Spitfire Network Services has called on Openreach to provide clarity for service providers and the businesses they support on new contracts related to the PSTN switch-off.
On 31 December 2025, the existing contract between service providers and Openreach will expire. And Openreach has already given notice that this agreement won’t be renewed in its current form.
The contents of the new contract remain unknown. But, according to Spitfire, a marked change in support terms is expected — most notably, less favourable service level agreements for repairs and response.
Spitfire said that the impact could be damaging for services providers and their customers, with businesses who leave their migration until the last moment not only facing potential delays from capacity bottlenecks, but they could also find themselves tied to less responsive support structures. And when connectivity is critical to operations, every extra hour of downtime is a risk to a businesses’ bottom line.
Spitfire added that the next contract between Openreach and service providers will almost certainly reflect the industry’s shift away from analogue infrastructure. Resources are already being reallocated to digital infrastructure and it’s clear that support for the old copper-based systems will begin to taper off, just as more organisations scramble to switch.
Harry Bowlby, managing director, Spitfire Network Services, said, “The truth is no one yet knows what the new contracts will look like. But based on the trajectory of telecoms policy, the focus will be digital-first, and the terms for legacy support will decline. The writing is on the wall for PSTN and ISDN services, and while the final stages of this transition are still in motion, the direction is still unclear. Businesses need guidance, not guesswork.”
He added, “This is where working with experienced partners, those who understand both the legacy environment and the future IP landscape, can make all the difference. It's about making the right switch, in the right way, at the right time.”
James Lilley, customer migrations director for Openreach, said, “The PSTN is increasingly unreliable and coming to the end of its life, so we agree that businesses who want to avoid disruption should prioritise their migrations to digital services asap.
“We shared details of our new contracts in August 2024, and they don’t contain significant changes to the level of support we offer. The new terms simply give us more flexibility to help customers upgrade as the January 2027 deadline approaches.”