Around the world, various countries have been transitioning away from traditional, copper-based phone networks and towards newer, digital telephony solutions.
In fact, this migration is already complete in some countries. These include the Netherlands — which, in 2021, completed a long-gestating switchover that started in 2006 — and Estonia, where the infrastructure firm Telia phased out its copper-based network in the 2010s.
A number of other European countries have also embarked on the transition process. “Spain had switched over 80% of its copper networks to the digital successor by 2020, with Portugal completing 60%,” IT Pro reports.
The UK, meanwhile, has been relatively behind the curve, having only started terminating parts of its copper wire-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) in 2020. However, now is a good time for many firms in the country to start preparing for PSTN’s demise.
What is the current plan for PSTN in the UK?
Despite having been in place in the UK since 1876, the copper wire telephone network PSTN is set to be switched off for good by BT Openreach in December 2025. Hence, it will be necessary for any UK firms still using PSTN-based services to take up an alternative service before then.
If you run such a business, it would be beneficial for you to implement a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution. With this, you would transmit voice calls and data online.
In a recent survey mentioned by the Startups. website, 74% of UK-based consumers with a copper landline connection admitted to being unaware of the migration from PSTN.
If your own business is relatively naive about what the transition process will entail, a UK telephony company could assist. Gamma is one example of such a company that could help you to replace your corporate landline with VoIP prior to the PSTN Switch Off.
How could you peruse the post-PSTN options?
It is worth pointing out here that, as all telecommunications in the UK will need to take place online after 2025, your business will have no choice but to consider an IP (Internet Protocol) for its new phone system.
However, this situation doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to move away from PSTN in a wholesale fashion. It would be wise for you to set aside some time to spend thinking about how to replace individual elements of your current phone system.
That way, you can help to keep the migration more manageable in terms of both effort and costs. Another benefit of this strategy is that it would make it easier for you to figure out how to tailor your post-PSTN phone system in accordance with your specific corporate needs.
Nonetheless, the sooner you do shift your business completely to a VoIP system, the sooner you will also be able to benefit from the significantly cheaper call infrastructure and high-quality phone lines.
You should thus start researching the post-PSTN options as soon as possible. Doing so would enable you to get the best of both worlds: a future-proof solution that has also been carefully chosen.
