What stops working on 31 January.

Openreach closes the copper phone network (PSTN) and ISDN on 31 January 2027, and has said there is no extension. Anything still plugged into an old line needs a new path first. Walk the building with this list, and ask your provider the question under each item.

22 checks in 5 groups. Vendor-neutral. Ticks are remembered in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Organisation: ______________________ Site: ______________________ Checked by: ______________________ Date: ____________

01Alarms, lifts and doors

The devices most likely to be on a line nobody has labelled, and the ones that matter most if they stop.

Intruder alarm signallingMany alarm panels report to a monitoring centre over a phone line. On a digital line some older diallers do not work reliably, or at all. Insurers may require dual-path signalling to BS EN 50136 (two independent paths, for example IP and mobile) as a condition of cover.Ask your alarm company: how does our panel signal today, will it work after the switch-off, and does our insurer require dual-path signalling?
Fire alarm monitoringMonitored fire alarms send alarms and faults to a receiving centre, often through a dialler on an analogue line.Ask your fire alarm company: which line does our dialler use, and what replaces it before 31 January?
Monitored "Red Care"-style lines and other emergency linesDedicated monitored lines for alarms, panic buttons or remote sites. Some run over the copper network and need a new path.Ask your provider and alarm company: is this line on the copper network, and what is its replacement and date?
Lift emergency phonesThe alarm phone in each lift car usually calls a monitoring centre over a dedicated line. Openreach names lift alarms among the equipment at risk.Ask your lift maintenance company: what line does each lift phone use, and has it been tested on its replacement?
Door entry and gate intercomsSystems that call a phone or mobile when someone presses the button often use an analogue line or a port on the phone system.Ask your provider: is our door entry on a phone line or a phone system port, and will it still ring through after the move?

02Payments and post

Older equipment that dials out to get a payment authorised or to top up credit.

Card payment terminalsCountertop terminals that connect over a phone line rather than broadband or mobile. Openreach names payment terminals among the equipment at risk.Ask your card terminal provider: does each terminal connect by phone line, broadband or mobile, and what is the fallback if broadband fails?
Franking machinesOlder machines dial out to download postage credit and rates.Ask your franking machine supplier: does ours still connect by phone line, and does it need a network connection or replacement?
Fax machines and fax numbersFax is unreliable over many digital lines. Check whether anyone still sends you faxes: some suppliers, labs and public bodies do.Ask your provider: how will our fax numbers work after the move (fax-to-email, a supported adapter, or retirement), and which customers or suppliers still use them?

03The phone system and its lines

The lines themselves, and the phone system they feed.

ISDN lines (ISDN2 and ISDN30)Many on-premises phone systems connect to the outside world over ISDN, which closes with the PSTN. New ISDN and analogue line orders (WLR) stopped in September 2023.Ask your provider: how many ISDN channels do we have, what replaces them (for example SIP trunks), and can our phone system take the replacement?
Analogue business lines and the numbers on themEvery line on your bill: main numbers, direct lines, the "spare" line in a cupboard. List each number and what it does.Ask your provider: please send a list of every line and number on our account, with its type (analogue, ISDN, digital) and its migration date.
Analogue ports on the phone systemPhone systems often have analogue ports feeding fax machines, door entry, cordless phones or alarm diallers. These keep working only if the phone system and its new lines support them.Ask your provider: which analogue ports on our phone system are in use, what is plugged into each, and what happens to them after the move?
The phone system's own support statusIf the system itself is out of vendor support, a line change is the moment to decide whether to keep it. Check common platforms' support dates.Ask your provider: is our phone system and its software version still supported, and until when?
Call routing and out-of-hours rulesOpening hours, holiday messages, overflow to mobiles and queues are the settings most often lost in a move.Ask your provider: how will you check that every number, group and out-of-hours rule works the same after the move?

04Plant, telemetry and remote sites

Equipment that reports in by phone line and that nobody sees day to day.

Telemetry and remote monitoringUtility meters, building management systems, boiler and pump controls, refrigeration and environmental monitors, and data loggers that dial out.Ask each equipment supplier: does this report over a phone line, and what is its replacement connection?
Remote and unmanned sitesWarehouses, yards, plant rooms and depots with a single line for an alarm, a gate or a phone.Ask your provider: list every site address on our account and the lines at each.
Any line nobody can nameLabel it "unknown", not "spare". Unknown lines are where alarms, lifts and fax machines hide.Ask your provider: what is this number, where does it terminate, and when was it last used?

05Emergency calls and sign-off

Digital lines behave differently in a power cut, and the temporary holding service for lines not moved in time is limited and may not work for every line.

Calling 999 in a power cutA copper line usually works in a power cut; a digital line needs power at the router and handset.Ask your provider: what happens to our phones in a power cut, and what battery backup or mobile fallback do you recommend?
Emergency address for every site and numberWhen someone dials 999, the emergency services rely on the address held for that number. After a move it can be missing or wrong, especially for remote workers and extra sites.Ask your provider: what emergency address is recorded for each of our numbers after the move?
A named person confirms each deviceWrite down who checked each item and when. "Suspected" is not "confirmed".
Each device tested on its new pathTest the alarm signal, lift phone, door entry and card terminal after the change, with the monitoring centre or supplier on the phone.
A dated migration plan from your providerEach line and number, its replacement, and the date. Openreach has said migration orders with completion dates after 31 March 2027 will be cancelled, so do not leave it late.
Tell your insurer and your monitoring centresOnce alarms and lifts are on their new paths, confirm the change in writing.

Want this done for you, in writing? The Entidex Bridge phone system survey includes an analogue-line register: every analogue port, fax extension and line on your phone system, labelled and marked "suspected" until a named person confirms it. It is read-only and changes nothing. From £495 + VAT.

This checklist is general guidance, not advice from Openreach, your provider or your insurer. Facts checked on 16 October 2026 against: ISPreview, July 2026: Openreach says 1.5 million lines yet to switch, "no extension"; ISPreview, September 2026: Openreach measures after January 2027; Mobile Europe: Openreach PSTN deadline (equipment at risk); BT Wholesale: WLR stop-sell; Giacom: why EVAC is not a failsafe (business lines); Ecl-ips: insurance industry comment on alarm signalling; House of Commons Library, CBP-9471. Free to share and print. From bridge.entidex.com.