Many of our readers will be aware that BT Openreach is withdrawing PSTN and ISDN lines. Yet what exactly does that mean – and what might this change mean for you specifically?
BT Openreach is a company that maintains the telephone cables, ducts, cabinets and exchanges that connect nearly all British homes and businesses to the UK’s national broadband and telephone network. In 2015, BT announced a major change to their services: they will be switching off the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) – a circuit-switched telephone network system – in 2025.
This decision marks a major change to the telecoms industry – one of the most significant changes in decades.
The reality is that as broadband services have become increasingly reliable and high-quality over the past ten years, there is less and less demand for fixed-analogue services. Fixed line telephony users are evolving in their preferences and moving to other forms of telecommunications. This means that in time, traditional fixed lines and calls will cease to exist.
This change will likely have a big impact on businesses still using these services, which is why it’s important to be aware of the 2025 target date and to make adjustments as required. BT Openreach intends to maintain a high-availability fibre first network moving forward and to do their best to transfer users onto this network with as little disruption possible.
In the future, BT Openreach products will be streamlined into an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and fibre broadband services. These products include the Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SOGEA) and the Single Order Transition Access Product (SOTAP), which will be the only ADSL replacement for broadband services currently offered by BT Openreach. This ADSL replacement will be available in areas where fibre is not a possibility.
Accessing these broadband services requires business to invest in equipment, but this equipment can be purchased via communications providers, such as Digital Wholesale Solutions (who is this? The wrong people I suspect) . If your business could be impacted by the ending of PSTN and ISDN lines, it is important to investigate new broadband services sooner rather than later (or at least, definitely before 2025). Being informed, prepared, and proactive can have a major positive impact on business outcomes.
For more information on how to make your telephone, IT and broadband services resilient and enduring, please contact us. Solutions-focused and outcomes-driven, the team at Vantage IT will be happy to help.
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