UK landline switch-off: What your small business needs to know

If your business still uses a traditional telephone line, you may need to act before 31 January 2027.

The change could affect more than telephone calls. Your broadband, card payments, alarms or other connected equipment might also need attention.

Four things to do now:

1. Don't panic or feel pressured into making a decision. You have options. Take time to understand what needs changing and when, but don't ignore the deadline.
2. Check with your existing provider whether your services are affected and when changes are required.
3. Identify what you need to keep working, including telephone numbers, broadband and connected equipment.
4. Agree a migration plan before cancelling anything, including any number transfers and equipment changes.

You may be able to keep your existing business telephone number and some of your equipment.

Who is behind the switch-off? This is a change led by the telecommunications industry, not a government programme. The UK Government is working with providers to help customers prepare. Its guidance on moving landlines to digital technologies explains what is changing and what business owners should check.

Prefer listening? NFON explains the UK phone network switch-off.

Listen to NFON UK's podcast, The UK Phone Network Switch-Off: What Businesses Actually Need to Know, for another introduction to the changes. Listen to the NFON podcast.

 

What is PSTN, and why is it being switched off?

Telecommunications providers are replacing ageing equipment in telephone exchanges that supports traditional telephone services. If your business uses an analogue telephone line (PSTN), a traditional digital telephone service (ISDN), or broadband that depends on an older telephone service, you may need to make changes. Broadband products may be described on bills as ADSL or ADSL2+, among other names.

A telephone exchange is a facility where telephone connections are brought together and calls are routed. The network once depended on large numbers of local exchanges. In November 2023, BT reported approximately 5,600 exchanges and outlined plans to reduce that estate to around 1,000 by the 2030s as services move to newer networks. This is a longer-term exchange-consolidation programme, not a claim that thousands of buildings will close by the January 2027 PSTN withdrawal target. Source: BT Group, November 2023.

You may have heard the terms “PSTN switch-off” or “digital phone switchover”. Both can give the wrong impression. The programme involves retiring legacy telephone switching equipment, including equipment in telephone exchanges, and withdrawing services that depend on it. It does not mean every copper cable is being removed, all desk phones are becoming obsolete, or businesses will lose the ability to have a traditional geographic telephone number.

For many years, analogue telephone lines have carried everyday calls, while traditional digital lines (ISDN) have supported business telephone systems and multiple simultaneous calls. The ageing equipment is becoming more difficult and costly to maintain. This is one reason providers are replacing traditional telephone services with modern alternatives that carry calls as data using Internet Protocol (IP). IP is a technology used to move data between devices and networks; it is not the same thing as the public internet. A digital telephone service can use IP without every call travelling across the public internet. Although a business telephone service may use its broadband connection to reach the provider, calls are typically carried across the provider's own telecommunications networks rather than relying entirely on the public internet.

For your business, the change may be fairly straightforward. Customers should still be able to call your existing business number or numbers, provided any necessary transfers can be arranged. You can choose how to answer calls, whether on a desk phone, a computer or another suitable device, based on what works best for your business and how you operate. Check whether the telephone service or equipment behind your numbers needs changing.

Start by asking your existing telephone and broadband providers which services you have, whether they depend on the older telephone equipment, and what migration arrangements apply. Your current telephone and broadband providers can check their own service records. A prospective provider and FVC Solutions cannot independently inspect another organisation's customer service records. For alarms, lifts and other specialist equipment, also speak to the company responsible for maintaining the device. Do not cancel an existing connection before confirming the replacement arrangements, including any number transfer.

The old telephone service is being withdrawn, but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to replace your cables, telephone numbers or equipment.

When will the UK landline switch-off happen?

31 January 2027 is the key published deadline for services using the Openreach traditional telephone network. The government's telecommunications timeline confirms that users of the Openreach PSTN need to move to replacement services by that date.

That doesn't mean every telephone line in the UK will stop working on the same day. The change is being managed in stages, and your existing telephone providers may plan to migrate services before the national deadline. Other operators with their own networks may follow different timetables. The dates that matter to your business are those confirmed by your existing providers.

Do you need to act before January 2027?

Yes, if you are still relying on an affected service. January is the published end point for the Openreach programme, so don't wait until then to start planning. A straightforward telephone replacement may be relatively quick, but moving broadband, keeping an established business number, changing equipment or coordinating several suppliers can take longer. As a planning allowance, a straightforward transfer of a single business telephone number can require at least five working days when there are no complications; complex transfers can take more than a month. These are indicative timings, not guaranteed provider deadlines. Allow additional time for installation, testing and unexpected problems.

A useful first step is to contact the companies providing your current telephone and broadband services. Ask:

• Are any of my services dependent on traditional analogue (PSTN) or digital (ISDN) telephone technology?
• What is the planned migration or withdrawal date for my services?
• Will my broadband connection or any additional lines also need to change?
• What must be arranged to retain my existing business telephone number?
• Will there be any interruption, equipment changes or appointments, and when should I start?

Your existing providers should be able to tell you which services you have, whether they need migrating and what steps you should take. They may not know which specialist devices use your telephone lines, so check separately with the companies responsible for security and fire alarm panels, lift lines, remote elevator monitoring lines, warden-call systems, lone-worker panic buttons, PDQ (card payment) terminals and other connected equipment.

What if your providers have not contacted you?

Do not assume that silence means your business is unaffected. Check recent bills or account details, then ask each existing provider to confirm its service type and timetable in writing. Keep a record of the response and any agreed migration arrangements.

Do not cancel your existing telephone service before arranging any required number transfer. Cancelling the service prematurely can prevent your existing number from being transferred to the replacement provider. Coordinate the transfer and service cancellation with the providers involved, and allow time to test the replacement service and any connected equipment.

Will the switch-off affect your business?

You may need to make changes even if you rarely use your landline for calls. Check whether any other services or equipment at your premises rely on older telephone connections.

It is not just about telephone calls. Some broadband connections, security and fire alarm signalling equipment, lift lines, remote elevator monitoring lines, warden-call systems, lone-worker panic buttons, PDQ (card payment) terminals and door-entry systems may also rely on traditional telephone services. Whether they need changing depends on the particular installation and how it connects.

Your business may be affected if it has a traditional analogue telephone line (PSTN), an ISDN service, broadband supplied with an older telephone service, or specialist equipment using one of those connections. What matters is which services you actually have, not just the names on your bills.

Ask your existing telephone and broadband providers to identify affected services and their migration dates. Ask specialist equipment maintainers to confirm whether their systems use a traditional line. The following sections explain the broadband and equipment checks in more detail.

Could your business broadband be affected?

Yes, if your broadband depends on a traditional telephone service. Some older broadband products were provided on top of that service, so they may need migrating when it is withdrawn, even if you do not make calls from the line.

Broadband naming can make this especially confusing. Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) uses fibre to a street cabinet and copper wiring for the final connection to the premises. FTTC itself is not disappearing as part of the telephone switchover. However, where an FTTC broadband service depends on an associated traditional telephone service, it generally needs migrating to a standalone broadband arrangement, such as SOGEA, or another suitable connection. An FTTC product already supplied without that traditional telephone dependency may not need the same change. The product name on your bill alone may not make this clear.

Why can telephone changes affect broadband?

Historically, some broadband products were supplied on top of an existing traditional telephone-line service, with an associated telephone number forming part of the service arrangement. You could use the broadband without making telephone calls, but the underlying telephone service was still part of how it was provided. Newer standalone broadband products do not need that associated traditional telephone service or its telephone number.

ADSL and ADSL2+ connections and some FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) services may have this dependency. VDSL or VDSL2 describes technology commonly used over FTTC, not whether your broadband requires an older telephone service. Your existing broadband provider needs to confirm the actual arrangement.

Does every copper or FTTC connection need replacing?

No. FTTC technology itself is not being retired by the PSTN switch-off. An FTTC broadband service provided on top of a traditional telephone-line service may need to move to a standalone service such as SOGEA, or another suitable connection. SOGEA uses the FTTC network without requiring an associated traditional telephone service or telephone number. FTTC already provided on a standalone basis is different. FTTP (fibre to the premises) also does not require the old copper telephone-line service for broadband.

Your bill might not use terms such as FTTC, SOGEA or VDSL. Providers can use their own product names, and a service described as fibre broadband does not necessarily mean fibre reaches your building.

What could this mean for your business?

If an affected connection is not migrated in time, your business could face disruption to internet access, not just to telephone calls. That could interrupt:

• PDQ machines and card payments that use the connection.
• Online bookings, ordering systems and tills that need internet access.
• Email, cloud software and customer communications.
• Burglar alarms, fire alarm monitoring or other equipment that relies on the same connection for reporting or signalling.

For a shop, dry-cleaner's, salon, bar, pub, nightclub or another small business, losing internet access can affect operations even when nobody uses a traditional landline to make calls.

This is a risk to check, not a prediction that every broadband service will stop on 31 January 2027. Your existing provider's timetable, the underlying service and migration arrangements determine what applies. Openreach has announced temporary continuity measures for some eligible services where technically possible, but these should not be treated as a permanent solution or a guarantee.

How can you check whether your internet connection needs changing?

Contact each of your existing broadband or internet providers, where applicable, and ask:

• Is my broadband provided on top of a traditional analogue telephone-line service, and will that affect my internet connection when the PSTN is switched off?
• Can my current broadband service continue unchanged, or will I need to migrate to a different service or connection?
• If so, what replacement service will you provide, and when will the change happen?
• Could my business lose internet access during migration, and what testing or backup arrangements should we make?
• Will my router, telephone number, payment equipment or any monitored devices need separate attention?

Ask for the answers and proposed dates in writing. Speak separately to the maintainers of alarms, lift lines, remote elevator monitoring lines and other specialist equipment about their own connections.

Do not cancel your existing telephone or broadband service before coordinating the replacement and any required telephone-number transfer. Cancelling too soon may jeopardise number porting and leave other services without a working connection.

FVC Solutions can help you consider suitable communications and connectivity options, but your existing broadband providers are best placed to confirm which services you have and whether they need migrating.

What about alarms, card machines, lifts and other equipment?

An older telephone line may do more than carry calls or support your internet connection (broadband). Some businesses use a traditional line for telephone calls and internet access, while the same or another line may also serve an alarm, a payment terminal or equipment that reports faults. Changes to the telephone service can therefore affect more than the handset.

Which devices should you check?

Depending on how they were installed and configured, equipment that may rely on traditional analogue or digital telephone services includes:

• Burglar alarm systems: some historically used telephone-line signalling to alert an alarm receiving centre. BT Redcare is an example: its legacy line-monitoring services could detect interruptions to the signalling connection. BT Redcare ceased operations in December 2025, so anyone still seeking a BT Redcare replacement should speak to their alarm installer or monitoring provider about a suitable alternative.
• Fire alarm systems: monitored fire alarms may use a telephone line to send alerts to an alarm receiving centre; check the signalling arrangement separately from the alarm panel itself. This deserves particular attention in hospitality venues such as bars, pubs, nightclubs and hotels that accommodate members of the public. Do not assume the signalling method without checking with the responsible alarm maintainer.
• Lift lines and remote elevator monitoring lines: a lift line allows someone trapped in a lift to make an emergency voice call, while remote elevator monitoring can transmit lift status, faults or technical alerts to a maintenance or monitoring service. These are different functions, but a remote monitoring connection may also serve as the lift's emergency voice line. Ask the lift maintainer which functions share the connection and how both will work after migration.
• Warden-call systems, lone-worker personal alarms and lone-worker panic buttons: these may use fixed or mobile communications to summon assistance, including at staffed or managed business premises.
• Card payment terminals (PDQ machines), tills and older dial-up modems: some use a telephone line rather than broadband or mobile data.
• Door-entry systems, intercoms and some CCTV monitoring equipment: particularly where an older telephone line is used for remote access or alarm signalling.
• Fax machines, building-management systems (BMS) and other specialist devices: certain installations use telephone lines for reporting, remote access or monitoring.

These are possible dependencies. It doesn't mean every device listed will be affected. Many modern systems already use broadband, mobile networks or dedicated connections. Some equipment may have more than one communications route.

Why is simply plugging it into a new phone service risky?

A new digital telephone service won't necessarily work with every older device. Alarm signals, modems and other equipment may depend on features of a traditional telephone line that are not reproduced reliably by an adaptor or internet-protocol telephone service.

Do not assume that a dial tone means an alarm or emergency device will work correctly. Compatibility and end-to-end operation need to be checked with the organisation responsible for the equipment and, where appropriate, its monitoring centre.

Who should you speak to?

First, ask your existing telephone providers to identify the services and line numbers on your accounts and explain which need changing. Then contact the suppliers or maintainers of any connected equipment. For example, ask your fire or burglar alarm maintainer how signals reach its monitoring centre, or ask the lift maintenance company about the lift line and remote elevator monitoring arrangements. For PDQ machines and other payment terminals, ask your bank, payment processor or terminal provider how the equipment connects and whether changes are needed.

Request confirmation of the proposed replacement, any necessary hardware changes, power or connectivity backup requirements, and how successful operation will be tested. Keep a simple record of the device, its existing connection, the responsible supplier and the agreed action.

Treat safety, security and emergency equipment as a priority. Do not disconnect, replace or test such systems yourself without coordinating with the competent maintainer and relevant monitoring or response organisation.

FVC Solutions can help you understand the communications options and coordinate planning where appropriate. However, we cannot establish the compatibility of a particular alarm panel, lift device or other specialist system without information and confirmation from its responsible supplier or maintainer.

What can replace your existing business landline?

You don't necessarily need another traditional telephone line to keep making and receiving business calls. The right replacement depends on how you use your number, how many people answer calls and what else relies on your existing connection.

What are your main options?

• A digital phone service using your broadband or another suitable data connection: often called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Depending on the service, you may use a compatible desk phone, an app on a mobile or computer, or a compatible analogue telephone adaptor (ATA) that connects a suitable traditional telephone to a digital phone service.
• A hosted or cloud telephone system: a digital phone service managed through a provider's platform. Depending on the service, calls can be answered on compatible desk phones, mobile or computer apps, or suitable existing telephones connected through an approved adaptor. It can be appropriate when you need features such as call routing, voicemail, multiple users or answering calls away from your premises. Features, licences and costs vary.
• A SIP trunk service: a digital telephone connection that can work with a compatible business telephone system, or with suitable equipment that lets you connect an ordinary telephone. For example, some internet routers and telephone adaptors have sockets for connecting traditional telephones. Compatibility depends on the equipment and service provider.
• A mobile-based arrangement: potentially suitable for some sole traders or businesses that mainly handle calls on the move. Check what happens to your established business number, call handling and connected equipment before choosing it. Check mobile coverage for both voice and data, including inside your premises.

These are different ways of handling business calls, not automatic replacements for broadband, burglar or fire alarm signalling, lift lines, PDQ terminals or other connected systems. Those dependencies may need separate arrangements.

Do you have to replace your existing telephone?

Not always. Some existing handsets can continue to be used with compatible equipment and services; others need replacing. For example, an analogue telephone adaptor (ATA) can connect a compatible traditional telephone to a suitable digital phone service, but it does not guarantee that alarm panels, fax machines or other specialist devices will work.

A provider should explain the options for your particular telephone, router and connection. Do not buy replacement hardware before confirming compatibility.

What should a small business compare?

Rather than choosing solely on the advertised monthly price, check:

• Whether you can retain your existing business telephone number, subject to eligibility and a properly arranged transfer (number porting).
• How and by whom calls will be answered: Will you answer every call yourself, or do employees also need to answer? Consider whether a shared desk phone, individual phones, mobile apps or a combination would work best for your business.
• What happens if your internet connection or local power fails, and whether any backup is needed.
• The total cost of subscriptions, calls, equipment, setup, number transfers and ongoing support.
• Which organisation provides the telephone service, broadband, installation and specialist-device support.

A corner shop, dry-cleaner's, barber, bar, pub or nightclub may need a very different arrangement from a business with several employees answering calls. The aim is to choose a service that meets your needs today without paying for unnecessary features, while allowing room to grow. You may need only one number and one telephone now, but your requirements could change. Check whether you can add users, numbers or features later, what that would cost, and whether your initial equipment investment can be retained or you would need to move to a different telephone service or system as your business grows.

FVC Solutions can help you review your requirements and discuss suitable business communication options. We can provide a quotation where our available services fit your needs, but any proposed solution must be checked against your existing numbers, connectivity, equipment and service requirements before you commit.

Can you keep your existing business telephone number?

In many cases, yes. Moving away from a traditional telephone service doesn't automatically mean losing the number your customers already know. Keeping a number when changing telephone provider is called number porting.

For a small business, that number may appear on shop signs, receipts, websites, business listings, appointment reminders and customers' saved contacts. Before choosing a replacement service, check whether your number can be retained and how the transfer will be arranged.

What is number porting?

Number porting means moving an existing telephone number from one communications provider to another so calls to that number reach the new service. Both geographic numbers and non-geographic numbers, such as those beginning 03, 08 or 09, can be subject to number-portability rights. However, your new provider must support the specific number type and range; not every provider can receive every non-geographic number, including some premium-rate 09 numbers.

Do not assume that keeping the same handset or staying at the same premises automatically transfers the number. Ask your existing or new provider to check whether the new service can receive your specific number and explain the process, any associated service or contractual costs, and any restrictions.

How long does a business number transfer take?

Allow at least five working days for a straightforward single-number port, counted from when the gaining provider accepts the porting order, and plan for longer. Gathering details, correcting an order or waiting for acceptance adds time before that period begins. Five working days is a minimum practical planning allowance for a simple transfer, not a promise that your number will move within five days. Transfers involving several numbers, number ranges, multiple providers or more complicated existing services may take considerably longer, sometimes more than a month.

Ask the providers involved to confirm the expected lead time for your specific numbers and arrangements. Allow additional time for installation, testing and resolving unexpected issues. Don't leave your switchover until five working days before the deadline.

Should you cancel your existing telephone service first?

No. Wait until all required number transfers have completed before requesting cancellation of your current service. Cancelling while a porting order is in progress is likely to disrupt or cancel the order, and may affect broadband or equipment linked to that line.

For a qualifying provider migration, the existing provider should automatically end the transferred service once the move completes. Check with your existing provider that this has happened, and confirm separately what will happen to any linked broadband or equipment. Certain number-porting rights can continue after a customer terminates a service, but do not rely on this as your migration plan.

If broadband or specialist equipment depends on the existing telephone-line service, coordinate those changes too. Moving a number and ceasing its old service can affect other services provided on top of the line.

Can your existing provider refuse to release your number?

A provider cannot simply refuse a valid number-porting request because you want to leave or because money is owed. The transfer still has to meet the applicable number-porting rules and technical arrangements.

Number-porting rights and your contract are separate issues. If you are still within a minimum contract period, early termination charges or other contractual liabilities may apply even where the number can be transferred.

What should you check with your providers?

Before agreeing to a new service, ask:

• Can I keep my existing business telephone number, and can your service receive it? If it is a non-geographic number, does the new provider support that particular 03, 08 or 09 range?
• Who will arrange the number porting, and what details or authorisations do you need from me?
• How long should the transfer take, and when will incoming and outgoing calls move to the new service?
• Will there be any temporary disruption, and how will we test that calls reach the right people afterwards?
• Could the transfer affect broadband, alarms, payment equipment or other services linked to the existing line?
• Who will coordinate closing the old service, and what contractual or other charges may apply?

If you have several numbers, a group of numbers or a more complicated telephone arrangement, explain this at the outset. A transfer involving one shop telephone number may be different from moving an entire business telephone system.

Keep the current service active until all number-porting orders have completed and any dependent-service changes have been properly coordinated. Confirm in writing which provider will close the old service and check that the closure has happened correctly.

FVC Solutions can discuss number retention as part of your proposed replacement telephone solution. Whether a particular number can be transferred, and the timing and process, must be confirmed for that number and the providers involved.

Will your digital telephone work during a power cut?

A digital telephone service may stop working during a power cut unless the equipment it relies on has backup power. This is an important change to understand before replacing your traditional landline.

An older, basic corded telephone connected directly to a traditional analogue line could often keep working during a local power cut because it received power from the telephone exchange, provided the wider network was operating. Modern digital phone services usually depend on equipment at your premises that needs electricity.

What equipment might need power?

Depending on the replacement service, the equipment could include:

• A broadband router or network connection used to carry calls.
• A telephone adapter, desk phone or cordless phone base station.
• A network switch or other equipment needed to connect your phones.

Not every business phone service has the same setup. A desk phone might receive its power through a network switch, for example, while a cordless phone normally relies on a powered base station. Backing up only the router may not keep your business telephone working.

Will you still be able to call 999 or 112?

Do not assume that your digital business telephone will work for emergency calls during a power cut or network or internet outage. If the equipment or connection carrying calls fails, you may be unable to contact emergency services through that telephone system.

Before switching, discuss emergency-calling arrangements with your chosen telephone provider or the partner helping you arrange your telephone service. Explain if anyone at your premises depends on that service to contact emergency services, particularly if there is no reliable mobile alternative. Ask what happens if power, broadband, your local network or the telephone service fails, and what suitable backup arrangements are available.

Agree an alternative way to call 999 or 112 if the main system is unavailable. A mobile phone's normal dialler may provide that alternative, provided a suitable mobile network is working. Check coverage at your premises; do not assume mobile access will always be available. Make sure people who may need to make emergency calls know what to do during an outage.

Discuss battery backup or a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) with your new provider. A UPS can keep selected equipment powered for a limited time, but its effectiveness depends on what is connected and for how long. It cannot, by itself, restore a failed broadband connection or wider telephone network.

What if your business needs to keep taking calls?

For a shop, salon, pub or other small business, a power cut can mean more than missing an emergency call. You might also lose ordinary incoming calls, card payments or online bookings.

Discuss with your relevant providers:

• Backup power: which devices should a UPS protect, and for how long? Ask your new provider about suitable equipment and its expected running time.
• An alternative way to receive calls: can incoming calls be diverted to a working mobile or another number if the main service is unavailable?
• Connection resilience: if the broadband service or upstream network also fails, powering your equipment alone will not restore calls. Would a separate connection or alternative service help?
• Testing: how will you check that the agreed arrangement works before you rely on it?

Also speak to the maintainers of alarms, lift lines, remote elevator monitoring lines, warden-call systems and other specialist equipment about their own power and communication needs.

Before switching, ask what happens to calls during power and network outages, which equipment needs backup, who provides it and what it will cost. Make sure any agreed backup arrangements cover the actual risks to your business rather than assuming that replacing the landline automatically provides equivalent resilience.

How should you prepare for the digital switchover?

Start by checking what your business actually uses, then agree a migration plan before changing or cancelling anything. You do not need to become a telephone expert, but you do need to know which services could be affected and who is responsible for moving them.

For a sole trader or small business, the most useful approach is a short, practical checklist.

Make a list of what you use today

Check your telephone and broadband bills and look around your premises. Record:

• Your main telephone number, any additional numbers and who currently supplies them.
• Your telephone service and equipment, including any handsets, cordless phones or business telephone system.
• Your broadband or internet provider, especially if the service was supplied with a traditional telephone line.
• Anything else connected to a telephone line or dependent on the connection, such as a PDQ (card payment) terminal, burglar or fire alarm, lift line, remote elevator monitoring line, lone-worker panic button or warden-call system.

You may not know exactly how each service works. That is fine. The purpose is to identify what needs checking, not to diagnose it yourself.

Speak to the people responsible

Contact your existing telephone and broadband providers first to confirm which services need changing and whether they plan to contact you or arrange the migration. Ask for their answers and proposed dates in writing.

If you are considering a different provider, ask them to explain which existing services they can replace, whether your numbers can be transferred and what they need from you. If specialist equipment is involved, check separately with the company that supplies or maintains it.

Agree the order of changes

Before committing to a date, confirm:

• What changes first: whether the new connection, telephone service or equipment must be installed before the old service is withdrawn.
• Who is responsible: which provider will arrange number porting, installation, activation and any service closure.
• When work will happen: the expected lead times, appointments and any periods of disruption.
• How calls and essential systems will be checked: incoming and outgoing calls, retained numbers, card payments, alarms and other services you rely on.
• What happens if something goes wrong: who to contact and what temporary arrangements you can use if the change does not work as planned.

Do not cancel your existing service while number transfers are still in progress. Coordinate changes with the relevant providers and check that any linked broadband or equipment has been dealt with.

Do not leave it until the last minute

The national target for withdrawing traditional PSTN services is 31 January 2027, but the time your business needs will depend on the services you have and the work required. Number transfers, new installations and specialist-equipment changes may need arranging well before that date.

If you have not yet spoken to your existing providers, act now rather than relying on the national deadline as your installation date. Ask for a realistic timetable and keep a record of the agreed next steps.

Once the new services are in place, check that they work as intended and that everyone who needs to use them understands any changes, particularly how to contact emergency services during a power or network outage.

What should you do next, and how can FVC Solutions help?

If your business still uses a traditional telephone line, or you are unsure what type of service you have, speak to your existing provider now. Ask what is affected, whether a change is required and how much time you should allow.

You do not have to choose a replacement on the spot. First, make sure you understand what your business needs to keep working: customer calls, an existing telephone number, internet access and any equipment connected to the old service. Also consider what works well today, what frustrates you and what you would like to improve. The switchover is an opportunity to address those problems rather than repeat them in a new system.

Where to start

Three useful next steps are:

1. Check your current arrangements. Ask your existing telephone and broadband providers to confirm which services you have and what they plan to change.
2. Identify anything you cannot afford to lose. Think about calls, card payments, bookings, alarms, emergency-calling arrangements and other essential equipment. Speak to specialist maintainers where necessary.
3. Compare suitable replacement options. Consider which features you want to keep and which problems a new service should solve. Ask about the number-transfer process, installation and testing, ongoing costs, backup arrangements and who will be responsible for each part of the change.

If you are considering changing provider, do not cancel your existing services while number transfers or dependent-service changes are still being arranged.

How FVC Solutions can help

FVC Solutions can help you work through your requirements and consider suitable business telephone and connectivity options. That may include discussing how your business receives calls, whether you need to keep existing numbers, what equipment is involved and how a replacement would fit your day-to-day operations.

We can explain the options and their practical trade-offs, then discuss a proposed solution and quotation where appropriate. FVC Solutions acts as an independent consultant and dealer, not as the telecommunications service provider. Any installation, configuration, support or coordination work depends on the solution selected and the agreed scope.

Your existing telephone and broadband providers remain best placed to confirm the exact services you already have, including any dependency on a traditional telephone line. Number-porting arrangements, connection availability and provider-controlled services must be checked with the relevant suppliers.

Unsure whether you need to act?

Ask before the deadline becomes a problem for your business. Even a small shop or one-person business may rely on its telephone number, broadband or connected equipment more than it realises.

Explore our Business Communications solutions, or contact FVC Solutions to discuss your requirements.