AT&T Ending Your Landline? What Offices Should Do

If your office runs on an AT&T landline, start planning now: AT&T says it wants to retire most of its copper landline network by the end of 2029. You can keep your business number, but every line on your bill, including fax and alarm lines, needs a new home before the wire goes away.

What Did AT&T Announce?

On December 3, AT&T held its investor day in Dallas. Among the plans it shared: the company is working to exit its old copper network across the large majority of the areas it serves by the end of 2029. You can read it in AT&T's own summary of the day. California, where state rules require AT&T to keep offering landline service, is not part of that plan.

Copper phone lines are still behind many main business lines, fax lines and alarm lines. The plan depends on regulators and other approvals, and timing will vary by area, so nothing changes overnight. When a copper line is retired, the phone company typically offers a replacement over fiber or wireless. For a business, that is a good moment to step back and ask what you actually need.

Is Moving Off Copper a Hassle or a Chance to Upgrade?

A traditional business line gives you a dial tone and maybe voicemail. A hosted phone system gives each person on your team much more:

• An auto attendant (the "press 1 for…" menu) that answers and routes calls.
• Calls that ring your desk phone, your computer and your cell phone.
• Voicemail delivered to email.
• Schedules on each number for open hours, closed hours and holidays.
• Call groups and queues so the next customer always gets through.
• Unlimited calling in the US (48 states) and parts of Canada.

Because it runs over your internet connection, it is not tied to a copper wire coming into the building. Telonium is $24.95 per user per month plus taxes and fees; the details are on our pricing page.

Can You Keep Your Phone Number When the Copper Goes?

Yes. The number customers know is one of your most valuable assets, and moving off copper does not mean giving it up. Telonium can move your existing number for a one-time fee of $10 per number. You sign a short form online that lets us move it, and your number keeps working with your current phone company until the move is complete.

You can check whether your number can move on our keep your number page.

What About Fax, Alarm and Elevator Lines?

The main phone line is the easy part. The lines people forget are the ones nobody thinks about until they stop working.

Fax lines. If you still send or receive faxes, virtual fax lets you do it as PDFs by email. No fax machine, no separate line.

Alarm and elevator lines. Security systems, fire panels and elevator emergency phones often use a copper line to call out. These need special care. Talk to your alarm company or building manager about what they support before the copper goes away.

Credit card terminals. Older terminals sometimes dial out over a phone line. Most newer ones use the internet. Check with your payment provider.

What Should Your Office Do in 2025?

• Find your last phone bill and list every line you pay for.
• Next to each one, write what it is used for. If no one knows, find out.
• Decide which lines become phone lines on the new system, which become virtual fax, and which need a plan from your alarm or elevator company.
• Check that your internet connection is reliable. A backup, like your phones' cell signal, is worth having.
• Check your numbers can move, and plan the switch for a quiet week.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Will My AT&T Copper Line Be Shut Off?

AT&T's goal is the end of 2029 for most of the areas it serves, but timing varies and depends on approvals. Watch for notices from your phone company.

Do I Need New Phones to Switch?

Not necessarily. The Telonium app works on computers and cell phones, and desk phones are available if you want them.

2029 sounds far away, but it is much easier to move on your own schedule than to scramble when a notice arrives in the mail. If you would like to talk through your current lines, call us at 404-566-8888. We have been helping small businesses move their phones to the cloud since 2011.