UK Landline Switch Off Cities: 94 Locations & 2027 Deadline

If you still have a landline plugged into the wall, you have probably seen letters about a switch to digital. The UK’s analogue phone network is being retired, and more than 1.5 million homes are already under a stop on new orders for copper-based lines.

Original PSTN switch-off deadline: December 2025 ·
Revised switch-off deadline: January 2027 ·
Homes under Stop Sell: 1.5 million+ ·
Initial Stop Sell locations: 94

Five key metrics sum up the scale and pace of the transition.

Are all UK landlines being phased out?

Yes, every traditional analogue landline that uses the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or ISDN will be replaced by digital services. The UK government confirmed the telecoms industry decided in 2017 to retire these networks (GOV.UK – government guidance). Openreach, which owns the copper infrastructure, is leading the migration on behalf of providers like BT, Sky, and TalkTalk (Openreach – network operator).

What is the PSTN switch off?

• PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network, the analogue copper-wire system that has carried phone calls for decades.
• ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), a digital version used by businesses, is also being retired (GOV.UK).
• Both are replaced by “digital voice” — calls made over a broadband connection using VoIP technology (Which? – consumer advocacy).

Which providers are involved?

• BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and nearly every provider that rents Openreach lines is affected (ONSIM – telecoms blog).
• Providers brand the replacement differently: BT calls it Digital Voice, Sky calls it Sky Voice (Which?).
• Virgin Media O2 uses its own network and is also migrating customers but may follow a slightly different timeline (Expert Market).

Bottom line: The entire UK copper phone network is being retired. Every household and business that currently uses an analogue line will need to switch, but nobody will lose landline service entirely — the government’s Universal Service Obligation guarantees a landline option remains (GOV.UK).

The implication: households must prepare for the transition regardless of their provider; local timing varies but the end result is the same.

When will landlines be switched off?

The original target date of December 2025 was extended in 2024 after safety concerns about power cuts and backup battery life (Switchboard Free – telecoms guide). The new national deadline is 31 January 2027 (GOV.UK).

Original 2025 deadline and its revision

• Openreach initially planned a complete switch-off by December 2025. (GOV.UK)
• The delay to January 2027 was announced in September 2023 after feedback from consumer groups and regulators. (Which?)

What happens in 2026 and 2027?

• Providers continue migrating customers in phases throughout 2026. (Openreach)
• From 2026, most new phone line orders will be digital only — copper orders effectively stop. (Expert Market)
• By 31 January 2027, the PSTN and ISDN networks will be shut down nationally. (GOV.UK)

Are there regional differences?

• Yes. Stop Sell — the point where you can no longer order a new analogue line — started in pilot areas in 2023 and expanded to 94 locations in May 2025 (Openreach).
• Your migration date depends on your provider’s rollout schedule and local exchange readiness, not a single national date. (GOV.UK)

What this means: the national deadline is fixed, but the actual date your line switches is not. Some areas are already under Stop Sell; others won’t be touched until late 2026.

Which cities are affected by the BT Openreach landline switch off?

Openreach named 94 locations in May 2025 where the Stop Sell now applies. These include major cities and smaller towns across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Expert Market).

List of 94 initial locations

Among the cities and large towns confirmed so far:

• Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Newcastle, Belfast.
• Medium-sized locations include Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter, Brighton, Norwich, Aberdeen, and Swansea.
• A full postcode-searchable list is available on Openreach’s service page.

More areas will be added in 2026 as the rollout expands (Which?).

Map of affected areas

Openreach does not publish a single “shutdown map” because the switch-off is provider-driven. Instead, each provider has its own migration schedule. The best way to visualise your area is via your provider’s status page or the Openreach postcode checker (Openreach).

How to see if your city is included

1. Go to Openreach’s “When can I order digital phone services?” page.
2. Enter your postcode.
3. The tool tells you whether your exchange is under Stop Sell or still accepting copper orders.

Bottom line: 94 locations already under Stop Sell, including most major UK cities. If your city is not on the list yet, expect it to appear on the rollout schedule in 2026.

The pattern: knowing your city status is only a starting point; the real timeline depends on your exchange and provider.

Can I keep my landline after 2027?

No — the old analogue landline service will cease entirely. However, you can keep a phone number and a phone service, just delivered over broadband (GOV.UK). The government’s Universal Service Obligation means every household can still get a landline if they want one, even without a broadband package (GOV.UK).

What happens if I want a traditional landline?

• Pure analogue is going away. You will be offered a digital voice service that plugs into your broadband router or a dedicated adapter (Which?).
• If you do not have broadband, providers will offer a broadband-light or interim dedicated landline service (GOV.UK).

Are there exemptions for vulnerable customers?

• Providers have obligations to identify customers who rely on their landline for health or safety reasons (GOV.UK).
• Battery backup units must be provided for digital voice equipment so the phone works during a power cut (Which?).
• Which? advises registering with your provider as a vulnerable customer to get priority support (Which?).

Will my phone number change?

• Number portability is standard: you can keep your existing landline number after migration (GOV.UK).
• If you switch providers during the migration, number portability still applies.

The trade-off: you keep the number and the service, but you need a router with battery backup to make calls during a power cut. Vulnerable customers should ask for a longer backup battery.

How to check if your area is affected by the landline switch off

Stop Sell dates vary by exchange, not by city-wide proclamation. The most reliable method is a postcode check. Below are steps for three common tools.

Using the Openreach postcode checker

1. Visit Openreach’s service status page.
2. Enter your full postcode.
3. View the result: “Stop Sell” means you cannot order a new analogue line; “Available” means copper orders are still possible but may end soon.

This tool is free and does not require a login (Openreach).

Other provider tools (Sky, TalkTalk)

• Sky customers can check migration status via the Sky Voice section of their account (Which?).
• TalkTalk’s support page includes a digital switch checker for its customers (ONSIM – telecoms blog).
• BT customers are notified directly by post or email four weeks before migration (Which?).

What to do if your area is in Stop Sell

• Contact your current phone provider to arrange migration to a digital voice service.
• Check whether you have a broadband connection; if not, ask about a no-broadband landline option.
• If you have special needs (medical alerts, falls alarms, careline services), notify your provider to ensure compatibility (GOV.UK).

Bottom line: Check your postcode on Openreach’s tool. If Stop Sell is active, contact your provider immediately. If not, note the migration will happen before January 2027.

The implication: even after switching, you may need to test specific devices to avoid critical failures.

Timeline

The transition has been years in the making. Below are the key milestones so far and what is coming.

The pattern: the shift has been gradual but is now accelerating. Residents in 94 locations are already under Stop Sell, and the remaining areas will follow within 18 months.

Clarity: what is confirmed and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• The PSTN switch-off is happening and irreversible. (GOV.UK)
• Openreach is responsible for the physical network. (Openreach)
• 31 January 2027 is the current national target date. (GOV.UK)
• Stop Sell applies in 94 locations as of May 2025. (Expert Market)

What’s unclear

• The exact switch-off date for each individual property, which depends on provider and exchange readiness. (Which?)
• Whether all providers (e.g., Virgin Media O2) will follow the same January 2027 deadline for their own networks. (Expert Market)
• The full list of cities that will be added after the first 94. (Switchboard Free)
• Whether all home and business devices (fax machines, alarm diallers) are compatible with digital voice — compatibility testing is ongoing. (ONSIM – telecoms blog)

The catch: confirmed facts give certainty on the end date, but the unclear items show that individual planning still requires local checking.

What the experts say

“The plan is for most of it to be switched off in January 2027.”

— Which? (consumer advocacy group)

“Over 1.5 million homes will no longer be able to sign up for and use ageing copper technology.”

— Expert Market (business telecoms research) citing Openreach data

“Nobody should have to lose their landline service because of this change.”

— GOV.UK (UK government guidance)

Summary

The UK’s landline switch-off is a national infrastructure change with localised timing. Most major cities are already moving, and the January 2027 deadline is fixed. For households that rely on a wired phone, the consequence is clear: act before your provider contacts you, check your postcode status, and make sure your devices — especially medical alarms — work on digital voice. For vulnerable customers, the choice is straightforward: register now for support, or risk a gap in service during the transition.