Could the PSTN switch-off become your next LOLER compliance risk?

By Phil Laws (left), Telecommunications Consultant, Cambridge Management Consulting, and John Jackson (right), Country Sales Manager, Northern Europe, AVIRE

The UK’s analogue telephone network is entering its final phase. By 31 January 2027, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will be permanently switched off, bringing an end to a technology that has supported buildings for decades.

Most facilities managers are already aware of the impact this will have on business telephony, alarms and security systems. However, one critical area is still being overlooked across many estates: lift emergency communication systems.

For facilities managers responsible for maintaining safe, compliant buildings, this isn’t simply a telecommunications upgrade. It’s a business continuity, compliance and life safety issue.

The hidden risk inside many buildings

Passenger lifts installed over the last 20 to 30 years commonly rely on analogue telephone lines to connect trapped passengers with an emergency call centre.

Once those PSTN services are withdrawn, those communication systems may no longer function as intended unless they have been upgraded.

For facilities managers overseeing multiple sites, the challenge is often one of visibility. Many simply don’t know how their lifts are connected.

That uncertainty presents a significant operational risk.

The first question every facilities manager should ask is a simple one:

Do any of our lift emergency phones still rely on analogue telephone lines?

If the answer is yes, or you don’t know, it’s time to investigate.

Why facilities managers should be paying attention

Emergency communication systems are safety-critical.

Passenger lifts are subject to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), which require lifting equipment to be maintained in a safe condition and examined by a competent person. As part of those examinations, emergency communication systems are expected to function correctly.

Increasingly, insurers are taking communication failures seriously.

According to industry discussions, some inspection bodies are now categorising emergency communication failures as Category A defects, meaning the lift should not remain in service until the issue has been resolved.

For facilities managers, that changes the conversation considerably.

A communication failure doesn’t just affect compliance, it can remove an operational lift from service, creating disruption for occupants, contractors and visitors.

In healthcare, residential buildings, commercial offices and education environments, that can have immediate operational consequences.

Why fibre isn’t always the answer

One common assumption is that analogue services can simply be replaced with fibre.

Unfortunately, lift emergency communications aren’t quite that straightforward.

Unlike traditional PSTN lines, fibre-based services rely on locally powered equipment, including a Communication Provider Router and Optical Network Terminal (ONT). During a power outage, those devices require battery backup if emergency communications are to remain available.

Facilities managers therefore need to think beyond connectivity alone.

Questions such as resilience, backup power, equipment location and ongoing maintenance all become part of the conversation.

As Phil Laws explains, organisations should assess the complete communication pathway rather than simply confirming that a test call connects under normal operating conditions. Systems should also be tested during power loss scenarios to ensure emergency communications remain available when they’re needed most.

Time is becoming the biggest risk

Although the final deadline is January 2027, the practical deadline for many organisations is considerably earlier.

Large property portfolios require time to:

• identify affected lifts
• survey existing communications
• agree budgets
• procure equipment
• schedule engineering visits
• complete installations.

Engineering capacity is also becoming a growing concern.

The lift industry has a finite number of qualified engineers, and experience from previous digital migrations has shown that organisations leaving projects until the final stages often experience longer lead times and higher costs.

Australia’s digital migration demonstrated this clearly, with installation demand significantly exceeding available engineering resources during the final phases of the programme.

For facilities managers balancing multiple compliance priorities, waiting may ultimately reduce the options available.

Treat the PSTN switch-off as an asset management project

Perhaps the biggest mistake organisations can make is treating the PSTN switch-off as a telephone replacement exercise.

The organisations making the greatest progress are taking a broader view.

Rather than simply replacing legacy communication equipment, they’re using the transition as an opportunity to modernise their lift emergency communication strategy.

That typically includes:

• auditing existing lift communication systems
• identifying PSTN-dependent assets
• assessing resilience during power failures
• developing phased migration plans
• implementing modern digital communication systems with remote monitoring and diagnostics.

This approach not only addresses the immediate PSTN challenge but also provides greater visibility across lift portfolios, allowing facilities teams to identify faults earlier, monitor battery health and maintain digital audit trails.

Five questions every facilities manager should ask

If responsibility for lift safety sits within your organisation, now is the time to ask:

• Which of our lifts still rely on PSTN?
• Have all emergency communication systems been assessed ahead of the January 2027 deadline?
• Will those systems continue operating during a power outage?
• Could any of our lifts be at risk of failing a future LOLER examination because of communication issues?
• Do we have a phased migration plan in place?

These questions can help facilities managers move from reactive maintenance to proactive risk management.

The time to plan is now

The PSTN switch-off is no longer a future event.

It is happening now, and the organisations best prepared are those treating it as part of their wider asset management and compliance strategy.

For facilities managers, the objective should not simply be replacing obsolete telephone lines. It should be ensuring that lift emergency communications remain resilient, compliant and fit for the future.

Those who act early will have time to assess their estates, secure engineering resources and implement long-term solutions. Those who delay risk increased costs, limited installation capacity and the possibility of lifts being taken out of service because a critical communication system has been overlooked.

The question is no longer whether the PSTN switch-off will affect your buildings.

It’s whether you’ll be ready when it does.