Check the equipment connected to your business phone lines
When analogue lines are replaced, anything plugged into them needs checking, not just your desk phones. Government guidance asks businesses to list alarms, lift phones, payment terminals and broadband, contact each supplier and test. Choose the equipment you have below.
Equipment guides
- Alarms and telecare
Intruder, fire and telecare alarms that signal over an analogue line need a supplier-confirmed digital path. What to inventory, ask and test before migrating.
- Lift emergency phones
Lift auto-diallers often use an analogue line. How building managers inventory lift phones, involve the lift maintainer and keep emergency calls working.
- Card payment machines
Older card terminals may connect over a phone line. How to check yours, what to ask your payment provider and how to plan a fallback before migration.
- CCTV and remote monitoring
Older CCTV, door entry and remote monitoring units may report over a phone line or legacy broadband. What to inventory and ask before your lines migrate.
- Fax and franking machines
Fax and some franking machines use analogue lines. How to decide whether to keep, replace or retire them, and what to ask suppliers before migration.
Three steps for every device
- List it, with its location, line and supplier.
- Ask the supplier to confirm a supported digital option and book any visit before your line changes.
- Test it after migration, including during a power cut where it matters.
This is indicative planning guidance, not certification of safety, compatibility or legal compliance. Digital phone services may fail without power. Safety-critical devices require confirmation and testing by the relevant equipment vendor; an online score or analogue adapter cannot guarantee compatibility.
Not every analogue service is withdrawn on the same date; it depends on your provider. Read the PSTN switch-off overview.
Official guidance
- GOV.UK: Moving landlines to digital technologies
- GOV.UK: UK transition from analogue to digital landlines
Plan device and migration costsExplain the terms on supplier quotes