2025 ISDN & PSTN Switch Off

The UK’s PSTN network will switch off in 2025, but what exactly does that mean?

Customers will be moved from the old analogue public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a fully digital network. It’s already started. The plan is to have moved everyone over before Openreach stop the PSTN (and ISDN) service in 2025. By then, all phone lines in the UK will be routing calls over VoIP (voice over internet protocol) rather than the traditional PSTN.

This will affect everyone whether business or home. And it’s not just 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 ISDN or PSTN lines. Things like alarms, EPOS machines, door entry systems, CCTV, and faxes.

The switch to VoIP is happening everywhere, fast. As technology and customer behaviour changes, phone companies across the world are moving from analogue to digital. Japan, Germany and Sweden are ahead of the UK in making the move. The Netherlands and Estonia are already there and have switched off their PSTN networks.

Many businesses have already embraced an VoIP model, even moving their communications to the cloud, making calls over the internet and making the most of services like video conferencing.

The move to VoIP isn’t just because the old phone system is exactly that, old. It’s because VoIP 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. Unified communication is being embraced globally.

If you take into consideration the lower costs that VoIP can bring, it makes sense to make the change as soon as you can.

So, you may be freaking out because you think your old phone system won’t work with the new technology or wondering how you can afford it. Talk to us and we can walk you through a cost-effective way to deal with the changes.