Hospitality & Leisure: Are You Ready for the PSTN Switch-Off?

Why this matters for venues

Bars, restaurants, pubs, clubs and live music venues depend on connectivity more than ever.

Payments, EPOS, CCTV, bookings, phones, Wi-Fi, gaming machines and signage all rely on stable digital services. With the UK’s PSTN (analogue phone line) network closing by January 2027, many hospitality businesses still have critical systems quietly running on legacy lines creating risk.

Connection Worx helps venues get ahead of this, from single independents to multi-site groups and national chains.

Built by people who understand venues

Connection Worx was founded by Chris Hunter, who has spent decades involved with the nightlife and licensed trade, bars, live music and events alongside 30+ years as a professional DJ.

That experience means we understand what happens when tech fails mid-service:

• Card machines stop

• EPOS drops

• Phones go dead

• CCTV and alarms lose connection

• Staff end up firefighting instead of serving

In hospitality, downtime isn’t an IT issue it’s lost revenue and damaged customer experience.

PSTN switch-off: it’s not just phones

The PSTN switch-off can affect:

• Internet connectivity
  
  

• Card payment terminals

• EPOS systems

• CCTV & alarms

• Door entry systems

• Gaming & leisure machines

• Back-office broadband

• Emergency and backup lines

If any of these still rely on analogue lines, they may stop working.

From single venues to large groups

Different venues need different levels of connectivity:

• Independent venues: Full fibre + digital voice + mobile backup

• Growing groups: Higher bandwidth, consistency across sites and multi site voice

• Large venues & chains: Dedicated leased lines, guaranteed uptime, multiple connections for resilience

Leased lines aren’t about luxury they’re about guaranteed uptime, more throughput staying open when others go offline.

Quick hospitality connectivity check

Ask yourself:

• Are any card machines or alarms still on phone lines?

• Is EPOS running on legacy broadband?

• Is there a backup connection if fibre fails?

• Is bandwidth sufficient at peak times?

• Would a leased line reduce risk for your site?

If you’re unsure, that’s where problems usually hide.

How Connection Worx helps

We design connectivity around how hospitality actually operates:

• PSTN & analogue audits

• VoIP & digital voice

• Full fibre & business broadband

• Leased lines for critical sites

• 4G/5G backup for resilience

• Multi-site group solutions

• Straight-talking, human support

Free PSTN & connectivity check for venues

Whether you run a single venue or manage multiple sites, Connection Worx can provide a no-pressure review to show:

• What’s still on PSTN

• What’s at risk

• Whether broadband is enough — or a leased line makes sense

• How to future-proof without disrupting service

Get in touch with Connection Worx
Because in hospitality, connectivity is part of the customer experience.