The PSTN switch-off: what it means for telecare, lift and alarm lines
The UK is retiring its copper phone network, with the migration running to the end of January 2027. Here is what that means for telecare alarms, lift autodiallers and alarm panels, and how to keep them calling.
Most of the talk about the PSTN switch-off is about office phones. The harder problem is the equipment nobody thinks of as a phone at all: telecare alarms, lift emergency autodiallers, alarm panels, door entry systems and payment units that quietly relied on a copper line to make a call.
What is the PSTN switch-off?
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the analogue copper phone network, alongside ISDN. In the UK it is being retired in favour of digital services, with the migration running to the end of January 2027. After that, a device that needs a copper line to dial out will stop working unless it has been moved to a new connection.
Which devices are affected
- Telecare and personal alarms, which call a monitoring centre when someone presses a pendant.
- Lift autodiallers and emergency phones, which connect a trapped passenger to help.
- Intruder and fire alarm panels that report to a receiving centre.
- Door entry and warden call systems.
- Older card machines and meters that dialled out over a phone line.
Many of these were installed years ago and are rarely checked until they fail.
Why digital landlines are not always enough
The obvious replacement is a digital line over broadband. That can work, but it brings new dependencies: the broadband connection, the router and mains power at the property. If any of those fail, the alarm cannot call. For safety-critical lines, that is a real risk.
Why mobile voice is a strong option
A mobile connection removes the dependence on the building's broadband. For lifts, telecare and alarms, the best option is a SIM that carries:
- A real voice line, not data only, so the device can make a call the way it was designed to.
- Multi-network access, so a single network outage does not cut the line.
- Remote provisioning and monitoring, so you know a unit is online without sending an engineer.
How Simsonic helps
Simsonic voice over eSIM puts a regulated voice line on the same multi-carrier eSIM as the data, so a lift, alarm or telecare unit has one subscriber that can call and report, routed across carriers. Units are provisioned remotely and monitored from the console.
A simple checklist before January 2027
- List every device on your estate that dials out over a phone line.
- Check with each manufacturer whether the unit supports mobile voice or needs an adapter.
- Prioritise safety-critical lines: lifts, telecare and fire alarms first.
- Choose a connection that keeps working if one network or the building's broadband fails.
- Test each migrated unit by making a real call.
Talk to our team about moving your alarm, lift or telecare lines before the switch-off.