The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is being retired across the world, with countries transitioning to VoIP and fibre-based alternatives. However, the pace of change varies significantly. Some nations, like Germany and Japan, have long since completed their switch-off, while others, like the UK and Australia, are still in transition. Meanwhile, several countries, including the US and Canada, have yet to set firm deadlines.
The table below provides a snapshot of the PSTN status across key global markets, highlighting when each country plans to retire its legacy network, who the major providers are, and which regulatory body oversees the transition.
| Country | PSTN Status | Key Dates | Legacy PSTN Provider(s) | Regulatory Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 🟠 Under Transition | Full switch-off by January 2027 | BT | Ofcom |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 🟢 Completed | PSTN switched off in 2018 | Deutsche Telekom | Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) |
| 🇫🇷 France | 🔴 Planned | Gradual phase-out by 2030 | Orange | Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes (ARCEP) |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 🟠 Under Transition | Specific regional projects initiated | Telecom Italia | Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM) |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 🟠 Under Transition | Migration from copper to fiber by 2024 | Telefónica | Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC) |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🟢 Completed | PSTN switched off in 2018 | KPN | Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | Proximus | Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 🟢 Completed | PSTN switched off in 2010 | Telia Company | Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 🟢 Completed | PSTN switched off in 2022 | Telenor | Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | Elisa, DNA | Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 🔴 Planned | PSTN switch-off by 2030 | TDC | Danish Energy Agency |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 🟠 Under Transition | Ongoing transition to digital networks | Altice Portugal | Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM) |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | Orange Polska | Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 🔴 Planned | PSTN switch-off by 2030 | Spark New Zealand | Commerce Commission New Zealand |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | AT&T, Verizon | Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | Bell Canada | Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | Oi | Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (ANATEL) |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 🔴 Planned | No official PSTN shutdown date yet | Telmex | Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 🟠 Under Transition | PSTN and ISDN networks switched off by 2023 | Telstra | Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 🟢 Completed | PSTN fully decommissioned | Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 🟠 Under Transition | Ongoing transition to digital networks | Korea Telecom (KT) | Korea Communications Commission (KCC) |
🟢 Completed: PSTN has been fully decommissioned.
🟠 Under Transition: Phased shutdown in progress.
🔴 Planned: A phase-out has been announced, but not yet started.
Germany’s Fax Machine Fiasco
When Germany switched off its PSTN in 2018, many businesses were left scrambling—not because they forgot to update their phone systems, but because they forgot about their fax machines. Some companies assumed their fax lines would magically keep working, only to find themselves staring at silent, lifeless machines when they urgently needed to send documents. The result? A last-minute rush to replace outdated tech, proving that even in a digital age, some people still really love their fax machines—until they stop working.
Data Sources:
• The Global PSTN Switch Off: What Service Providers Need To Know
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