, and the move of these to supported services post-2025, such as FTTP and SOGEA.