The countdown to 2025 begins
The “Great British switch-off” is fast approaching, so are you ready, or will you be left on hold?
The switch-off affects the entire UK PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) commonly used by businesses. Consequently, all businesses that now rely on ISDN circuits will have to adopt VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony by that date, as all phone calls will be delivered over the internet in future.
BT (or more specifically, its network management business Openreach) will not complete the PSTN/ISDN switch-off until 2025, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider changing earlier. The danger of delaying is that you could end up paying more in the rush to embrace VoIP alternatives closer to the deadline.
Why the big switch-off?
The copper cables that carry your phone calls into your office or home are no longer viable for Openreach to maintain, nor are they capable of carrying data at the speed businesses, and even home users, now require.
ISDN was first launched in 1985 and copper lines have been around for nearly a century and so both technologies predate the internet by decades. They will be replaced by fibre-optic cables capable of transmitting data at speeds undreamed of in the 80’s in the biggest upgrade to telecommunications in our lifetime.
What are your options?
The choices are to modify your current on-premise system to accept SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) lines or to adopt cloud telephony (also known as hosted telephony). SIP lines are “virtual” phone lines that route calls across the internet and would allow you to transition away from ISDN while keeping existing equipment.
However, not every on-premise platform supports SIP and by retaining legacy equipment, you would not get the cost savings, enhanced functionality and above all, the flexibility offered by cloud phone systems.
It’s time to act now
The switch-off will cause upheaval for businesses but also creates opportunities to take advantage of innovation and cost savings… without investing in capital expenditure.
Hosted systems, such as Cloud Phone from easyNetworks, are provided on a monthly subscription basis per user, future-proofing your communications by freeing you from upgrade and maintenance costs.
How the cost savings add up
With Cloud Phone from easyNetworks, you can kiss goodbye to a whole host of bills:
- No capital expenditure – invest your capital to grow your business
- No system upgrade costs, maintenance costs or costly engineer visits
- No call costs to UK landlines and UK mobiles
- No line rental or ISDN circuit charges
- No upgrades or software licence costs – the platform is constantly updated at no additional cost
- No monthly number costs – and display any outgoing geographical local number
- No long term commitments – we allow you to flex users up or down on a 30-day rolling contract
- Handsets are no longer necessary with the free Cisco Webex softphone we provide to every user
Cloud Phone is both financially and strategically beneficial for businesses and time is quickly running out for the legacy ISDN/PSTN network. You will be expected to find an alternative telephony solution for your business by 2025, so don’t get left behind – the overall business phone number of cloud telephony users is forecast to double by the deadline.
A demonstration of Cloud Phone from easyNetworks
Switch today!
Cloud Phone from easyNetworks is a flexible and reliable platform that enables hybrid working and can revolutionise your business communication. It offers cutting-edge functionality at an extraordinarily low price per user with no commitments and is suitable for businesses of any size from 5 users upwards.
For more details on how Cloud Phone can work for your business, use the following form to book a call with one of our cloud phone experts or call us today on 0800 1313 100. In the meantime, subscribe to our YouTube channel for brief guides and bitesize product news, and keep up to date with us on social media.
