What is The Big Switch Off and why should I upgrade my telephone systems?
Is your business ready for The Big Switch Off?
Have you even heard about The Big Switch Off?
If your answer to either of the above is a resounding no, you’d better get clued up sharpish or there’s a chance your telephone system will no longer work resulting in you no longer being able to communicate with your customers!
What is The Big Switch Off?
Let’s start at the very beginning.
In 2017, BT Openreach announced wholesale changes to the world of telecoms and how we communicate by phone. This is being called The Big Switch Off.
The Big Switch Off refers to BT Openreach switching off traditional telephone landlines by 2025, a dealine that has since been extended to January 2027. You may have also seen this referred to as the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) switch off.
As a result, many businesses will soon have telephone systems which are outdated and, if not upgraded, no longer able to communicate with customers via telephone.
When is The Big Switch Off?
The Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) is already being phased out.
Providers will stop selling PTSN and ISDN products in 2023, and the whole telephone network will be completely switched off by 2027.
Which businesses will be affected?
If you currently use a business landline, this is unfortunately going to affect you.
If you haven’t upgraded your telephone systems by 2027 at the latest to an alternative solution, then we’re afraid you’re going to be cut off.
It is absolutely essential that you start planning ahead and future proofing the communication streams for your business.
What’s the solution to my telephone systems?
The solution is an alternative telephony system called Voice over the Internet (VoIP) which, as you might guess, uses the internet to make voice calls.
We understand that some businesses will feel nervous about relying on the internet for telephone calls.
Well, the good news is that all of this has been planned for as part of The Big Switch Off timeline with BT Openreach strengthening their fibre network in 2019.
This will mean that, as long as you have a strong and reliable internet partner, you won’t have to worry about any sort of connection issues.
As IT specialists, we are really excited about this solution and think it is a far better option than traditional landlines.
What are the benefits of upgrading to Voice over the Internet (VoIP) services?
There are lots of benefits to upgrading to VoIP. Here are a few of our favourites:
- VoIP will future-proof your business, allowing you to continue to communicate with your customers via telephone after 2027.
- By using the internet, your telephone communications are no longer tied to a physical location. If you happen to be working remotely one day, you will no longer need to worry about missing calls to the landline – you’ll be able to accept those calls to the same number wherever you may be.
- There are no initial or ongoing costs for maintenance as all voice calls will be transmitted via the internet – you’ll just need reliable internet provider
- It can grow and adjust as your business requires. VoIP is a really flexible solution and can be completely tailored to your business needs – whether that’s adding more users or scaling things back!
We have no doubt that VoIP is the future of business communications.
Why is now the right time to upgrade?
Quite simply, the way things work in the world of telephony are changing and if you don’t upgrade your telephone systems by 2027, you’re going to be cut off.
Lots and lots of businesses are being affected and you’re not alone in making the switch. In fact, 65% of businesses will also be switching to VoIP at the end of their current landline contract.
The sooner you make the switch, the sooner you can access all the new opportunities it will bring!
Still not convinced? Join us for the free The Big Switch Off – What is it? Webinar
To help make the transition smooth, to help you understand more about it and to make sure that you don’t get switched off, we are hosting a series of free training webinars covering the big topics:
- What is The Big Switch Off?
- What are the solutions?
- How does your business make the switch?
Registration is free and there will be no obligation for you to make a decision whilst on the call.
We want to make sure nobody is disconnected unnecessarily!
