Find out what withdrawal means in relation to the PSTN Switch Off
The PSTN switch off is something you’ll have no doubt heard about already. However, if you’re still unsure about what’s happening, we’re here to help you understand.
By December 2025, the traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) will be switched off. By then, all services must move to IP or mobile based products such as hosted voice, direct routing or another alternative.
Despite 2025 seemingly a while off yet, Openreach has announced some of its products will experience withdrawal in the coming years as it gears up to upgrade the country’s digital infrastructure.
Two pilot exchanges were announced a couple of years ago with Salisbury and Mildenhall the chosen destinations for the trial. Salisbury will be the first city to have full fibre coverage and, therefore, had a stop sell in December 2020 with the complete withdrawal of the PSTN in December 2022.
Mildenhall is following a similar pattern with a stop sell announced in the Suffolk town set for May 2021. Again, services will experience complete withdrawal in December 2022.
However, Salisbury and Mildenhall aren’t the only UK locations to be facing huge changes to its digital landscape. Three tranches have been announced by Openreach, with a further 219 exchanges facing changes within the next months and years.
Openreach is upgrading another 117 exchanges by June 2021 and stop sell notifications for those affected areas were issued in June 2020. There has also been a second lot of exchanges announced which will be upgraded by October 2021.
The third tranche will be announced in due course. If you’re interested in finding out whether your area is full fibre enabled, head to our full fibre checker here.
If you want to chat to our expert team about your options regarding the PSTN switch off, fill in the enquiry form below and we’ll be happy to have an informal discussion with you.
