We have had several customers highlight that companies are contacting them claiming to be BT. They are informing them that they will lose their number in the BT switch off if they do not transfer their lines to digital – This is not true!

The BT ISDN Switch off is due to take place in 2025, this means that the old analogue infrastructure will be phased out and businesses are being encouraged to move over to digital.

What does this mean?

BT are moving everyone from the old analogue public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a fully digital network. The plan is to have moved everyone over before Openreach stop the PSTN (and ISDN) service in 2025. By then, every phone line in the UK will be digital, routing calls over IP (Internet Protocol) rather than the traditional PSTN.

Who is affected?

Everyone. Business and home. And it’s not just your phone services you need to think about. It’s everything else that currently uses the old phone network, all your non-voice services connected to PSTN or ISDN lines. Things like alarms, EPOS machines, door entry systems, CCTV, and faxes.

Sounds a bit drastic. Why are you doing it?

PSTN has been the backbone of the UK’s phone network for decades. But we have all seen the changes in technology over the past few years more so in the last 18 months with many of us working from home. It’s all around us: smartphones, apps, the cloud, Zoom, Internet of Things, and so on.

What you probably don’t notice so much is the infrastructure that makes everything work. The telephone lines strung across the streets, the web of copper cables buried beneath your feet, some of which have been down there since the 19^th century.

It’s now time to move forward and embrace the boundless possibilities of digital.

So IP is better than PSTN?

Yes. As an essentially 20^th century technology, the PSTN network is dated with the demands of modern communications. As people switch to mobile and internet communications, everyone demands much more than the traditional technologies were designed to deliver.

What about my phone numbers?

You don’t have to change your phone numbers etc etc

2025 That’s years away. Why are we talking about this now?

You need to start planning your move today because there could be a lot to do. Remember, it’s not just about calls. You need to review everything you’re connecting to your phone lines, like door entry systems and alarms. Many businesses have already embraced an all-digital model, moving their communications to the cloud, making calls over the internet and embracing video conferencing.

Will we be better off with digital?

The move to all-digital isn’t just because the old phone system is, well, old. It’s because all-digital communications are so much better. Even at the most basic level, you’ll be able to make and take calls on any device, from wherever you are, from the same number. You’ll link your business applications and systems with video chat, calls and collaboration, so you’re closer to customers and colleagues alike. And with everything in the cloud, you’ll be able to access systems from anywhere, working from wherever you want.

Factor in the lower costs that IP can bring and it makes sense to go digital as soon as you can. There’s no need to wait until the last moment.

Speak to us today.