Have you heard that after years of planning, the UK’s legacy copper based phone networks will finally be turned off in 2025? Here’s everything you need to know about the shift in hosted telephony.
Put simply, VoIP, is Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows users to make phone calls using the internet rather than traditional telephone lines. This technology has been around for a few decades, but it has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the many benefits it offers.
Copper based phone networks, Public Switched Telephone Networks, or ‘PSTN’ in the industry jargon, or more recently, ISDN, have served us well for many years. Actually, since the 1870’s in the case of standard single line connections to be more specific. But, the increased demands of a data driven world, and particularly the move to cloud based services means it's finally time to upgrade technology across the UK, with better hosted telephony systems taking over.
The PSTN and ISDN networks will be gradually phased out, with no new orders accepted after September 2023, and the final switch-off of the PSTN network will happen in December 2025.
The UK wide transition to Internet protocol (IP) networks means that voice calls will need to travel over an internet connection. Retaining existing phone lines will simply not be an option once these new hosted telephony systems come into play. Any business running either single analogue lines or ISDN connections, needs to plan for how they migrate their services.
However, the upside of the changeover is that IP communications are more efficient, flexible and more cost effective than the services we have relied on for so long.
It's important to start considering your options. What services will you require? Will you need to support more than one location, or home based staff? And what tools will your staff need to work more effectively? For instance, audio and video conferencing, instant messaging and so on - collaboration tools in other words.
You will also need to consider connectivity, and what redundancy you might require to ensure you are never “off-line”.
Whilst options are many and the new hosted telephony options can seem overwhelming, the changeover presents an opportunity to embrace the benefits of a hosted voice solution and high-speed connectivity.
Whilst it appears there is quite some time to go before we hit the 2025 deadline, there are plenty of reasons to make the transition, sooner rather than later.
Ensure your business is ready for the big change, sooner rather than later, and reap the benefits of hosted voice services. At VivoComms, we can help you prepare for the switch with advice, support and solutions that will improve your business communications. Contact us today.
