BT and Openreach are retiring the ageing copper-based telephone network - known as the Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN  and replacing it with a fully digital, internet-based alternative. The original switch-off date was December 2025. In May 2024 BT confirmed a revised, firm deadline of 31 January 2027.

From that date onwards, every device still plugged into an analogue phone line will stop working. That includes:

In other words: the exact device that lets a trapped passenger speak to someone and get out of a stuck lift will go silent overnight - unless it has been upgraded.

Why This Matters For Your Lift

A lift emergency telephone isn't optional extra equipment - it's a legal and safety requirement. Under the European lift phone standard EN 81-28, every passenger lift must provide a reliable two-way voice link to a permanently manned rescue service, 24 hours a day. Once analogue lines go dark, any lift still relying on one is immediately non-compliant and, in practical terms, dangerous.

If a passenger is trapped after 31 January 2027 in a lift with an analogue-only phone, they will be pressing an alarm that calls nobody. For building owners, managing agents and FM teams, that's a serious insurance, liability and duty-of-care problem. All avoidable with a single, straightforward upgrade.

The Solution - GSM & 4G Lift Autodialler Upgrade

We replace the obsolete analogue auto-dialler in your lift with a modern GSM or 4G emergency communication unit. These run over the mobile phone network instead of a BT landline, so they're completely unaffected by the PSTN switch-off  and in most cases, they're more reliable than the line they replace.

Installed In Half A Day - Lift Back In Service The Same Day

We've done hundreds of these. The process is simple, quick and designed around keeping your building running:

Book Your Free PSTN Switch-Off Survey

No obligation. Fixed-price quote within 24 hours. Book your install before the rush - slots get tighter every month.