Throughout 2026, the telecoms digital switchover has been taking place, fundamentally changing a telephone network dating back centuries into one designed with the modern world in mind.
Most people and businesses who are switching utilities will have to do very little, if anything at all, to maintain their service. Most newer pieces of telecoms equipment are designed with the modern internet-driven telecoms world in mind.
This transition is currently underway; many businesses have already gone through it, and it is expected to be completed by the very start of 2027.
If you have older equipment reliant on the previous Public Switched Telephone Network or related Integrated Services Digital Network that has not already been checked, most notably emergency lift telephones and telecare systems, make sure they have already been checked.
However, one question that has frequently been asked about the telecoms switchover, particularly as it has slowly rolled out, is why it is even necessary in the first place.
To help answer this, here is a brief guide to the switchover, the specific changes being made, and whether your business is ready for the new digital utilities reality.
What Is The Digital Telecoms Switchover?
The telecoms digital switchover is a major infrastructure change that will see the existing antiquated traditional landline network be switched off and replaced with a system based on voice over internet protocol (VoIP) or internet telecommunications.
Many, if not most, business landlines have used IP telephones for up to a decade at this point, but by the end of January 2027, this will become the norm for all business and personal landlines, and anyone reliant on older technology will need to update before then to avoid losing service.
Whilst the active switching off of landlines has primarily started in 2026, the preparations for the switchover have been taking place for nearly a decade, and the result will, in an ideal world, provide both higher quality telecommunications and faster internet.
What Is Changing In The Telecommunications World?
On a technical level, the historic Public Switched Telephone Network, which traces itself back to the very earliest analogue telephone lines manually switched by operators, is being switched off, which will affect any network communications or systems built on top of this.
The main changes will be seen in the Integrated Services Digital Network, an expansion of PSTN which allowed for data, video, voice and other digital connectivity to take place over telephone lines.
This entire network will be switched off to be replaced by high-speed broadband, typically using modern technology such as fibre-optic wire to maximise connection speed and increase reliability.
Is It Like The Television Digital Switchover?
The natural comparison has been made to the digital television transition of the late 2000s, often known as the Digital Switchover (DSO).
The DSO saw the various television regions in the United Kingdom progressively switch off their analogue terrestrial broadcasting capability in favour of digital terrestrial technology.
The result of this was that people had access to more television channels at a higher quality by default than was possible in the past. An analogue multiplex that infamously struggled to broadcast five channels at 625 lines could show dozens of channels in 1080p high definition.
It was not an entirely smooth process; unlike with analogue broadcasting, where a poor signal meant a somewhat snowy picture, a poor digital signal meant that the broadcast was impossible to watch.
Eventually, once the transition was complete nationally, digital television improved significantly in quality, access, reliability and functionality, and the goal of the telecoms digital switchover is to achieve similar results but for landlines more broadly.
Why Are Telecommunications Going Digital?
There are both practical and philosophical reasons for switching to digital technology, and in the 2020s, the justifications have built to such an extent that governments and major institutions responsible for the landline network have deemed the price of switching over cheaper than the cost of staying put.
Antiquated Infrastructure
The biggest reason for the change is simply that the PSTN infrastructure is very old, with roots older than anyone alive.
The system, essentially a series of underground copper wires which weave their way around the world through switching stations, has become increasingly fragile, unreliable and expensive to fix.
Older network components require suppliers to continue to manufacture legacy parts, something that fewer and fewer companies are willing to do.
Even the ISDN upgrade in 1986, itself a PSTN upgrade that fixed some of the biggest concerns regarding telecommunications in that era, has started to show its age, with the network itself increasingly slow and unreliable.
By this point, there is no cost-effective fix which retains the old system but improves its functionality, and as the world’s relationship with telecommunications changes, so too must the foundational systems.
Internet-First Telecommunications
Early dial-up internet access was provided largely by a series of hacks and tricks which enabled the transmission and reception of data through a series of beeps and sounds.
In the earliest incarnations of what would become the internet, this literally required a telephone receiver to be placed on a device known as an acoustic coupler, although this was eventually replaced by a modem which interprets the signals directly.
The digital switchover is not only a change in technology but a change in perspective; instead of the landline facilitating internet access, internet access facilitates landline telephony because the priority of most businesses is their online connections.
Do You Need To Do Anything About It?
The biggest question businesses have is whether they need to do anything about it. The answer largely depends on your business infrastructure, and it is always worth bringing in experts to audit your network connections and older equipment, which may rely on a traditional landline.
The PSTN has some unique features that VoIP does not, most notably the fact that it generates a small current and thus can be used even in the event of a power cut.
These idiosyncratic elements were taken full advantage of in fields such as telecare, autodailing systems for emergency lift telephones, older ATMs and card machines, and older access control systems.
These will all need to be replaced with resilient systems that connect to broadband internet and have an emergency power source to ensure they still function.
