In January 2027, the UK switches off the analogue phone network it’s run for a century. Every provider is telling every business the same thing: move to digital, now.
Here’s the thing — with us, you don’t have to. Not until 2030.
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The switch off, explained without the jargon
The PSTN — the public switched telephone network — is the analogue copper network that traditional phone lines run on. Every ordinary business line, and every piece of equipment built to use one, sits on it. From January 2027 the industry retires that network: analogue lines are withdrawn, and voice calls move onto digital services that travel over a broadband connection instead.
Why? The short version: the industry would rather run one modern digital network than keep maintaining the old analogue one alongside it. Fair enough — but the timetable is theirs, and the letters most businesses are receiving read less like an explanation and more like an instruction. Before you act on one, it helps to know the vocabulary.
- PSTN / analogue line. The traditional copper phone line — dial tone from the exchange, no router required. It’s what’s being switched off, and it’s what alarms, card machines and lift phones were built for.
- Digital phone line (“Digital Voice”, VoIP). Calls carried over broadband instead of copper. Done properly it’s a genuinely good service — see our digital phone lines.
- SoGEA. Broadband on the copper pair without any phone service or line rental attached — FTTC speeds, one bill. See SoGEA broadband.
- FTTP full fibre. Fibre all the way to your premises at up to 1Gbps — no copper involved at all. See FTTP full fibre broadband.
- The 2030 option. The one your letters won’t mention: UK Wholesale can keep your analogue copper line running until 2030 — same line, same number, same kit — three years past the industry deadline.
PSTN switch off, landline switch off, Digital Voice — it’s all the same thing
You’ll see the January 2027 deadline wearing a lot of different names: the PSTN switch off (the official one — the Public Switched Telephone Network is the copper system being retired), the copper switch off, the 2027 landline switch off, the analogue phone switch off, the digital switchover, BT’s Digital Voice migration, and — in trade language — the WLR withdrawal. Different labels, one event: at the end of January 2027 the traditional analogue network is retired, and calls move to digital services carried over broadband.
Almost everyone writing about it tells you the same thing: you can’t keep your analogue line, so migrate now. We’re the exception worth knowing about — we keep analogue landlines running until 2030, which turns their deadline into your choice.
Still ringing. Still working. Still yours.
Your analogue line has answered every call for decades without a software update, a router reboot or a password. If it’s doing its job — or if equipment your business depends on needs it — there’s no reason to be rushed off it.
- Same number, same wiring, same handsets. Nothing in your building changes.
- No engineer visits, no new kit. We take the line over and keep it running — that’s it.
- Wholesale rental while it runs. Keeping the old line doesn’t mean paying old prices — see our line rental rates.
Their deadline is January 2027. Yours is 2030.
What happens if you just wait
Sooner or later, your current provider decides for you. Most are already writing to customers and moving them onto their own digital product — new kit, new setup, and a migration scheduled around their rollout rather than your trading day. Wait longer still and the choice narrows further: once the analogue service on a line is withdrawn, everything plugged into that socket goes quiet with it — the phone, and anything else that dials out through it.
That’s the honest risk. Not that your phones vanish overnight, but that the decision gets made for you, at retail prices, on someone else’s schedule. The businesses that come out of this well are the ones that decide deliberately — even if the decision is “not yet”.
With most providers, doing nothing means being migrated. With us, doing nothing is an actual plan: move the line to UK Wholesale, it stays analogue until 2030, and you choose what happens after that. If you’re currently with a big retailer, moving is simpler than you’d think — see switching your BT line.
Will your number survive January 2027?
Type in your business phone number and we’ll tell you where it stands — and how to keep it exactly as it is until 2030.
It’s time for your business to make a choice
Move the line to us and it stays analogue until 2030 at £13.99 a month — same number, same sockets, same kit, typically 42% less than retail. The January 2027 switch off stops being your problem, and the decision about digital stays yours.
Keep my line » See what you’d pay→Calls over broadband with your number kept throughout and call costs up to 72% lower. The future-proof move — made on your schedule, not the industry’s, with experts you can actually speak to handling the whole switch.
Go digital » Why go digital→Do nothing and when analogue service is withdrawn in January 2027 the socket goes quiet — phone and all. Check if your line is at risk →
The industry’s stop-gap. We supply PDSL too — but it costs more than either route above and does less. The full PDSL guide →
About PDSL — the Pre-Digital Phone Line. A PDSL keeps an analogue-style line alive past the January 2027 switch off, and it does that one job well — the lights stay on for businesses that miss the deadline. We can supply a PDSL where it’s genuinely the right fit. But be clear about what it is: basic calls only, billed at retail line-rental prices (typically £25–£40+ a month), on a timetable the network sets, with the same digital migration still waiting at the end of it. Both of our routes cost less and do more: keeping your copper line with us is £13.99 a month, and our digital phone lines cut call costs by up to 72%. We’ll tell you straight which one fits.
Your options, honestly compared
Same line, same number, same kit — at £13.99 a month wholesale line rental, typically 42% less than retail. The right call when analogue equipment depends on the line, or you’d simply rather change on your own schedule.
Line rental details →Calls over broadband with modern handsets, your numbers kept throughout, and call charges up to 72% lower than retail. The right call when you’re ready for the upgrade and nothing analogue is holding you back.
Digital phone lines →If the line only exists to carry broadband, stop paying line rental for it: SoGEA gives you broadband without line rental at FTTC speeds. Going faster? FTTP full fibre reaches up to 1Gbps.
SoGEA broadband →Not sure which fits? Tell us what the line does today and we’ll give you an honest read — including when the cheapest option is the right one. Compare everything on our business broadband and line types pages.
Almost nothing. That’s the point.
Moving your line to UK Wholesale isn’t a migration — it’s a change of billing. The line stays on the same Openreach copper with the same engineers behind it. You keep everything; you just stop paying retail for it. Here’s the entire changelog.
The equipment that still speaks analogue
Analogue diallers that call the monitoring centre — certified on the line they were installed for.
Older payment terminals dial out over analogue — and a failed transaction is a lost sale.
Still legally required in parts of healthcare and law — and they only speak analogue.
Entry panels and personal alarms that dial a number when someone needs them to — every time.
No analogue kit at all — you’d just rather change on your own schedule. That counts too.
When the cost of an outage is high, “it’s always worked” is a legitimate engineering position.
One thing we won’t do is guess on your behalf. Devices built for analogue lines don’t always behave on digital adapters, so if anything on this list is plugged into your line, the safe sequence is simple: keep the line analogue with us, ask your alarm or payment provider what their kit needs, and only switch when the replacement has been proven. No statistics, no scare stories — just the order of operations that means nothing important ever goes quiet.
What switching to UK Wholesale actually involves
- 1. Tell us about your line. Your number, who bills you now, and what’s plugged in. Two minutes on the quote form, or call 0161 850 1288 and talk it through with a person.
- 2. We confirm the plan. We check the line, confirm we can hold it as analogue until 2030, and price the rental at £13.99 a month. Find it cheaper elsewhere and we’ll beat the price — and give you a month free.
- 3. We take the line over. A billing change, not an engineering project. No engineer visit, no downtime, no new kit — the line stays on the same Openreach copper with the same engineers behind it.
- 4. You carry on exactly as before. Same number, same sockets, same handsets; alarms and card machines keep dialling as installed. Calls come down too — up to 72% lower, with calls to mobiles from 8p a minute. See business call charges.
- 5. When you’re ready, we plan the digital move. Next year or 2030 — your numbers kept throughout, the new service tested alongside the old line before anything switches. Or route calls through SIP trunks if you run a phone system.
Nothing on that list involves a ticket queue. We’ve been doing this since 2005, from our offices in Poole and Hyde, and when you call about your line you reach someone who can actually see it.
Keeping your line: what you pay vs what retailers charge
| Typical retail | UK Wholesale | |
|---|---|---|
| Business line rental | £25–£40+/mo | £13.99/mo |
| How long you can stay analogue | January 2027 — then you’re moved | 2030 — you choose the moment |
| What changes in your building | Their new kit, on their schedule | Nothing — same line, same handsets |
| If you find cheaper line rental | — | We beat it, plus a month free |
Retail line rental typically costs twice as much or more — £25–£40+ a month is typical of the major retailers. Same Openreach lines, same engineers; the difference is the retail margin. Prices exclude VAT.
And when the time does come, the upgrade is genuinely good
There’s no cliff edge with us. Whenever it suits your business — next year or 2030 — we move you to digital phone lines with touchscreen Yealink handsets, or to SoGEA, FTTP full fibre or SIP — keeping your numbers throughout, tested alongside the old line before anything switches.
Businesses that trust us with their lines
“Lost phone line so called UK Wholesale — no drama, fault logged, divert to mobile put in place and repair done in roughly 24 hours. All sorted.”
“Great company to work with… very professional and understanding of our needs, thank you so much.”
Copper switch off FAQs
What is the PSTN switch off?
The PSTN (public switched telephone network) is the analogue copper network that traditional phone lines run on. The industry is retiring it, with a deadline of January 2027, after which voice calls move to digital services carried over a broadband connection.
When is the copper switch off deadline?
The industry deadline is January 2027. UK Wholesale is the exception: we can keep analogue copper lines running until 2030, so with us the practical deadline is three years later.
How can UK Wholesale keep analogue lines running until 2030?
We supply lines on the same Openreach network the big retailers use, and we can keep an analogue copper line in service until 2030 — same line, same number, same equipment. You move to digital when it suits you, not when a provider’s migration schedule says so.
What happens if I do nothing before January 2027?
Your current provider will move you to their digital product on their timetable, or the analogue service is eventually withdrawn and everything plugged into the line stops working. Moving the line to UK Wholesale first keeps it analogue until 2030 and puts the timing back in your hands.
Will my phone number change?
No. Keep your copper line with us and nothing changes — number, wiring and handsets all stay as they are. If you later move to digital phone lines, we keep your numbers throughout the move.
Will my alarm, card machine or lift line still work?
On the analogue line, yes — everything keeps dialling exactly as it was installed. Devices built for analogue lines do not always behave on digital adapters, which is why we test any digital replacement alongside the old line before anything switches, and why it is worth asking your alarm or payment provider to reconfirm their kit first.
How much does it cost to keep my copper line?
Wholesale line rental is £13.99 a month — typically 42% less than retail line rental, which typically costs twice as much or more. Find it cheaper elsewhere and we beat the price and give you a month free.
Does moving my line to UK Wholesale involve an engineer visit or downtime?
No. It is a billing change, not an engineering job. The line stays on the same Openreach copper with the same engineers behind it; there is no engineer visit, no downtime and no new equipment.
What are my options if I don’t want to keep copper?
Move your calls to digital phone lines over broadband, take SoGEA if the line only exists for broadband (FTTC speeds, no line rental), or go to FTTP full fibre at up to 1Gbps. We will tell you straight which one fits — including when the cheapest option is the right one.
What happens in 2030?
By 2030 the line moves to a digital service. The difference is how it happens: with three extra years, we plan the move with you, keep your numbers, and test the new service alongside the old line before anything is switched off.
What is a PDSL (Pre-Digital Phone Line)?
PDSL stands for Pre-Digital Phone Line — the industry stop-gap for analogue lines that aren’t ready to go digital when the copper network switches off in January 2027. It keeps basic calls working, but it’s deliberately limited: fewer features, retail-level pricing and a timetable set by the network. We can supply a PDSL where it’s genuinely needed, but for most businesses it costs more and does less than the two better routes — keeping your analogue line with us until 2030 for £13.99 a month, or moving to a digital phone line. We’ll tell you straight which fits.
When is the landline switch off in the UK?
The industry deadline is the end of January 2027 — that’s when the analogue (PSTN) network is due to be retired and traditional landlines move to digital services over broadband. With UK Wholesale the practical deadline is different: we keep analogue landlines running until 2030.
Can I keep my analogue landline after the 2027 switch off?
With most providers, no — they’ll move you to a digital service on their timetable, and the standard advice everywhere is to migrate early. With us, yes: we keep analogue landlines running until 2030 — same line, same number, same kit — so you migrate when it suits you, not when the industry says so.
What is Digital Voice and the digital switchover?
Digital Voice is BT’s name for the service that replaces the analogue line after the switchover, with calls carried over broadband; the digital switchover is the same 2027 change under another name. Businesses have more options than the default: keep your copper line with us until 2030, or move to a business-grade digital phone line when you’re ready.
Keep your line as it is — say so before someone changes it for you
Tell us about your line and what’s plugged into it. We’ll confirm we can hold it to 2030, price the rental at the wholesale rate, and if digital would honestly serve you better today, we’ll say that instead. Questions first? Contact us or call.