The Great Switch Off

What you need to know about BT’s the great switch off, what do you need to know about the PSTN withdrawal and the digital opportunity. The telecommunications industry is changing. No longer is voice the core solution needed by businesses and consumers alike; digital transformation is moving us towards a connectivity-first approach. currently broadband is supported by the underlying PSTN, requiring WLR for both ADSL and FTTC products. In 2025, the PSTN will be switched off by BT and connectivity will become the underlying solution for all voice products. Prepare for the All-IP future with full fibre connectivity and hosted VoIP from EBM Managed Services Ltd.

In BT’s own words…..

“We’re moving all our customers from the old analogue public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a fully digital network. We’ve already started. We plan 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.”

When you say ‘everyone…’?

“Yes, we mean 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.”

So why are BT doing the great switch off?

Again in BT’s own words; “PSTN has been the backbone of the UK’s phone network for decades. But we’ve all seen the dramatic changes in technology over the past few years, especially recently. 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 19th century.”

You may be thinking 2025 and the great switch off are years away….

Everyone needs to be thinking about this sooner rather than later, there’s a lot to do. It’s not just about the calls you make, it’s other things like  alarms, door entry systems, CCTV, EPOS machines just to name a few. Now’s definitely the time to start looking at change, For more info please call one of our managed service consultants just visit ebmltd.co.uk/contact/