- Openreach is retiring the analogue PSTN through an all-IP migration the company expects to complete in 2027.
- Hotels typically run many analogue lines at once, covering guest phones, fire-alarm signalling, lifts and payment links.
- Lift emergency communication is expected to remain reliable under the lift standard BS EN 81-28 after migration.
- Digital voice lines stop working in a power cut without battery back-up, so safety systems need a resilience plan.
- Ofcom requires communications providers to support business customers through the migration to digital technology.
Hotels must audit every analogue line, then migrate guest phones, fire signalling, lift telephones, door systems and payment links to digital before 2027, prioritising safety-critical systems and confirming power back-up.
Last reviewed: June 2026
Why hospitality is exposed to the switch-off
A hotel is one of the most line-dependent buildings on a typical street. Behind the reception desk sits a switchboard feeding every guest room, and threaded through the building are analogue connections for fire-alarm signalling, lift emergency telephones, entry systems, card-payment terminals and back-of-house alarms. Many were installed when the property was built or last refurbished, on the copper PSTN that Openreach is now withdrawing through an all-IP migration it expects to complete in 2027. When the change reaches the hotel, anything that quietly relies on a dial tone can stop working.
The reason these connections are easy to lose track of is that most of them were commissioned by separate contractors at different times. The lift company installed the emergency telephone, the alarm firm wired the fire-panel signalling, the payment provider connected the terminals, and each used an available analogue line without anyone keeping a single master record. Years later the hotel may have no consolidated list of what runs over copper, which is why the switch-off can expose dependencies that no one remembers creating. The first task is therefore as much about discovery as about technology: establishing what is actually connected before deciding how to migrate it.
The hospitality challenge is partly about volume and partly about guest safety and experience. A guest in a room expects the phone to reach reception; a guest in a stuck lift expects the emergency phone to connect; a fire panel must be able to signal an alarm. Because these systems span safety, operations and revenue, a hotel cannot treat the switch-off as a single phone-line swap. It is a building-wide migration that needs planning across departments, and ownership that sits above any single contractor so the whole estate is considered together.
Guest-room phones and the switchboard
Guest-room telephones usually connect through an on-site switchboard, often a private branch exchange. The handsets in the rooms may not need replacing if the switchboard can be moved to a digital trunk, but older analogue switchboards may need an upgrade or replacement to work over internet protocol. The practical question is whether the existing system can accept a SIP trunk or hosted voice service, or whether it has reached the end of its supported life and should be replaced with a modern VoIP platform.
A SIP trunk delivers the voice service to the switchboard as data over the hotel's broadband connection rather than over copper lines, so a switchboard that supports it can often keep the existing room handsets in place. Where the switchboard is too old to accept a SIP trunk, the alternative is a hosted voice service that moves the call-handling into the provider's network, which can reduce on-site equipment but may change how reception manages calls. The choice has operational consequences for features hotels rely on, such as routing a call from a room to reception, wake-up calls and billing for guest calls, so these should be tested before the old system is retired rather than discovered to be missing afterwards.
Number continuity matters for a hotel because the main reception number is printed across booking sites, signage and stationery. When migrating, the hotel should confirm that its existing numbers can be ported to the new service so guests and partners are not disrupted. Ofcom expects communications providers to support business customers through the move to digital technology, and the hotel's provider should be able to confirm the porting and migration plan well ahead of any cut-over date.
Hotel PSTN switch-off migration checklist
The table lists the main hotel systems to review, why each matters and the typical priority for migration.
| System | Why it matters | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Fire-alarm signalling line | Life safety and alarm reporting | High |
| Lift emergency telephone | Trapped-passenger contact, BS EN 81-28 | High |
| Guest-room phones and switchboard | Guest service and reception contact | Medium |
| Card-payment terminals | Revenue and checkout | Medium |
| Door entry and access control | Security and out-of-hours access | Medium |
Safety-critical systems beyond the phone
The systems that demand the earliest attention are the ones that protect people. Fire-alarm signalling that reports to a monitoring centre over an analogue line must keep that path working after migration, so the hotel should ask its alarm contractor to confirm the signalling method and arrange any upgrade. The concern is not that the alarm stops sounding inside the building, but that the path which automatically reports an activation to the monitoring centre may rely on the analogue line, and that path must be re-established on a digital connection or an alternative signalling route so that an alarm is still raised externally.
Lift emergency telephones are equally important: the lift standard BS EN 81-28 expects a reliable two-way emergency communication link so that a trapped passenger can speak to a rescue service and be reassured while help is arranged. Replacing the analogue connection with a digital alternative, with confirmed power resilience, keeps that link dependable. Because a lift telephone may be the only way a trapped guest can summon help, it should be tested on the new connection and during a simulated power failure rather than assumed to work. The hotel's lift maintenance contractor is the right party to confirm that the replacement arrangement still meets the expectations of the standard.
Power resilience is a recurring theme because a digital voice line does not work in a power cut unless battery back-up is provided. For a hotel that means thinking about how a fire panel, lift telephone or reception line would behave during a mains failure, and providing back-up power or an alternative signalling path for the safety-critical ones. Card-payment terminals and door-entry systems are operationally important too, and the hotel should confirm with each supplier whether the unit needs a broadband or mobile connection in place of the old line.
Power resilience and back-up planning
Power resilience deserves to be treated as a distinct workstream because it cuts across every other system. On the old network a phone drew current from the exchange and so kept working in a local mains failure, but a digital service depends on mains-powered routers and adapters inside the building, which means a power cut takes the line down unless battery back-up is fitted. For a hotel the question is not abstract: during an evening power failure with guests in the building, the lift telephone, the fire-panel signalling and the reception line are exactly the connections that most need to keep functioning, and each of them now depends on local power.
The planning response is to map each safety-critical and operationally important line to a resilience measure and to size that measure to a realistic outage. Options include battery back-up units at the relevant equipment, an uninterruptible power supply serving the comms cabinet, or a mobile-based signalling path for systems that support one. The hotel should also decide how reception would take a booking enquiry or reassure a guest if the main system were down, since a charged mobile handset can serve as a simple fallback. Recording these decisions alongside the line audit gives the hotel a defensible position and a clear plan to test, rather than a set of assumptions that only fail when the power does.
Planning the migration and protecting the guest experience
A hotel migration works best as a staged programme rather than a single overnight change. The starting point is a full audit of every analogue line and the system it serves, followed by a risk-based order that puts fire and lift systems first. The hotel should then brief each supplier, its communications provider and its own maintenance team so the work is sequenced and tested. Because guest experience is part of the product, the hotel should plan any service interruptions around quieter periods and keep reception able to take calls throughout.
Timescales depend on the size and age of the estate. A small property with a modern switchboard may migrate quickly, while a large or historic hotel with multiple analogue systems can take considerably longer because each system is assessed and upgraded in turn. Starting early, well before the all-IP migration completes in 2027, leaves room to test replacements and resolve problems before the analogue service is withdrawn. Keeping written records of the audit and the upgrades also supports the hotel's fire and lift safety documentation, which an insurer or inspector may expect to see.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does PSTN switch-off affect hotels?
The switch-off withdraws the analogue lines that many hotels use for guest phones, fire-alarm signalling, lift telephones, payment terminals and door systems. Each of these needs assessing and moving to a digital connection before the local exchange migrates, with safety-critical systems prioritised, because anything left on the old network can stop functioning when the line is retired. A full line-by-line audit is the starting point because many of these connections are easy to overlook.
Do hotel room phones need to be replaced for PSTN switch-off?
Not always. The handsets may keep working if the on-site switchboard can be migrated to a digital trunk or hosted voice service. Older analogue switchboards that cannot accept internet-protocol voice may need upgrading or replacing, so the hotel should ask its provider whether the existing system supports the move and confirm that features such as room-to-reception routing still work afterwards.
What hotel systems use PSTN besides phones?
Fire-alarm signalling, lift emergency telephones, card-payment terminals, door-entry and access-control systems, and various back-of-house alarms can all run over analogue lines. These are easy to overlook because they do not look like telephones, and because they were often installed by separate contractors at different times, which is why a full line-by-line audit is the recommended starting point.
Who should hotels contact about PSTN migration?
Hotels should contact their communications provider about the voice service and number porting, and separately contact the maintenance company for each connected system, such as the fire-alarm, lift, payment and access-control contractors. Ofcom expects providers to support business customers through the migration, and each device supplier can confirm whether its equipment is digital-ready and what replacement is needed.
How long does a hotel PSTN migration take?
It depends on the size and age of the property. A small hotel with a modern switchboard may complete the move quickly, while a large or older estate with many analogue systems can take considerably longer because each system is assessed, upgraded and tested in turn. Starting well before the 2027 completion leaves room to resolve issues without losing service or compromising safety systems.
