From 2025, Openreach will switch off its analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) infrastructure, with every phone line in the UK migrating to the digital successor. Organisations of all sizes across the UK will need to prepare for this migration and ensure they’ve upgraded their communications systems to Internet Protocol (IP), or Voice over IP (VoIP), technologies as part of a comprehensive digitisation initiative.

Although 2025 might seem a fair distance away, businesses won’t be able to purchase traditional landline contracts nor PSTN-enabled devices – like legacy phones or fax machines – from September 2023.

Making such significant changes on a short timescale might seem daunting, but the UK is just one of many countries making the switch. In some pockets around the world, the migration has already been completed. Indeed, many UK businesses can learn from their neighbours to ensure the digital switchover goes smoothly.

The digital switchover is happening across the world at a rapid pace. This is because the analogue network is losing relevance, and the demands of modern businesses require state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Switching over to an IP communications system can, for example, give businesses the flexibility to issue devices to hybrid workers, and allow businesses to connect applications with collaboration and videoconferencing facilities, with the cloud reinforcing everything. This is why countries in all corners of the globe have embarked on this transition.

The Netherlands has already completed the switch-over, as has Estonia, known for staying ahead of the technological curve. In 2017, Estonia’s incumbent infrastructure company , Telia, switched off its copper-based network following a three-year process, with 300 phone stations replaced with VoIP phone stations, and 130 smaller stations closed permanently. The Netherlands began the process in 2006 and finally completed its migration in 2021.

A host of other European countries have also started this process. Spain had switched over 80% of its copper networks to the digital successor by 2020, with Portugal completing 60%, according to Wik Consult (PDF, 661KB). This is in addition to France, Poland and Sweden, which are well on their way to making the switch.

In Asia, Singapore’s infrastructure company, Singtel, completely switched off its copper network in 2020, while Japan aims to do so by 2024. Openreach in the UK, by contrast, only began terminating copper wire-based PSTN in 2020, with 2% switched over at the time.

Despite progress moving at different rates globally, some parallels can be drawn between different countries. To begin with, the PSTN switchover usually coincides with the rollout of full-fibre broadband, as was the case in Jersey. Regions that have completed the switch early have, therefore, been able to offer superior services.

The UK, by contrast, has been lagging on both fronts. Early buy-in to the PSTN switch, however, means more time to plan for how to make the most of not just IP communications, but the inevitable step up to full-fibre broadband, and how this can fuel wider digital transformation efforts.

Once these countries have overcome the respective regulatory hurdles, which vary between regulatory regimes, several common pain points need addressing.

First, there are the migration constraints, with significant levels of planning, communication and logistics to overcome in any large-scale project such as this. For businesses, close coordination is required between IT teams and stakeholders – from employees to external suppliers – to ensure upgrading devices and workflows consider the implications for all parties.

Ramping up communications around switching to IP-based systems internally and among suppliers and customers can also help businesses gain a competitive advantage. Just as some countries have benefitted reputationally from making the switch early, organisations in the UK can earn a reputational boost for doing the same.

Businesses actively exploring also have options already on the market, including our range of IP-compatible hardware and platforms like Cloud Work. Organisations in the UK are spoilt for choice and can begin selling the technology's benefits to staff and partners once their plans are set in motion. This not only lets organisations set an example within their own circles but among competitors and investors, too.

The UK hasn’t been as quick to the punch as neighbouring countries in leading the migration away from PSTN and towards modern digital infrastructure. But the advantage has been the option to follow international counterparts and take into account their successes and challenges.

By examining these examples, the business landscape can learn the full implications of the PSTN switch-off, so UK PLC can successfully see off any hurdles and maximise the benefits of digital infrastructure in 2025 and beyond.