The CEO of BT Business, Bas Burger, has written to critical national infrastructure customers, including lift operators and medical equipment providers, warning them of the need to switch over to a digital phone solution before the PSTN service is switched off on 31 January 2027.
The move will affect 1.8 million users of vital home telecare systems in the UK, many of which aren’t compatible with the VoIP/IP-based phone services the old analogue system will be replaced with.
There around 300,000 lifts currently in use, 180,000 of which are still linked to the analogue phone network and will need to change over before the deadline.
The Lift and Escalator Industry Association initially notified lift operators about the switch-off in November 2019.
Burger said, “We understand that your organisation is using technology that is still connected to the PSTN [Public Switched Telephone Network]. This might be a traditional landline, but it could also be anything from lift alarms to medical equipment. As this ageing network becomes increasingly outdated and fragile, the risk to your critical services grows.
“We’re calling on our critical national infrastructure customers to recognise they have an important stake in the PSTN switch-off and to take steps to safeguard their services now. The old analogue network is no longer fit for purpose. The UK can’t afford to wait.”
Since 1999, the Lifts Regulations have required all new lifts to be fitted with an alarm device with two way voice communication between the lift car and a rescue service.