The Big BT Switch-off : DELAYED

2 Aug

Written By Martin Mann | HDCC Chief Executive

The recent announcement regarding the Big BT Switch-off offers a two-year reprieve, with the deadline now set for January 2027. While this provides some breathing space, it's crucial for small businesses to set the wheels in motion for the transition to Voice over IP phone services.

There has been much in the media this year alerting organisations and consumers to the BT Openreach Network Switch-off, originally planned for Dec 2025. There has been a hive of activity and noise from telecoms suppliers highlighting this event particularly to businesses and instances of some aggressive marketing tactics and messaging to drive organisations to change.

To cope with the Switch-off organisations and consumers need to implement a VoIP solution or lose their landlines and phone numbers. Under pressure from OFCOM, Openreach recently announced a postponement of the Switch-off until Jan 2027. The postponement is largely down to the lack of solutions and available products and services available to elderly and vulnerable consumers who rely on a landline.

A recent (30/7/24) survey published by the BBC stated that 49% of consumers still use a landline. So the urgency has been removed for a while. Organisations still need a solution if they haven’t already migrated to VoIP