Tradespeople: Your Guide to the PSTN Switch-Off
Your phone is how new customers find you. A missed call from someone rarely gets a second try. It just goes to the next name on the list. That’s why the PSTN switch-off matters for trades businesses more than most.
By 31 January 2027, the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), the copper line network that’s carried UK business calls for decades, will be retired. If you’re a sole trader or run a small trades business, this guide explains what’s changing and how to migrate without disrupting your business.
Why this matters for trades businesses
You depend on consistent phone availability more than most businesses. A missed call can mean a missed job, and for sole traders especially, your business number is often the only way customers reach you.
That’s why the PSTN switch-off is especially relevant to your sector. An unplanned interruption during migration, or losing your business number, can hit the work coming in directly. Done properly, that risk doesn’t have to exist at all.
What’s changing
Openreach is retiring the analogue and ISDN phone lines that PSTN relies on. From 31 January 2027, your business calls need to run over a digital connection, typically VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or a hosted phone system.
This affects you if you currently use:
• A traditional analogue phone line
• An ISDN or Featureline system
• A basic broadband and phone bundle set up some years ago
This change is mandatory and applies nationally. No provider can opt you out of it.
Common questions from trades businesses
Will I lose my business number?
No. We port your existing number across during migration, so your customers keep reaching you on the number they already know.
Will there be downtime during the switchover?
Not if it’s managed properly. A structured, engineer-supported switchover keeps disruption to an absolute minimum.
Is this a complex process to manage?
It doesn’t need to be. We handle the technical work on your behalf, so you can keep working.
Is it more cost-effective to wait?
Not necessarily. Migrating closer to the deadline usually means higher demand, less flexibility on install dates, and less time to fix anything that doesn’t go to plan.
Keep your number, keep the work coming in
As a sole trader or small trades business, your priority is simple: stay reachable, keep your existing number, and don’t let the transition interrupt your day-to-day work.
That’s the basis of TTNC’s Switch-Off Ready service:
• Number retention: full porting managed end-to-end, with no change for your customers
• Price guarantee: no price increase for 24 months
• Free installation for the first 100 customers to migrate
• Engineer-supported migration with a UK-based contact
• Double-billing cover: no overlap in charges between your old and new service
TTNC holds a Trustpilot rating of approximately 4+ from over 1000 reviews at the time of writing, and is accredited by Ofcom and Comms Council UK.
Act now, take control
The switch-off deadline is fixed. Migrate early and you get more flexibility, a smoother transition, and confidence that everything is sorted well ahead of the network’s retirement. Leave it later, and you’ll be migrating alongside a large number of other businesses making the same change, at the same time.
If your phone line generates your work, early migration is the most reliable way to protect it.
