The Great British Switch Off: Do you know what's coming to your phone service?

If you didn’t know already, in 2023 the UK telephone network will be changing profoundly. This is the year that new sales of analogue (PSTN and ISDN) telephone services will end, and by 2025 they’ll be switched off altogether.

That means in the next two-to-four years your business will need to switch to an entirely different means of voice communication. You’ll no longer be able to rely on your traditional telephone line for making business calls.

From our own research we’ve found that nearly three-quarters of businesses use the phone for customer communications, so it’s clearly still an incredibly important tool. Yet despite its importance, most businesses are still unaware of the impending switch off.

And while there’s certainly no need to panic just yet, the sooner you’re aware of the coming change – and are able to plan for what’s to come – the better. In fact, this upheaval may actually present a number of business opportunities. As the switch-off approaches, you’ll have the opportunity to think about your business communications, and your connectivity.

Replacing your traditional telephony will be new VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and cloud-based services. These services will rely on your internet connection rather than a traditional phone line, which means as a business you’ll need to consider whether the connectivity you have today is adequate for the future.

www.zen.co.uk

PSTN switch off: how businesses can prepare for the end of landline phones

The phone network used by traditional landline phones will be switched off by January 2027. These phones use a network known as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), which runs on out of date technology that’s costly to maintain.

Research from the National Business Communications revealed that 62.1 per cent of businesses still used a landline phone in 2023. But if your business is one of the many that still uses a landline, it doesn’t mean you’ll be without a phone after the PSTN switch off.

However, the government is advising business owners to plan ahead to avoid disruption to their business. So before they hang up the service, here’s what you need to know... READ MORE -or- CONTACT DONLINE.

www.simplybusiness.co.uk

The Great British Switch Off: Your questions answered

If you didn’t know already, in 2023 the UK telephone network will be changing profoundly. This is the year that new sales of analogue (PSTN and ISDN) telephone services will end, and by 2025 they’ll be switched off altogether.

Why is the switch off happening? The old copper telephone network that has provided the backbone to our communications (and more recently internet connections) for many, many years is finally being withdrawn from service.

It’s a network that’s existed in some form or another for more than a hundred years and compared to some of the modern technology that’s around today, it is beginning to show its age - and there are now better alternatives.

Full fibre (FTTP) broadband, for example, has the benefit of being much faster, more reliable and less prone to interference. As our reliance on not only high-quality connectivity but also more feature rich voice communications increases, it provides a much better platform than old fashioned copper can.

The new technology that is currently rolling out should see us through the next few decades, while the old copper network would be unable to cope with our changing demands.

Click here to find answers to frequently asked questions about the GBSO.

www.zen.co.uk

The Great British Switch Off - how will it affect me? A useful update from electronics retailer: LiGo

Update: Feb 2023 - We (LiGo) are hearing more and more from contacts within the industry that the date of the switch might be pushed back to 2026. We will of course update this blog as and when any new information becomes available and keep you abreast of any official announcements.

You may have heard that BT are switching off the old landline network in 2025. Obviously, that's a big change to the telecoms industry. The old copper network in place right now has been in use for over a century now. From 2025, though, all phones will go through broadband lines. This means that "landlines" as we know them will now be serviced by VoIP, or "voice over internet protocol"- in other words, your phone calls will go through the internet.

Will I need to buy a new phone? Naturally, you might be asking yourself: do I need to buy a new phone? Will I be able to keep my current landline phone in 2025? Do I need a phone which is already VoIP-compatible?

Don't panic! Your existing landline phone will still work after the switchover, the only difference will be that your phone connects to your broadband router via an adapter. While the change in infrastructure is a huge undertaking, most end users won't have to do much. In fact, the official guidance from Ofcom is that your phone provider should supply you with an adapter. The four main phone providers- BT, Virgin, Sky, and TalkTalk- have all said they will do so, and you can find links to their statements on the switchover process at the end of this article. These four companies provide 85% of the UK's landline service. If you are in the remaining 15%, we recommend contacting your provider to find out if they will be supplying customers with adapters too.

Will I need an internet connection to make phone calls? Yes. Once the PTSN network has been switched off it will no longer be possible to make phone calls via landline without an internet connection. If you don't have broadband access at home, your phone line provider can put you on a basic, line-only broadband connection, which will cost about the same as your existing line rental.

The only circumstances where you may need to do a bit more setup is if you have other services which are plugged into the PSTN line, such as security systems, fax machines, or telecare. In some cases these will be able to work on the new line with some additional setup. However, there may be systems which need to be replaced outright. Again, your phone provider should be in touch before the switchover to tell you what steps you need to take. However, it's probably for the best if you contact them in advance so you have plenty of time to make any necessary changes.

Will I still have the same phone number? Yes. While the technology behind the phone lines is changing, there's no need for everyone's phone number to change. Most users already have the option of porting their number over when they switch from an analogue line to VoIP. When the 2025 switchover happens, any numbers which haven't already been ported will be ported automatically.

www.ligo.co.uk

New landlines must work during an emergency

Digital phone lines do not work in a power cut and if mobile signals are poor as well, people are left cut off from the outside world

Many people are anxious about the impact of switching landline telephone services to a fully digital network. The existing Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will be withdrawn by 2025 and all phone calls carried over the internet.

This process is entirely industry-led since decisions on migrating customers are made by operating companies like BT and Virgin Media. They argue that the aging PSTN is becoming harder and more expensive to maintain, whereas digital services offer improved call quality.

This is all well and good but, unlike the existing landlines, an internet-based network requires a modem connection and a mains electricity supply. This means digital phone lines will not work in a power cut and if mobile signals are poor as well, people will be cut off from the outside world, a serious matter for those who are housebound or vulnerable.

The two recent severe winter storms caused widespread power cuts, some lasting for more than a week. People on digital networks found they could not keep in touch with friends and family or call the emergency services. Back-up battery packs do not last long enough – usually just one hour – and alarm systems are being affected as well, requiring yet more expense to make them digitally compatible.

The law requires providers to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency services at all times, including during a power cut. Ministers have said they are working with Ofcom to “ensure that consumers and sectors are protected and prepared” for the switch. They need to work a bit harder in that case.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Openreach Formally Launch “Naked Broadband” via SOGEA

Openreach (BT) has stated that the full commercial launch of their new “stand-alone broadband” product for UK ISPs - Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SOGEA) - has officially started, which they said “marks the beginning of the end” for the old analogue telephone network (known to most as the “landline” phone service).

ISP Review been reporting on SOGEA for the past few years and so our regular readers should now be familiar with it, but for those who aren’t we’ll do a little recap. At present most consumers on Openreach’s national copper based network must buy their phone service alongside analogue line rental and then broadband is optionally added on top (most ISPs today will seamlessly bundle these two together by default).

By comparison SOGEA changes this approach by enabling internet providers to sell a physical line just for broadband (i.e. not everybody needs a fixed voice line today), with the voice service thus moving to a VoIP based solution as an optional product from your ISP.

The adoption of SOGEA is thus an important stepping stone toward the plan to switch-off the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and adopt an “All IP” (Internet Protocol) network by 2025. Likewise this will help with the transition for FTTP “full fibre” networks, which have no choice but to use an IP based voice solution as optical fibre cannot carry analogue electrical signals (they carry laser light).

www.ispreview.co.uk