The UK's move away from analogue networks is entering its final stretch. On 31 January 2027, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which has supported traditional landlines and connected services for decades, will be retired.
The switch-off comes at a time when councils are already navigating significant change, with local government reorganisation (LGR), rising demand for services, budget constraints, digital inclusion challenges and increasing citizen expectations all placing pressure on frontline delivery.
That makes resilience more important than ever. Analogue connections still sit behind services that keep communities safe and support vulnerable residents, so the move to all-IP must be treated as both a risk to manage and an opportunity to modernise the systems underpinning local public service.
With less than six months until the PSTN switch-off deadline, BT is urging councils to identify any remaining analogue dependencies to avoid disruption. Our migration specialists can uncover services at risk and plan a smooth transition to digital alternatives.
Why councils need to act now
Legacy analogue connections may still underpin telecare alarms in residents' homes, lift emergency phones in council buildings, CCTV in public spaces and traffic systems, as well as equipment across the wider council estate, from door entry and fire alarm systems to intercoms and payment terminals.
Responsibility for this infrastructure can be spread across several parts of the council and its supplier base. Telecare may be managed through social care, while a lift alarm falls under facilities or a traffic system may be maintained by an external supplier.
Some connections have been in place for decades, and inconsistent recording can leave teams with an incomplete picture of the estate. As a result, an authority may believe it has already migrated its telephony estate, when in reality analogue services continue to operate in the background, supporting critical services.
These fragmented responsibilities and incomplete records make the final stage of migration particularly challenging. Among BT local government customers, legacy line volumes have fallen by 70% over the past two years, but the connections still in use are often the easiest to overlook.
Councils now need to understand what each outstanding dependency supports and work with the relevant suppliers to put suitable replacements in place. Doing so will help avoid disruption to services residents, especially vulnerable ones, depend on.
Use local government reorganisation to uncover legacy infrastructure
Local government is in a key transitional period. Reorganisation, devolution, shared service design and the need to deliver more with constrained budgets are forcing councils to take a deeper look at how their estates and services are configured.
The PSTN switch-off should therefore not be seen as a standalone telecoms change. It is a timely opportunity to uncover hidden legacy infrastructure, remove duplication and make sure future operating models are built on scalable digital foundations.
As councils reorganise, they may inherit very different levels of visibility across their estates. One authority may have a clear view of its analogue dependencies, while another has services dispersed across different departments and supplier relationships. Folding PSTN audits into wider LGR, estate and service reviews gives the new organisation a better understanding of what it is inheriting before decisions are made about the future estate.
Build a foundation for better services
Bringing voice, digital communications and data onto IP-based infrastructure moves councils away from a patchwork of older systems, easing the burden of maintaining legacy platforms and providing a more flexible, resilient and secure base for digital services.
The practical benefits in day-to-day operations are clear. Cloud-based contact platforms give customer service teams a fuller view of previous interactions, so an enquiry can be handled across different communication channels without losing context. Residents can choose how they get in touch, while staff have the information they need to resolve issues more quickly. Automation can also take care of routine enquiries, freeing frontline teams to focus on more complex cases.
The same applies to physical infrastructure. Across roads, buildings and the local environment, connected sensors give operational teams greater visibility and help identify faults automatically. Councils can then respond to failures much faster, including where public safety could be affected, without relying on residents to report problems first.
A trusted partner for the transition
BT can help local authorities establish where they stand and turn that assessment into a clear, deliverable migration plan. Our experience supporting public sector organisations means we can address the use cases that matter most from telecare and alarms to lifts, CCTV, traffic systems, contact centres and wider supplier-managed estates.
That support includes assessing all-IP readiness, identifying outstanding PSTN and analogue dependencies and helping to pinpoint which services need attention first. BT's migration specialists can work with councils and suppliers, helping teams move beyond incomplete asset records to a prioritised plan that protects essential services.
The remaining months need to be used effectively. Local authorities should speak to their BT account manager as soon as possible to understand their position, address any outstanding analogue dependencies and use the transition to build infrastructure that is reliable today and ready for the next generation of citizen services.
To discuss your migration plans and the support available, visit BT's all-IP migration webpage
Professor Sultan Mahmud is Director of Health and Communities, Business at BT Business
