PSTN Switch-off 2027

Stop-sell applies at a premises level where that premise has access to an available FTTP product. Where a premise has access to FTTP there will be no new supply of other products, CP transfers, working line takeovers, addition of broadband to voice lines, or bandwidth modifications.

• If a premise has GEA-FTTP available to order, then only GEA-FTTP is available to that premise and instantly become within the scope of stop-sell.
• If a premise does not have GEA-FTTP available, SOGFAST, SOGEA, GEA-FTTC, SOTAP (where no fibre is available), MPF and WLR (only until September 2023) will be available.

Openreach ran two trial sites in Salisbury and Mildenhall to ensure the migration to an All IP network would be effective. A number of issues experienced by alternative network providers were highlighted during the programme. Some services were not compatible with the new technology and stopped working. Our regulatory body, Ofcom, and the Goverment released a Charter of Obligation relating to Telecare services. This will take time to implement and as such, all services providers need to commit to this Charter and apply all steps to provide assurance to their customers.

Telecare provide emergency alarms to vulnerable customers. This service is a 3rd party application and DCS are unable to identify which lines have this service active. If you feel that you may have end users with Telecare (or similar) services then please let your Account Manager know when placing your order to migrate onto All IP technologies. Your order will be placed slightly differently whereby an Openreach engineer will be sent to site to ensure compatibility with your Telecare service prior to completing the upgrade. DCS suggest you speak to your Telecare provider and ask for a list of telephone numbers on which the services exist. This may be on your bill you receive from your supplier.

As part of the FTTP exchange upgrade programme, any premises enabled for FTTP should have migrated to an FTTP solution, this also includes any premises connected to SOGEA.

Yes. Openreach has confirmed that this will most likely become a continual advancement as more and more FTTP is rolled out and are expected to release these details on a quarterly basis.

The PSTN supports a number of Openreach products: WLR3 analogue, ISDN2, ISDN30, LLU SMPF, SLU SMPF, Narrowband Line Share and Classic products. These products are generically referred to, as part of the industry programme, as WLR products. When the analogue network closes in 2027 these products will no longer be available.

In some circumstances where the customer is not in an exchange area that is impacted by the FTTP Exchange Upgrade stop-sell, they can migrate to LLU MPF (only where there is no FTTP availability).

You can migrate over to a Single Order broadband product. The voice service will stop working and effectively becomes redundant in this instance. Voice service will become an optional add-on to your broadband service. Download our quick-read, all-you-need-to-know guide about SOGEA >>

You can keep your current phone number if you inform your service provider at point of sale or when the migration order is placed, but you will need to take out an OTT IP Voice service (to run parallel with your Single Order Broadband product) and indicate that you wish to port the number onto the new IP Voice service otherwise you will lose the number once the service migrates away from the existing WLR or MPF service.

The 2027 WLR withdrawal date is not something that can be pushed back, this was defined as a necessity due to the BT Group PSTN network infrastructure reaching its end of life. This also means it is crucial that the other key dates leading up to the 2027 withdrawal date also do not get pushed back. This will of course be continued to be monitored as per updates directly from Openreach and Ofcom.

Daisy Corporate Services will work alongside you to ensure all of your services migrate/are upgraded to the new solution. At present there is no bulk order option in place, but all orders can be placed.

ATA stands for Analogue Telephone Adaptor. They are used to allow end users (EUs) to utilise their old hardware equipment. New Technicolor broadband routers and all models will include an ATA port later in 2020.

Yes, your ATA will convert your analogue signals to digital IP Voice but, in order to use this, you must have an IP Voice product over the top of your new Single Order broadband to transmit the calls.

Yes, if you are already on an FTTC enabled router then it will be compatible as SOGEA is built upon the same foundations. We are also awaiting updates from Openreach, Ofcom and market leaders in router technological specifications to confirm what will still be compatible and what hardware will become redundant.

SOGEA and FTTP orders will need to have a voice order placed alongside the migration order. These do not work like the current SIM2 orders so an OTT (over the top) voice order will need to be raised to run parallel with a significant amount of notice, in order for the number to port over to the IP Voice service.

It is imperative that you contact the vendor of these devices to confirm whether they are IP-compatible or not. If they are not, you will need to source new devices which are IP-compatible, to allow you to continue operating as a business. Otherwise, these devices will cease to work when moving to a Single Order product. If you need advice, get in touch and we can discuss your business requirements on 0344 863 3000.

Migrations between communications providers (CP) will still be available but the destination product they are migrating to will need to align with the stop-sell rules. Meaning that if the end-user (EU) is in the FTTP footprint, then they can only migrate over to FTTP.

Yes these features will be available until the stop-sell dates however, we would encourage that you arrange to migrate over to FTTP solutions with an OTT voice solution so that you are prepared and ready for when the PSTN is switched off.

Alternative copper and fibre products

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is the fastest and most resilient all-fibre product with broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps download and 220Mbps upload and can be purchased on its own.

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) is a form of fibre optic communication delivery in which the optical fibre runs all the way from the exchange to the street cabinet and uses the existing copper network to reach the home or office. The remaining part of the access network from the cabinet to the customer is usually copper wire but could use other technologies such as wireless.

Single Order G.Fast (SOGFast) is a cutting-edge technology that delivers ultrafast speeds over existing copper lines of up to 330Mbps through a single order variant which forms part of the Openreach developing product portfolio.

Single Order GEA (SOGEA) Delivering superfast in a single order, speeds of up to 80Mbps will offer similar connectivity to FTTC without the need for an underlying Voice Access product.

Single Order Transitional Access Product (SOTAP)

Supporting non-fibre areas with speeds of up to 17Mbps. This is a new product that will deliver a copper path between your premises and the SOTAP communication provider’s (CP) exchange infrastructure, over which the SOTAP CP can provide broadband and IP Voice services. This is different from a Metallic Path Facility (MPF) because it facilitates the use of existing exchange infrastructure which currently supports LLU SMPF and therefore provides a better experience when migrating away from WLR products (with or without SMPF).

Ethernet offers a wide choice of high bandwidth, permanently-connected point-to-point services designed to help CPs extend their own networks and deliver a range of high-quality services to their customers. The Ethernet fibre network that underpins them offers unrivalled geographic coverage of the UK, embracing many out-of-town locations where manufacturing takes place and where many data centres of the future will be located.

There are a number of options, including utilising the new Single Order Transitional Access Product (SOTAP) which uses broadband rather than voice as the primary service, as well as mobile and Ethernet services.

There is no option to opt out of the withdrawal of exchanges. If you have services within an FTTP Priority Exchange then you are likely to have a withdrawal date prior to the Nationwide removal of Openreach’s copper based PSTN network. To check which service could be affected, please ask your account manager for a full audit of your estate at no cost to you.

The withdrawal of PSTN copper services has a deadline of Jan 2027. The change is happening, and you do not want to be left behind. Both hosted voice and SIP are easily scalable for any growth aspirations – Daisy Corporate Services can help you migrate your services with minimum disruption to your business. For all your voice and data solutions we can get you connected.