The UK’s old copper telephone network is being retired. The final migration deadline for Openreach PSTN services is 31 January 2027.
This change affects more than telephone handsets. It can also affect business security alarms, fire alarm systems, lift phones, door-entry systems and other equipment that sends data over a traditional phone line.
If your intruder alarm or fire alarm still uses a PSTN or ISDN line to contact an Alarm Receiving Centre, it may stop reporting after the switch-off. The alarm may still sound locally. The control panel may still appear operational. However, the monitoring centre may no longer receive the activation.
For businesses across North Wales, now is the time to check your systems and arrange a professional survey.
What is the PSTN switch-off?
The Public Switched Telephone Network, or PSTN, is the legacy copper network used for traditional analogue landline calls. ISDN services also rely on the older network and are being retired.
Openreach and the wider telecommunications industry are moving customers to modern digital services. The UK Government states that users of Openreach PSTN services must migrate to new connectivity before 31 January 2027.
The change is national. It applies to businesses in Conwy, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Bangor, Caernarfon, Wrexham, Rhyl, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Anglesey and the wider North Wales area.
Openreach has described the 2027 date as fixed. Businesses should not plan on a further extension.
Read the UK Government connectivity timeline for the current national deadlines.
Why does the switch-off affect business alarms?
Many older alarm systems use a telephone dialler or communicator. When the alarm activates, it sends a signal through the phone line to a monitoring centre.
The same type of connection may be used for:
- Commercial intruder alarms
- Fire alarm systems
- Hold-up and panic alarms
- CCTV monitoring
- Emergency communication equipment
- Older access control or door-entry equipment
Once the PSTN service is withdrawn, equipment that depends on that connection may no longer send signals.
This creates a serious risk for businesses. An alarm activation may occur at night or when the premises are empty. If the signal does not reach the monitoring centre, keyholders may not be contacted. A police-response procedure may not begin. A fire alarm signal may not reach the responsible monitoring service.
The system can therefore become ineffective without producing an obvious warning to staff.
Do not assume that a working alarm sounder means that the signalling connection is still working. The detection and local alarm functions can continue while the external communication path has failed.
A phone-line migration is not an alarm upgrade
Your telephone provider may offer to move your landline to a digital voice service. This does not automatically upgrade the alarm signalling.
A standard digital voice service is designed for telephone calls. It may not provide the supervision, resilience, encryption, battery backup or alarm transmission performance required by your insurer, monitoring centre or police-response agreement.
A business alarm needs a suitable alarm transmission system. The communicator must be compatible with the alarm panel and the Alarm Receiving Centre. It must also meet the requirements of the system grade and the terms of your insurance policy.
Ask your alarm contractor these questions:
- Does the alarm currently use PSTN, ISDN or an analogue dialler?
- Is the PSTN connection used as the primary path or as a backup path?
- What signalling grade does the replacement provide?
- Is the communicator compatible with the current alarm panel?
- Will the Alarm Receiving Centre continue to receive all required signals?
- Will the upgrade preserve police-response eligibility?
- What documentation will be provided for the insurer?
A broadband or telephone supplier cannot answer all of these questions. You need an alarm specialist to assess the complete signalling arrangement.
Why dual-path IP and 4G signalling is recommended
For many commercial premises, the recommended solution is dual-path signalling.
This normally combines:
- IP signalling through the business broadband connection
- 4G mobile signalling as an independent backup path
The alarm can send signals over the IP connection during normal operation. If the broadband connection fails, the communicator can switch to the 4G path.
This provides greater resilience than a single connection. It can help protect against:
- Broadband outages
- Router or network faults
- Accidental cable damage
- Deliberate line cuts
- Local infrastructure problems
- Loss of one communications path
The communicator and monitoring service should supervise the paths. They should identify communication failures and report them through the correct maintenance and monitoring process.
Dual-path signalling is not simply an IP router connected to an alarm panel. It requires suitable, approved alarm communication equipment. The solution must match the risk, system grade, monitoring contract and compliance requirements of the site.
SSAIB guidance explains the differences between bells-only, monitored, IP and dual-path alarm systems. Read the SSAIB alarm systems guide for additional information.
What happens to police-response alarms?
Some businesses use monitored intruder alarms with a Police Unique Reference Number, or URN. This arrangement normally depends on several conditions.
The system must be suitable for the premises. It must be installed and maintained by an approved contractor. The monitoring centre must follow the relevant procedures. Alarm activations must be verified in the required way.
The signalling path is a key part of this arrangement.
If your PSTN connection is removed, the system may no longer provide the required signalling performance. If one side of an existing dual-path system uses PSTN, the system may become single-path after the switch-off.
This can affect the conditions associated with a URN and police-response alarms. Police attendance is not guaranteed, but a loss of compliant signalling can prevent the required response process from operating.
Contact your alarm contractor and the relevant monitoring centre before making changes. Confirm that the replacement communicator and signalling grade are accepted for your police-response arrangement.
Dragon Security & Electrical is SSAIB accredited. Our team can assess existing systems, explain the available upgrade options and coordinate the required testing and monitoring changes.
What happens to monitored fire alarm systems?
Fire alarm systems also require careful review.
Commercial fire alarm systems may send signals to an Alarm Receiving Centre so that an alarm or fault can be identified when the building is unoccupied. If that signal uses a traditional telephone line, the system may be affected by the PSTN retirement.
Fire alarm signalling should be assessed separately from the detection system. Replacing a telephone line does not automatically confirm that the fire alarm communicator meets the required performance.
A survey should check:
- The fire alarm control panel
- The existing communicator
- The signalling path or paths
- The monitoring contract
- Mains and battery backup
- Fault reporting
- ARC compatibility
- Required fire safety documentation
- Any insurer or fire risk assessment requirements
Dragon provides professional fire alarm installation, commissioning and maintenance for commercial, industrial, public-sector and residential premises. Our engineers work with conventional, two-wire and addressable systems and provide ongoing support.
Could your insurance be affected?
Your insurance policy may specify:
- A particular intruder alarm grade
- An SSAIB or NSI-accredited installer
- Alarm Receiving Centre monitoring
- Dual-path signalling
- A maintenance contract
- A police-response arrangement
- Regular servicing and documented testing
If your alarm signalling stops working, you may no longer meet those conditions.
This does not mean that every business will automatically lose insurance cover after the switch-off. The requirements depend on the policy and the risk. However, failing to maintain a compliant alarm system can create problems during a claim.
Ask your insurer what signalling standard and system grade they require. Then ask your alarm contractor to provide written confirmation of the proposed upgrade.
Keep the following records:
- Survey report
- Signalling specification
- Commissioning information
- ARC confirmation
- Certificate of Conformity
- Maintenance records
- Updated system drawings or records
- Written insurer confirmation, where required
Dragon’s guide to business security alarms and insurance compliance explains why installation standards, monitoring and maintenance matter.
What should your business do now?
Start with a site audit.
List every system that may use a traditional phone line. Include alarms at separate buildings, warehouses, offices, shops, schools, care facilities and remote sites.
Then check the alarm panel and communicator. Do not rely on the age or appearance of the equipment. A modern-looking alarm can still use an old signalling path.
Next, book a professional survey. Your contractor should identify the current signalling method and confirm whether the existing panel can support a new communicator. Some systems can be upgraded. Others may require replacement equipment.
Plan the work before the deadline. Demand for surveys, equipment and engineering appointments is likely to increase as January 2027 approaches. North Wales businesses may also need additional planning where mobile coverage, site access or multi-site monitoring are factors.
Book a PSTN alarm-signalling survey
Dragon Security & Electrical provides business security alarms, intruder alarms UK businesses can rely on, remote monitoring and compliant fire alarm systems across North Wales and beyond.
Our SSAIB-accredited team can review your current system and recommend a practical migration plan. We can assess intruder alarms, fire alarm systems and related security equipment. We can also provide maintenance and ongoing support after the upgrade.
Do not wait for the phone line to stop working.
Contact Dragon Security & Electrical to arrange a survey or call 01492 330330.
For dependable Security Systems North Wales businesses can plan around, speak to Dragon before the 31 January 2027 deadline.
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