As revealed in a recent TechUK webinar titled “Calling Children’s Services and Education, Are You Ready for the Digital Switchover?”, the UK education sector is facing urgent challenges in preparing for the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch-off. Among the systems most at risk are lift emergency communications, which many schools and universities have yet to modernise.
Matthew Davies from MEMCO by AVIRE attended the session, which featured speakers from the Department for Education, Openreach, Virgin Media and O2. He observed that while awareness is growing, too many institutions still lack a plan to protect critical safety infrastructure like lift alarms. With deadlines approaching, the call for managed lift emergency communication services for the education sector has never been more important.
Why the Education Sector Is Uniquely at Risk
School estates often contain buildings from multiple eras, many of which still rely on outdated PSTN-connected autodiallers in lifts. Most institutions have little visibility into how their lifts are connected, or whether lines are analogue, digital or GSM.
“Audit, audit, audit. You can’t manage what you don’t know exists.” – Matthew Davies, MEMCO by AVIRE
This lack of oversight is dangerous. Without modernisation, a lift autodialler could silently fail during a power outage, leaving someone trapped without the ability to call for help.
A recent audit-based study by D2E International, covering 2,600 lifts across 20 UK portfolios, revealed that approximately 20% of all lifts had a safety or compliance issue at any given time. Alarmingly, 84% of these issues were directly linked to emergency battery failures, affecting critical systems like autodiallers, lighting, and passenger release. Notably, 10% of the lifts had autodiallers that became non-functional during a mains power failure, posing a serious risk to lift users reliant on emergency communication.
What the PSTN Switch-Off Means for Schools
The PSTN will be fully retired by January 2027, and a stop-sell on new analogue services is already in place. Changing telecom providers can now unintentionally trigger digital line upgrades, breaking compatibility with legacy lift systems.
For educational institutions, this presents a clear and immediate need to:
- Audit all communication lines and associated lift systems.
- Avoid low-cost GSM solutions without power resilience or analogue signalling support.
- Futureproof against the upcoming 2G and 3G sunsets.
According to Ofgem, over 40% of UK households experienced a power cut lasting more than 30 minutes in 2020–21. A power outage without a working emergency call line is not just inconvenient, it’s a safeguarding liability.
Why Cheap GSM Isn’t the Answer
Budget pressures are well known in the education sector, particularly among academy trusts. However, many institutions have been drawn to low-cost GSM solutions that often lack critical features:
- No support for analogue signalling (e.g. DTMF tones) required for mandatory test calls.
- No remote monitoring of backup battery health.
- Risk of SIM card deregistration with consumer-grade mobile plans.
- Inability to operate during power outages, just when they’re most needed.
Schools need to consider lifespan, support, compliance and future-readiness, not just up-front costs.
With UK mobile operators expected to phase out 2G networks in a few years, institutions implementing new systems today should ensure compatibility with long-term connectivity standards.
What to Do Next
- Conduct a full communication audit of all lifts and associated emergency lines.
- Assess current equipment for compatibility with digital networks.
- Contact MEMCO by AVIRE to arrange a consultation on Sentinel managed services.
This transitional moment is an opportunity to not only meet compliance, but to improve safety, reduce costs, and streamline management.
Read more about BS EN 81-28 compliance and how it applies to emergency lift systems.
Preparing for the Switchover with MEMCO by AVIRE’s SENTINEL
With the PSTN switch-off progressing rapidly, reviewing your institution’s lift emergency communication systems is essential to ensure continued compliance and safety. Understanding the available managed service options help schools and universities make informed, future-ready decisions.
SENTINEL by MEMCO by AVIRE is a fully managed lift emergency communication service developed with multi-site education providers in mind. It is built to meet the exact challenges uncovered in the TechUK webinar.
Key Benefits:
- Non-steered roaming SIMs for reliable mobile connectivity across all UK networks.
- Monitored backup power systems, ensuring resilience during outages.
- Remote diagnostics and EN 81-28 test call support.
- No CapEx, simple subscription-based model tailored to public sector needs.
- Future-ready for the upcoming 2G and 3G sunsets.
This means institutions can replace legacy autodiallers without investing in costly digital overhauls and remain fully compliant.
To explore how a managed approach could support your estate’s specific requirements, visit the Sentinel product page or get in touch for more information.
