As you may or may not know, in 2015 BT announced its intention to switch off its PSTN and ISDN networks by 2025. They are to be replaced by VoIP services. Older phone systems will start to be phased out as soon as 2020. So, what does this mean and why the change? Let’s have a look.

What are PSTN and ISDN?

PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the traditional landline telephone system, originally set up for analogue voice communications. I was the most reliable way of making voice calls and the main carrier of internet activity across the world. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) came along after. This allowed for the digital transmission of voice, video and other services simultaneously, using the PSTN network. 

Why are they being phased out?

In a nutshell, these systems are simply out of date. Despite being massively updated over the decades the phone lines still cost far too much to maintain and run.

Did you know, they’re still essentially the same in setup and design as the original phone lines of the 1800s? Strange to think!

As of early 2017, over 2 million businesses still use an ISDN connection in the UK, all of which will be affected by the upcoming switch off.

A 2017 survey has also shown that a quarter of the UK’s businesses are still unaware that the switch off is even taking place.

Future-proof cloud-based phone systems

Businesses need to stay ahead of the curve given the coming changes. What many businesses don’t realise is how beneficial the new cloud-based systems will be for them.

Cloud telephony has been revolutionising the way we do business in so many ways. Some newer systems are even more advanced and convenient than the older VoIP services such as Skype.

To learn all about VoIP and the benefits for your business click here.

Still confused?

Don’t worry! Get in touch with us and we’ll happily field any questions or enquiries.