As the UK prepares to retire the analogue phone network by 2027, Professor Sultan Mahmud, Director of Healthcare and Communities at BT Group, argues that councils can seize the digital transition as a chance to modernise services, build resilience, and lead their communities into a more connected future.

By January 2027, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the analogue copper system that has quietly supported local government for decades, will be retired and replaced with digital connectivity.

For councils, this change is about more than swapping one network for another. It is an opportunity to strengthen critical systems, modernise service delivery, and reimagine how local government meets the needs of communities in an increasingly digital age.

Why the digital transition matters

The PSTN has underpinned essential services for decades: council contact centres, telecare alarms, housing block lift phones, and emergency call systems. But it is increasingly prone to faults and costly to maintain. More importantly, it cannot deliver the resilience or flexibility that digital networks offer. This is essential for enabling local authorities to provide the level and adaptability of service their citizens expect and deserve.

This change comes at a time when local authorities are already facing significant pressures: reduced funding, growing and ageing population. In this context, the digital transition is not just inevitable, it is enabling. Digital infrastructure can reduce risk, cut inefficiencies, and provide the foundation for services to be connected in smarter ways.

Preparing for Change: Councils leading the way

Councils must own the transition, not react to it. The first step is clarity, understanding exactly which systems remain dependent on analogue lines. This could range from building security alarms to out-of-hours housing support services. Once identified, councils can prioritise upgrades and set realistic timelines.

A proactive approach should include:

• Audit and identify: Map every service still reliant on analogue connections.

• Pilot and plan: Test digital alternatives, stress test critical services, and build contingencies.

• Coordinate with partners: Work across housing associations, care providers, emergency services, and suppliers to ensure consistency.

• Support your teams: Equip staff with training and tools so they can confidently operate new systems.

• Think strategically: Build digital resilience into procurement and infrastructure planning for the long term.

Handled this way, the transition becomes a platform for resilience and efficiency, not a disruption.

Linking to wider ambitions

The retirement of the PSTN is part of a much bigger transformation journey already underway in local government. Councils are being asked to deliver services that are efficient, inclusive, and sustainable, even while resources are stretched.

Digital connectivity can help unlock these ambitions. Smarter networks enable:

• More responsive customer engagement, with chat and web services reducing pressure on call centres.

• Better integration of health, housing, and social care, supporting citizens more holistically.

• Richer data insights to target resources where they are most needed.

• Greater flexibility for staff, including mobile and remote working that improves productivity and retention.

• Enhanced security, with stronger safeguards for data privacy, system resilience, and citizen trust.

At the same time, the transition can reinforce councils’ work on digital inclusion. With nearly seven million people in the UK at risk of exclusion if nothing changes, local authorities can use this moment to strengthen digital skills and confidence, ensuring that services are accessible to everyone.

A positive step towards the future

The retirement of the analogue network is not simply an end. It marks the start of a stronger, more connected era. Councils that act now can control the pace of change, safeguard critical services, and demonstrate leadership in the digital age. Those who delay risk costly, last-minute fixes and unnecessary disruption.

The message is clear: begin the checks, audits, and planning today. The digital transition should be seen as a springboard, not just to replace old infrastructure, but to build the smarter, more resilient public services that communities need for the decades ahead.