Risks and Rewards of the ISDN and PSTN 2025 Switch Off

In 2015, BT announced that it is preparing to switch of its ISDN and PSTN networks in favour of faster paced digital solutions, as ISDN and PSTN are no longer capable of delivering the volumes of voice data needed in an increasingly digital world. By September 2023, you will no longer be able to purchase any new ISDN lines, leading to 2025, which is the proposed date of the ISDN switch off. 

According to Ofcom’s 2018 Communications Market Report, there were 33.1 million fixed landlines in the UK (including ISDN) and approximately 6.4 million of those belonged to business users.

These include: -

• Broadband services that are delivered on a single line, e.g. Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL) and Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC)
• Specialist equipment, e.g. alarm lines, lift phones, payment terminals, traffic light systems, remote access, fax and payphone lines, emergency pendants, dialysis machines, telemetry devices, modems and any other special services
• Least Cost Routing (LCR) and Carrier Pre-Selection (CPS) will also be affected at the same time, so your costs may increase because of this.

BT are now encouraging organisations to make the transition to alternative solutions and with this information in mind, now is the time to prepare and make a considered switch, instead of a panicked one, that can bring many benefits to your business.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a telephone network that allows both voice and data services to be delivered over digital lines simultaneously. ISDN was introduced in 1986 to transfer old landline technology over to digital, but with the advent of broadband, this technology is now outdated.

PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the older analogue telephone network, that has been around since the invention of the telephone. It was used for analogue voice communication and was enhanced by ISDN, which enabled digital transmission of voice and video over the PSTN network.

21st Century technology has drastically moved on from ISDN and PSTN and these technologies are lagging behind modern alternatives. Switch Off 2025 is as much of an opportunity as it is a problem, as there are many benefits to the alternative technologies, such as resilience, cost reduction, better collaboration and remote working options, all of which are highly beneficial in today’s pandemic environment.

Many vendors will offer network-based IP services which only requires an active internet connection. There are two options using this technology, both are cloud based and are readily available: -

• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which is a hosted IP Telephony that allows renting a cloud-based highly resilient phone system, using your internet connection as your “phone lines”. This is beneficial for those who need the performance and versatility of a phone system, without incurring maintenance charges
• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an on-premise or hosted solution for a telephone system that uses data circuits to provide virtual phone lines and can connect to your existing PBX system, prolonging the use of this investment

For analogue devices such as alarm systems, lift emergency phones etc there will be adaptors to allow continued use, although you should consider now purchasing new compatible devices for new customers and replacement of broken devices.

Don’t panic! There is still enough time to assess and prepare, however leaving it till the last minute could impact your business performance whilst you find an alternative solution. 

There are already comparisons to the Year 2000 bug and there is the risk of the same scaremongering and increasing costs experienced then. There may also be a shortage of engineers, due to demand and you could also already be missing out on some of the added benefits that come with switching over to IP technology, but budget planning and an enlightened purchasing policy can spread the impact over the next few years.

It is time to acknowledge that the way we communicate is changing and that IP is the way forward. You should focus on adopting a technology that will meet the demands of your business needs going forward and acknowledge that the ISDN and PSTN Switch Off demonstrates the evolutionary nature of telecommunications.

Waiting and doing nothing is not an option, especially for organisations with a larger and more complex telecoms estate. This will need more intense planning to fully understand the whole environment, which could be problematic and challenging to unravel, as it may have grown uncontrollably over many years.

If you require an assessment of your current situation to determine your requirements, please get in touch