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PSTN Replacement for Lift Lines, Alarms, Emergency Phones & Critical Systems

Reliable, SIP‑agnostic solutions for safety‑critical analogue systems ahead of the 2027 PSTN switch‑off.

Why PSTN Replacement Matters for Critical Infrastructure

The UK’s national PSTN stop-sell took place in 2023, and all remaining PSTN lines — including non‑voice services — will be fully retired by January 2027. This affects thousands of critical systems that still depend on analogue lines, such as:
  • Lift emergency phones
  • Fire, intruder and telecare alarms
  • Door entry & access control
  • Monitoring & telemetry equipment

These systems cannot simply be “migrated to VoIP” without planning, resilience measures and the correct hardware. We specialise in replacing these complex PSTN‑dependent services with fully managed, SIP‑agnostic solutions engineered for safety‑critical environments.
Close‑up of a lift emergency call button with red illumination, indicating an emergency communication system

PSTN Replacement for Lift Lines
& Emergency Lift Alarms

Safe, compliant emergency communication — even during power or connectivity loss.

There are an estimated 300,000 lift lines in the UK, with around 180,000 still running on PSTN — and therefore at direct risk as the switch‑off approaches.

Common challenges

  • Lift alarms must maintain guaranteed connectivity
  • PSTN termination points may sit in lift shafts or remote comms rooms
  • Emergency lines must operate during power outages
  • Ageing or unknown wiring conditions increase complexity
  • Low traffic volumes make traditional VoIP packages poor value

Our lift line replacement solution

We deploy a robust, SIP‑agnostic replacement architecture designed for safety‑critical lift systems:

  • SIP Overlay or gateway‑based conversion compatible with any SIP provider
  • 4G backup for connectivity resilience in the event of broadband failure
  • UPS support to maintain service during power loss (reseller or end-user powered)
  • ATA or ISDN TA hardware supporting analogue lift controllers
  • Remote monitoring to check line health and connectivity

 

This engineered approach meets operational and regulatory requirements while delivering predictable running costs and high reliability.
Diagram showing lift line resilience architecture with emergency phone, ATA converter, router, 4G backup and UPS power support

Alarm Systems & Monitoring Equipment

Analogue alarms — including fire, intruder, telecare, and building management systems — are among the most overlooked PSTN‑dependent services, despite being essential for safety, insurance and operational compliance.
Diagram showing Alarm line resilience architecture with emergency phone, ATA converter, router, 4G backup and UPS power support

Challenges with PSTN alarm migration

  • Panels still using analogue diallers
  • Risk of false alarms if signalling isn’t configured correctly
  • Need for resilient power and backup connectivity
  • Direct-dial reporting to control rooms or service centres

Our alarm‑ready replacement model

  • Works with any SIP provider
  • Supports analogue signalling via ATAs or multi‑port gateways (1–48 ports)
  • 4G failover options for uninterrupted reporting
  • Resilient routers (Robustel, Teltonika) proven for M2M and monitoring applications
  • Optional SIM‑based deployments for remote or hard‑to‑reach locations

This ensures alarm systems continue to operate reliably, even in demanding or distributed estates.

Care Homes & Multi‑Room PSTN Replacement

Care homes often rely on multiple analogue lines — sometimes one per room — and many residents are in vulnerable categories.

Unique environment considerations

  • Dozens or hundreds of analogue endpoints
  • Legacy “bell wire” infrastructure
  • Residents who do not want digital or feature‑rich devices
  • Centralised management needed
In many cases we can reuse the existing bell‑wire infrastructure already in place, keeping installation simple and disruption to a minimum

Our multi‑room solution

  • Centralised analogue‑to‑IP gateway
  • Reuse of existing room wiring
  • Scalable on a per‑room basis
  • Compatible with any SIP provider
  • Optional 4G and UPS for resilience
This ensures continuity of service with minimal infrastructure changes.

Gate Entry, Access Control & Emergency Phones

The PSTN switch‑off affects multiple low‑usage but mission‑critical systems, including
  • Car park barriers
  • Door entry systems
  • Roadside/SOS phones and emergency help points
  • Industrial access control gates
These are typically low‑usage but mission‑critical lines requiring:
  • Rugged hardware
  • Stable connectivity
  • Remote accessibility
Our PSTN replacement toolkit includes routers, ATAs and monitoring tools built for remote deployment and long‑term reliability.

Hardware Options for All Scenarios

We supply and configure a range of PSTN‑replacement hardware suited to complex and safety‑critical systems:
  • Grandstream ATA (1–48 port) for analogue devices 
  • Grandstream ISDN TA for legacy PBXs
  • Robustel & Teltonika industrial-grade routers for high‑reliability deployments 
  • MultiNet or third‑party SIMs for dual‑network 4G resilience
  • SIP trunking (your preferred provider, or Spectrum SIP)
  • CloudNumber for number retention and virtualisation
All options are available via Device‑as‑a‑Service, reducing CAPEX and simplifying rollout.

SIP‑Agnostic

with the Option for Fully Managed SIP from Spectrum

Many PSTN replacement providers insist you must also move your SIP services to them.  We don’t.

Our PSTN replacement solutions are fully SIP‑agnostic, meaning you can continue using:

  • Your existing SIP provider
  • A preferred voice carrier
  • Hosted VoIP or on‑prem systems already in place

Our solution works with any broadband or mobile connection and fully supports third‑party SIP providers — so you can keep your existing setup without compromise. 

Why Choose Spectrum SIP for Critical Systems?

While we support any SIP provider, there are compelling advantages when you choose Spectrum SIP as part of our complete PSTN replacement solution:

True End‑to‑End Accountability

With Spectrum supplying the SIP service and the PSTN‑replacement hardware layer, there are no gaps between providers — meaning faster diagnosis, fewer escalations, and clearer ownership.

Optimised for Lift, Alarm & Resilience‑Driven Deployments

We can tune SIP features specifically around the needs of critical systems:
  • Emergency routing logic
  • Low‑traffic SIP tolerances
  • NAT‑resilient registrations
  • High‑availability routing

This often reduces false alarm triggers and improves reliability.

Seamless Integration with 4G Backup & UPS Resilience

When Spectrum supplies SIP, we test and configure the entire failover chain end‑to‑end.

Pre‑Configured Deployment

Routers, ATAs and ISDN TAs can arrive pre‑provisioned and lift‑line‑ready, reducing on‑site risk.

Unified Monitoring & Support

  • Full visibility across the entire signalling path
  • Remote troubleshooting support
  • Proactive monitoring options


This is especially beneficial for multi‑site customers or estates with many lift/alarm lines.

Summary

You can absolutely keep your existing SIP provider — the solution is fully compatible with third‑party SIP, broadband and mobile connectivity.

But when Spectrum provides SIP as well, you gain the benefit of:

  • Unified responsibility
  • Better resilience
  • Optimised SIP behaviour for critical systems
  • Faster deployment and support
  • A fully integrated, engineered‑for‑purpose solution

Next Step

Book a free PSTN Risk Assessment

We’ll identify which of your lift, alarm, access or emergency lines are affected — and recommend the safest, most cost‑effective migration path.
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