If you're still running traditional phone lines in your hotel, you've got less than a year to sort them out. On 31st January 2027, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) , the copper-wire phone infrastructure that's been around since your grandparents were booking rooms via telegram , gets permanently switched off across the UK.
And no, this isn't one of those deadlines that quietly gets pushed back. BT stopped taking new PSTN orders at the end of 2023. The clock is ticking, and if you haven't started planning your migration to IP-based telephony, you're already behind.
What Actually Gets Switched Off?
Let's be clear about what we're talking about. The PSTN switch-off doesn't just mean your reception desk phone stops working. It means any device or system that relies on traditional copper telephone lines will cease to function entirely.
For most hotels, that's a much longer list than you'd think:
- Guest room phones
- Internal PBX systems
- Door entry and intercom systems
- Lift emergency phones (yes, those)
- Fire alarm panels that dial out
- Security and CCTV systems with phone-line monitoring
- EPOS payment terminals
- Fax machines (if you're still using them)
- Any legacy building management systems with dial-in access
The copper gets cut. Full stop. There's no "keep the old system running a bit longer" option.
Why Hotels Are Particularly Vulnerable
Most commercial buildings have one or two phone systems to worry about. Hotels have dozens , sometimes hundreds , of individual endpoints spread across multiple buildings, floors, and system types.
Your PBX system (Private Branch Exchange , the thing that routes calls between rooms and handles your internal extensions) was likely installed when the hotel was built or last refurbished. If that was more than 15 years ago, it's almost certainly PSTN-dependent. These systems don't just swap over to IP with a firmware update. They need replacing entirely.
Then there are the guest room phones. Even if your PBX is relatively modern, individual room handsets might still connect via analogue lines. Replacing 50, 100, or 200 room phones isn't a weekend job , it requires coordination with housekeeping, minimal guest disruption, and careful testing to ensure emergency dialling works correctly.
Lift alarms present another headache. Building regulations require emergency communication in lifts, and most older systems use direct PSTN connections. You can't just unplug them. You need a compliant replacement that meets current standards, and that often means involving lift engineers, building control, and potentially your insurance provider.
The Migration Isn't Just About Phones
Moving to an IP-based phone system , typically Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , means your telephony now runs over your data network. That sounds simple until you realize your hotel's network infrastructure might not be ready for it.
VoIP requires consistent, low-latency bandwidth. If your current network struggles when the WiFi is busy or you've got aging switches in your comms room, adding voice traffic on top will create problems. Dropped calls, jittery audio, and failed connections don't just annoy staff , they damage guest experience.
You'll also need Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability to power IP phones without individual power adapters cluttering reception desks and back-office areas. That might mean upgrading network switches, which adds cost and complexity.
And here's the part nobody mentions until it's too late: emergency calling. With PSTN, when you dial 999, the emergency services automatically know your location based on the physical line. With VoIP, you need to configure location data manually for each handset. Get this wrong, and you've got a serious compliance and safety issue.
The Hidden Systems You'll Forget About
Every hotel has systems that haven't been touched in years because they just work. Until they don't.
Building management systems with remote dial-in access are common in larger properties. These let engineers access heating controls, refrigeration monitoring, or energy management platforms remotely via phone line. When PSTN ends, so does that access , unless you've migrated the system to IP-based remote access first.
Door entry systems are another blind spot. That intercom panel at your service entrance or car park gate? If it's dialling a phone extension when someone buzzes, it's PSTN-dependent. These systems are often installed by security contractors and forgotten about until they stop working.
Even older EPOS terminals at your bar or restaurant might use phone-line connections for card processing. Most modern terminals use broadband, but if yours is still dialling out for authorization, it'll need replacing or reconfiguring.
What You Should Be Doing Right Now
The intermediate deadline most people missed was December 2025 , the point at which BT recommended all migrations should be complete to allow testing time. We're past that now, which means you're working within a shrinking window.
Step one: audit everything. Walk your property with a checklist and identify every system connected to a phone socket. Check back offices, plant rooms, lift shafts, and external buildings. Don't assume anything , verify each connection.
Step two: talk to your current provider. If you're with BT, Gamma, or another major telecoms company, they'll have migration pathways already in place. Get quotes, timelines, and technical requirements in writing. Ask specifically about emergency calling configuration and number porting.
Step three: assess your network. Can your current infrastructure handle voice traffic reliably? Do you have PoE switches? Is your internet connection fast and stable enough? If you're running on aging hardware or a slow connection, this needs addressing before you migrate phones.
Step four: plan for downtime. You can't swap out an entire phone system without some disruption. Schedule the work during low occupancy periods, and have a communication plan for guests and staff about what's changing and when.
The Upside Nobody Talks About
Yes, this is disruptive and expensive. But IP-based phone systems genuinely offer benefits that go beyond just keeping the lights on past January 2027.
Unified billing is the obvious one : your phone and internet costs combine into a single service, usually with more transparent pricing than legacy telecom contracts.
Scalability becomes easier. Adding extensions, moving handsets between rooms, or reconfiguring call routing can be done through software rather than requiring an engineer to visit and physically rewire systems.
Advanced features like voicemail-to-email, call recording for training purposes, and detailed analytics on call volumes and handling times become standard rather than expensive add-ons.
And if you're planning renovations or expansions, IP phones work over your existing data cabling : no need to run separate phone lines to every room.
Don't Leave It Until Summer
With 11 months to go, you might think there's plenty of time. There isn't.
Telecoms providers are slammed with migration requests from businesses that delayed too long. Lead times for new systems, equipment availability, and engineer availability are all stretching. Leave it until Q3 or Q4 of 2026, and you'll be competing for resources with everyone else who left it late.
The hotels that complete migration in the next few months will have time to test properly, identify issues, train staff, and make adjustments before the hard deadline. The ones still scrambling in December 2026 will be paying premium rates for rushed installations and dealing with the inevitable teething problems under pressure.
If you're unsure where to start, grab your current phone bill and the contact details for whoever installed your PBX. That's your starting point. Everything else flows from there.
The PSTN switch-off isn't optional, and it isn't getting postponed. The only question is whether your hotel is ready : or whether you'll be finding out the hard way come February 2027.
Leave a Reply