For Dorset businesses, the 2027 PSTN switch-off is not an abstract national issue. It is a deadline that applies to every BT landline in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, and across the county — and the clock is already running.
The good news is that there is a Christchurch-based VoIP provider that specialises in making the switch straightforward for local businesses. No call centres, no confusing contracts, no engineer visits. Just a clean migration to a phone system that works better than what you have now.
This guide is written for Dorset business owners who want to understand what is happening, what their options are, and how to act before the deadline causes problems.
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The PSTN Switch-Off and What It Means for Dorset Businesses
BT Openreach is permanently closing the traditional copper telephone network across the UK by January 2027. That includes the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and ISDN lines that most businesses have relied on for decades.
This is not a minor technical upgrade. When the switch-off happens, your existing landline stops working. Full stop.
For Dorset, the picture is particularly pressing. Most Openreach exchanges across Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Dorchester, and Sherborne are already on the 2026–2027 closure schedule. Some exchanges in the county are switching earlier than the national deadline. If you are on a BT Business landline — or a hosted system that still runs over copper infrastructure — you need a plan.
The practical options are limited: you either migrate to a VoIP system before your exchange closes, or you scramble to do it at the last minute when every local telecoms provider is overloaded with demand. The businesses that act now get a smooth transition and better pricing. Those that wait get queues and stress.
For a full breakdown of the switch-off timeline and what it means in practice, see our PSTN switch-off 2027 guide.
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Why Dorset Businesses Are Making the Switch Now
Cost is the first reason, but it is rarely the only one.
Traditional BT Business landlines typically cost £14–18 per user per month before call charges. VoIPninjas starts at £5.99 per user per month. For a ten-person team in Poole or Bournemouth, that difference is between £600 and £1,400 per year — money that currently sits in a phone bill doing nothing useful.
Call costs are lower too. Because VoIP calls travel over your existing broadband connection, there is no separate line rental to pay. UK landline and mobile calls are typically included in the plan, and international rates are a fraction of what most PSTN providers charge.
Beyond cost, flexibility is the real shift. Dorset businesses do not operate from a single desk anymore. A structural engineering firm might have staff based in Bournemouth, a site office near Wareham, and a project manager who works from home in Ferndown two days a week. A traditional phone system handles that badly, or not at all.
With VoIP, one business number rings across every device — desk phone, laptop, or mobile — simultaneously. A call to your 01202 number reaches your team whether they are in the office on Wimborne Road or working from a kitchen table in Ringwood. You do not need to forward calls manually, give out personal mobiles, or miss calls because someone is not at their desk.
Remote working is now normal for many South Coast businesses, and VoIP is how the phone system catches up with that reality.
For a detailed look at how the cost comparison stacks up, the business phone system cost guide covers it clearly.
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Case Study: An Accountancy Firm in Poole Makes the Switch
This is an illustrative example based on the kind of migration we handle regularly for Dorset professional services firms.
The situation before the switch
An eight-person accountancy practice based near Poole town centre had been on BT Business for over ten years. Their monthly bill ran to approximately £16 per user — around £128 per month for the team. They were mid-way through a 24-month contract with no straightforward exit.
Their office broadband was running over the same copper infrastructure as their phone lines. The firm’s two partners had started working from home two days a week, but the phone system did not support it well. Calls to the main 01202 number only rang at the office, which meant clients occasionally reached voicemail during core hours when both partners were remote.
The practice manager had been putting off dealing with it. “We knew the switch-off was coming,” she said, “but it felt like something we could sort out later.” A letter from Openreach about their local exchange closure schedule moved it up the agenda.
What changed
The firm migrated to VoIPninjas Samurai at £14.99 per user per month — a saving of just over £1 per user on the headline rate, but the real gains were elsewhere.
Their existing desk phones were over six years old and due for replacement. Under the old model, new handsets would have cost £150–200 each. On VoIP, each staff member installed the softphone app on their work laptop and personal mobile. Zero hardware cost. The saving on handsets alone outweighed years of any monthly difference.
Number porting was completed in seven working days. The firm kept their existing 01202 number throughout — clients noticed nothing.
After the migration, calls to the main number ring across every team member’s devices simultaneously. When both partners are working from home, calls still reach them. Voicemails arrive as audio files in their email inboxes, which the partners both found immediately useful. The auto-attendant handles out-of-hours calls with a professional message that directs urgent queries appropriately.
The firm’s total annual saving on direct call costs was around £96 — modest in itself, but the hardware saving, the flexibility gain, and the removal of the PSTN deadline risk made the switch straightforward to justify.
“We should have done it two years ago,” the practice manager noted afterwards.
If you want to understand more about why businesses are making this move, the why switch to VoIP guide covers the full picture.
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Keeping Your Dorset Number When You Switch
One of the most common concerns from local businesses is straightforward: “Can I keep my existing number?”
The answer is yes — and it is standard practice, not a special request.
Number porting transfers your existing business number to your new VoIP service. You keep your 01202 Bournemouth number, your 01305 Dorchester number, your 01929 Wareham or Swanage number, your 01258 Blandford number. Whatever number your clients have saved in their phones and their accounting systems, it stays the same.
The porting process takes around five to ten working days in most cases. During that time your existing line remains active, so there is no gap in service. VoIPninjas manages the porting process on your behalf — you do not need to contact Openreach directly or navigate that paperwork yourself.
If you need an additional number — a Weymouth 01305 number for a new location, or a Bournemouth 01202 number for a dedicated client line — we can allocate those as well. Numbers are not tied to a physical location under VoIP, which means a Christchurch business can have a Dorchester number for a specific department, or a Weymouth-based firm can maintain a Poole number they have used for years.
Your number is yours. The switch-off changes the infrastructure, not the number itself.
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VoIPninjas in Dorset: What Local Support Actually Looks Like
VoIPninjas is based in Christchurch, Dorset. That matters more than it might initially sound.
Most of the businesses we work with in the county are within twenty miles of our office. When something needs sorting, you are speaking to someone who knows what Barrack Road traffic is like on a Friday afternoon, not a call centre agent reading from a script in a different time zone.
Support is by phone and email. When you call, someone picks up. When you email, you get a response the same day — usually within a couple of hours during business hours. The same-day call-back is a standard we hold ourselves to, not a paid upgrade.
For the migration itself, you do not need a site visit. There is no engineer call to schedule, no hardware installation, no half-day blocked out waiting for someone to arrive. Most Dorset businesses are up and running within a week of signing up. The setup process is handled remotely, and our team walks you through it.
We are also not going anywhere. VoIPninjas is a Dorset business with Dorset clients. The relationship is local by default.
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Getting Started: What a Dorset Business Should Do Now
The 2027 PSTN switch-off deadline sounds distant until your local exchange closure date arrives. Some Dorset exchanges are switching in 2026. Acting now gives you time to migrate on your terms, not under pressure.
Here is the straightforward path forward.
Step 1: Start the free 14-day trial. No payment details required upfront. You get full access to the platform so you can test the softphone app, explore the call management features, and see how the system behaves with your team. There is no commitment at this stage.
Step 2: Choose a plan. Ronin at £5.99/user/month covers the essentials for smaller teams. Samurai at £14.99/user/month is the right level for most professional services businesses — it includes the full feature set most firms actually use. Shogun at £24.99/user/month is for businesses with more complex call routing or compliance requirements. All plans run on a rolling 28-day contract, so there is no long-term lock-in to worry about.
Step 3: Port your number. Once you are ready to go live, give us your existing number and we handle the porting process. Most Dorset businesses complete this in five to seven working days. You keep your 01202, 01305, 01929, or whichever local number your clients already have.
Step 4: Go live before the deadline. The 2027 PSTN switch-off will happen. The businesses that migrate now get a smooth transition, better pricing, and no last-minute scramble. The ones that wait risk being in a queue with everyone else when the deadline pressure peaks.
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Ready to Talk?
If you would like to discuss your specific situation — whether you are currently on a BT Business contract, unsure what your local exchange closure date is, or simply want to understand what migration involves for a business your size — get in touch directly.
Start your free 14-day trial or call us on 01202 212 101.
We are based in Christchurch and we work with businesses across Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Dorchester, Sherborne, Blandford, Ringwood, Ferndown, and the wider Dorset and New Forest area. No call centres, no hold music, no scripts.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep my 01202 number when I switch to VoIP?
Yes. Number porting transfers your existing landline number — including 01202 Bournemouth numbers — to your VoIP service. Your clients call the same number as before, and they will not notice any difference. The porting process typically takes five to ten working days. VoIPninjas manages this on your behalf; you do not need to deal with Openreach directly.
How long does a PSTN migration take for a Dorset business?
For most Dorset small businesses, the full migration from sign-up to going live takes one to two weeks. This includes account setup, softphone installation, and number porting. There is no engineer visit required and no hardware installation. The most time-sensitive part is number porting, which runs in parallel with setup and adds no extra delay to your go-live date.
Do I need an engineer to visit my premises?
No. VoIP runs over your existing broadband connection — there is nothing to install physically. Your team downloads the softphone app to their devices, or you can use IP desk phones that simply plug into your router. VoIPninjas handles configuration remotely, and the setup process typically takes less than an hour of your time.
What broadband speed do I need for VoIP to work reliably?
Each simultaneous call uses roughly 100 kbps of bandwidth. A standard FTTC fibre connection — which is the baseline for most business broadband in Dorset, including across Bournemouth, Poole, and Dorchester — is more than sufficient for teams of up to fifteen people making calls concurrently. If you are on a slower ADSL connection in a more rural part of the county, we can advise on whether your current setup will support the number of concurrent calls your team needs. Most businesses we work with have no issues.