A major change is coming to the world of telecoms and you REALLY need to make sure your business is clued up on it before you find yourself without a network.
If you read our recent article about The Big Switch Off you may already have some understanding of what’s coming, but this article shares a bit more information about what you can expect as the process unfolds.
If you haven’t read it yet, we really recommend reading up on it as soon as possible. You can do so by clicking here
In a nutshell, BT Openreach are switching off traditional telephone landlines by 2025. This network has been serving the country since the late 1800s so a retirement – or upgrade, depending on which way you look at it – is long overdue.
If your business still operates using a traditional and you don’t upgrade, you’re going to find yourselves cut off from the buying public! The new solution is an alternative called Voice over the Internet (VOIP) which operates over, you guessed it, the internet.
As part of The Big Switch Off, BT Openreach have also decided to withdraw their Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) product because of the network being phased out.
It’s a big move which sees old copper lines replaced with a fibre network.
One of the big questions that we keep getting asked is ‘when is the time to act and upgrade my lines?’.
Simply put, the time is now. However, let us explain a bit more.
The Big Switch Off process for has already begun. As part of the process, there are two types of notification that you need to be aware of.
First up…End of Sale
When an End of Sale notification is announced for an exchange, businesses won’t be able to purchase new legacy lines (analogue or ISDN) or add new features to existing ones. For those who need to renew a contract, this will need to include all-IP services, be it SoGEA or FTTP.
In basic terms, the product is removed from the shelf but will still operate for the time being if you are still under contract.
Next stage…End of Life
When End of Life is announced for an exchange (the place where your telephones run through), all legacy (analogue of ISDN) solutions will stop functioning as the network is phased out. This is when all those legacy services need to be migrated to all-IP-ready products.
End of Life is basically end of the line. Everything will be switched off and cease to work.
Where are we now?
As we speak, the majority of the country is in the End of Sale phase of the process.
However, the End of Life phase has already been implemented in a number of places such as Salisbury and Mildenhall who were chose to test the migration from old to new. In fact, Salisbury became the first city in UK to rely solely on a digital network!
What happens next?
When something isn’t directly impacting you, nor is it an immediate concern locally, it’s easy to shelve your concerns.
It’s coming, though, and it’s a lot closer than you think.
Local exchanges including Woodhouse (Sheffield SLWD), Wadsley Bridge (Sheffield SLWB), Balby (Doncaster SLBAL), Cantley (Doncaster SLCLY), Doncaster (SLDC), Doncaster North (SLDCN) have also already gone Stop Sell!
Life for businesses in these areas who haven’t migrated to the new Voice Over the Internet products is about to become very difficult. Their telephones are about to go dead, broadband cut off and business will be affected.
How can I prevent this happening to me?
Very simply, if you’re operating on analogue or ISDN telephone lines, you need to upgrade and quick!
There doesn’t seem to be a geographical pattern to how this is being rolled out but we do know that more exchanges are being announced for End of Life.
Luckily, at Affinity, we’re well versed in providing advice and support for clients wishing to upgrade their telephone lines, and have a number of products which will help you with this.
If you have concerns that you’re still operating analogue lines and would like to speak to an expert about any of the above, please submit your details here and a member of our team will be in touch.
