Communications giant BT has urged the UK water industry and other critical national infrastructure providers to move off their “outdated” communications networks by the end of December 2025 in the face of increasing fault rates on copper-wired, analogue systems.
Chief executive of Business at BT, Bas Burger, said: “With the ageing copper landline network becoming increasingly fragile, it’s simply too risky to run the UK’s essential public services on outdated networks.”
BT has warned that the continued use of legacy networks puts vital processes at risk (including water monitoring sensors), as 60% of its critical national infrastructure customers in the UK “currently have no plan in place to start migrating off the legacy analogue network”. BT said the water sector was among the most progressive sectors upgrading their communications, as 64% of its water industry users “have a plan in place or are advanced in their migration journeys,” with 80% of its energy industry users similarly advanced.
BT has urged the water sector to “work with its experts to review their technology estate, test impacted devices and switch to alternative networks by the end of 2025”.
It warned that as the copper wire Public Switched Telephone Network (or PSTN) is becoming increasingly prone to faults and difficult to maintain, it is set to be retired by the end of January 2027. It cited a recent report from the communications regulator, Ofcom, which “highlights that in 2024, the number of significant PSTN resilience incidents reported increased sharply by 45%”.
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