Spitfire Network Services Limited draws attention to the risk of not giving service providers Switch Off contract clarity

On 31st December 2025, the existing contract between service providers and Openreach will expire – what happens next?

– MD Harry Bowlby: businesses need guidance not guesswork-

Spitfire Network Services Limited (Spitfire), the award-winning provider of voice, internet, IoT and wide area network connectivity services, today called on Openreach to provide much needed clarity for service providers and the businesses they support on new contracts related to the PSTN Switch Off.

On 31st 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. What happens next? A new contract, yes—but exactly what it will contain remains unknown. What is expected, however, is a marked change in support terms—most notably, less favourable service level agreements (SLAs) for repairs and response.

The impact could be damaging for services providers and their customers – it means businesses who leave their migration until the last moment will not only face potential delays from capacity bottlenecks but could also find themselves tied to less responsive support structures. In other words: when something breaks, it’ll take longer to fix. And when connectivity is critical to operations—be it voice services, broadband, payment systems, alarms, or IoT devices—every extra hour of downtime is a risk to a businesses’ bottom line.

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 finally scramble to switch.

Harry Bowlby, Managing Director, Spitfire Network Services Limited 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.

“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,” added Bowlby.

Spitfire’s commitment to UK SMBs considering their shift to all-IP includes offering a choice of technologies to ensure every customer has a suitable service for the future for both connectivity and telephony and ensuring that every customer migrates to the new services as smoothly as possible. Spitfire also keeps business leaders informed of the elements of the project that impact them so they can make unrushed, informed decisions.

For more information or to contact Spitfire Network Services Ltd directly, organisations should visit www.spitfire.co.uk.

ENDS

As published in the following:

UK ISP Spitfire Criticise Openreach for Lack of PSTN Switch Off Contract Clarity – ISPreview UK

https://www.commsbusiness.co.uk/content/news/spitfire-network-services-urges-openreach-to-provide-clarity-over-service-provider-contracts

About Spitfire Network Services Ltd

Spitfire Network Services Limited has been providing internet and telecoms services from our central London offices for 35 years.

With an emphasis on engineering skills and customer service, we aim to build long-term relationships with our clients – delivering innovative, award-winning solutions and significant cost savings to businesses and organisations.

This approach has seen us grow from a modest start-up to a business with more than £23m turnover and over 100 staff.