What do lifts, alarms and cash machines have in common? A lot of them use a wired, analogue copper telephone connection – but this ageing service is being withdrawn as the UK switches to a fully digital network. What is the Government Property Agency (the GPA) doing to prepare clients and minimise the impact in buildings we manage?
Since 2018, British Telecom and Openreach have been working with customers, such as the GPA, to switch off the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). By January 2027, every legacy, copper-based service in the UK must have moved to a digital solution, typically using Internet Protocol (IP).
The GPA’s priority is business continuity in all the buildings it manages, and has appointed IT supplier, M4 Digital, to help handle the transition.
Head of IT Services Paul O’Toole said:
M4 Digital is in the process of discovering PSTN-based products and services in all GPA-managed locations, forming an action plan to either depreciate or move these services to a suitable digital alternative,
Top priority are critical systems that pose a risk to the health and safety of building users, with other systems such as security, access control and telephony to follow.
It’s not just about telephones,
said Nigel Wallis from M4 Digital.
Any equipment that remains connected to the PSTN will simply stop working – that could be lifts, alarms, access control systems, CCTV, audio/visual systems, faxes, and many other services. In addition, the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) will also stop working, and soon the remaining 2G and 3G mobile networks will also be switched off, which means we need to be ready for that too.
The team is reviewing each item case-by-case, assessing the complexity and impact on other services, and working with Workplace Services, suppliers and partners to find solutions that work for clients. The aim is to ensure that PSTN-based products in buildings the GPA manages will have been removed or replaced well before the deadline that’s been set.
If you have any questions, please email nigel.wallis@gpa.gov.uk
Read more about the Digital Switchover.