Welcome to the first edition of The Connected Business Brief, our regular update on the developments shaping UK business connectivity, connected buildings and managed digital infrastructure.
This month, the biggest concern is the rapidly approaching retirement of the traditional telephone network. We are also looking at new Ethernet products for growing businesses and why increasingly fast broadband does not necessarily deliver a reliable business network.
The final PSTN migrations may be the most complicated
The retirement of the UK’s traditional Public Switched Telephone Network is now less than 3 months away!
Openreach confirmed on 30th October that approximately 1 million copper-based lines remain active, including around 300,000 within business premises, ahead of the January 2027 deadline.
Many ordinary telephone lines have already been migrated. The remaining connections are likely to include more complex and sometimes undocumented services, such as:
- Lift emergency telephones and auto-diallers
- Fire and security alarm panels
- Door-entry systems and automated gates
- Payment terminals
- CCTV and remote monitoring
- Building-management and energy systems
- Telephone numbers that businesses need to retain
These services cannot always be replaced through a straightforward telephone upgrade. They may require investigation (site survey), new equipment, coordination with specialist maintainers and testing once the replacement is installed.
Openreach has also confirmed that October’s wholesale price increases have effectively doubled relevant legacy-line rental compared with 2025, with further increases expected from February 2027.
What should businesses and property managers do?
If you are still being billed for a PSTN line, care level or legacy telephone service, do not assume that the line is unused simply because nobody recognises the number.
The safest approach is to:
- Identify the location of the line.
- Confirm which equipment or service is connected to it.
- Decide whether it needs to be upgraded, replaced or ceased (speak to our team for advice on this)
- Install and fully test the replacement before the deadline (Fuse Telecom do this as part of our managed service offering)
- Retain evidence of the completed migration.
For landlords and managing agents, this process should be completed across the entire property portfolio rather than one building at a time.
The easy PSTN migrations are largely finished. What remains may be hidden inside your buildings.
Read Openreach’s latest PSTN update
Connectivity choice is changing in Hull and East Yorkshire
Ofcom published its final Hull Area Review on 27th October, setting out how fixed telecom markets in the area will be regulated from November 2026.
Hull has historically had fewer connectivity options than many other parts of the UK, with KCOM retaining a particularly strong position across broadband and leased-line services.
The new regulatory framework is intended to encourage competition and infrastructure investment. It includes measures designed to improve other network operators’ access to KCOM’s underground ducts and telegraph poles, while maintaining regulated access to wholesale broadband and active Ethernet services.
This could gradually create more choice for businesses, landlords and commercial-property operators across Hull and East Yorkshire.
However, the new rules do not mean every building will immediately have several suitable providers. Availability, installation costs, service levels and the quality of support will continue to vary by address.
Businesses approaching a connectivity renewal should compare:
- The underlying network
- Available download and upload capacity
- Installation lead times
- Repair guarantees
- Resilience options
- Contract length and total cost
- Ongoing management and support
For organisations that have not reviewed their options recently, now is a sensible time to check what has changed.
A new option between business broadband and a leased line
CityFibre Ethernet products have now been added to AllPoints Fibre Networks’ Aquila wholesale platform.
At Fuse Telecom, we regularly work with businesses that need something more capable than standard broadband but cannot justify the infrastructure costs associated with a traditional leased line.
This is particularly common when a tenant is moving into a building that has not already been pre-connected. Without existing leased-line infrastructure in place, installation costs and lead times can make a dedicated circuit unsuitable for the tenant’s requirements or budget.
In these situations, hybrid-fibre and flexible Ethernet products can provide a strong alternative for direct-to-business connectivity. They can offer improved upload speeds, more predictable performance and greater capacity without the cost of installing a full leased line – however a 4-6-hour SLA isn’t available on these services., it’s usually a next-business day fix rate.
These services may be suitable for:
- Tenants moving into buildings without pre-connected infrastructure
- Smaller offices and fitted workspaces
- Retail and hospitality locations
- Charities and community organisations
- Businesses increasing their use of cloud applications
- Sites experiencing inconsistent broadband performance
- Organisations requiring stronger upload capacity without a fully committed 1Gbps circuit
However, the right solution still depends on the individual building and the consequences of downtime. Fuse Telecom assesses availability, installation costs, lead times, repair commitments, resilience, IP requirements and ongoing support – not bandwidth alone.
Our role is to compare the available options and recommend the connectivity that best fits how the business operates, rather than automatically proposing the fastest or most expensive product.
2Gbps broadband does not automatically mean a managed business network
Virgin Media O2 has started rolling out its 2Gbps Gig2 service over its upgraded cable network in 18 locations, including Newcastle, York, Harrogate, Manchester and Oxford.
The service is currently available directly to consumers rather than through wholesale managed-service providers such as Fuse Telecom. We have also found that availability can vary within the named locations, with some Newcastle addresses currently showing as unavailable when checked individually (even though it says available online).
Wholesale access is expected during the first quarter of 2027. When it becomes available to Fuse Telecom as anticipated in January 2027, we will assess and potentially trial the service before deciding whether to introduce it to customers.
This could create a valuable upgrade route for businesses currently reliant on SoGEA, particularly where faster connectivity is required but the cost of installing a dedicated full-fibre leased line is outside budget.
The headline speed and consumer price will understandably attract attention. However, the HFC service provides average downloads of 2Gbps and uploads of 100Mbps, rather than symmetrical performance. Its wholesale product, service levels, support arrangements and commercial terms will also need to be confirmed before it can be recommended as a business solution.
More importantly, an internet connection is only one part of the infrastructure supporting a business or commercial building.
A high-speed circuit does not automatically provide:
- Managed Wi-Fi coverage
- Business repair guarantees
- Secure tenant separation
- Network monitoring
- Managed switches and firewalls
- Independent backup connectivity
- Support throughout the building
- One accountable organisation when something goes wrong
Installing a faster circuit does not guarantee fast, reliable connectivity throughout a building. If the underlying infrastructure cannot support the additional bandwidth, increasing it will simply expose existing bottlenecks rather than solve them.
Businesses should assess the entire network – from the incoming circuit and router through to switches, cabling, access points and end-user devices.
Fuse Telecom will continue monitoring the wholesale launch and testing availability. If the service meets the required standards, it could become a useful option for customers who have outgrown SoGEA but cannot justify a dedicated leased line.
The key takeaway
Connectivity choices are expanding, but the environment surrounding them is becoming more complicated.
The best solution is not always the product with the highest advertised speed. It is the infrastructure that meets the building’s operational requirements, performs reliably where people actually work and has clear support when something fails.
This month, we recommend that organisations:
- Escalate any unresolved PSTN-dependent services immediately – if you’re unsure on this, please call our team and we can offer our advice! We have upgraded 250+ customers since March this year on PSTN lines.
- Confirm that replacement services are installed and tested – not merely ordered (your PSTN line should not be terminated until your upgraded service is live).
- Recheck connectivity availability before renewing an existing contract.
- Compare broadband, flexible Ethernet and dedicated leased lines properly – we can do this for you and offer our options.
- Review whether internal network infrastructure can support the bandwidth being purchased.
- Document who is responsible for the circuit, hardware, Wi-Fi and fault resolution.
If you need help identifying a legacy line, comparing connectivity options or reviewing the infrastructure throughout your building, speak to our Fuse Telecom team today on 0330 333 1160.
