Analogue Telephone Systems Are Expiring
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Just like the country has made the switch to digital television broadcasts, plans are underway to ditch the ageing analogue telephone systems for more modern digital services. This means your traditional PSTN line and ISDN lines will need to change to something new.
Do I have an analogue line?
We can help confirm if your system is analogue, so if you are in doubt, please get in touch. First, however, here are some examples of where you may find an analogue line:
PSTN Lines:
- Standard telephone line you would find in a home or small office
- Can often be used for:
- Broadband lines
- Alarm lines (Red care etc)
- Card payment machines
- Fax (if you are still using that!)
ISND Lines:
- These are often found in older office telephone systems.
- Systems that have fewer lines that telephones i.e. only 3 people in your office can be on the phone at the same time.
When are the changes happening?
This is a phased plan, so there are a few different stages, but there are two main dates you should be aware of.
2023
From 2023, you will no longer be able to order new or additional analogue lines.
2025
From 2025, the entire analogue network will be turned off. From this point on, no analogue lines will exist.
These dates may seem a little way off, but given that telephone contracts are normally for 3 years or longer, you want to make sure you don’t get yourself caught out.
How to prepare?
We are happy to offer free advice to identify what analogue lines you have, if any, and to identify what you are using them for. Once we know this information, we can offer advice on what new digital telephone services you should be considering. As with all advice we give, we don’t charge for our time, and there is no obligation to buy a digital service from ourselves. So if you need a helping hand, just get in touch.
Do remember, you can move your telephone number to a new digital service, so you won’t lose your well-known number.
Are there any benefits?
Your simple telephone lines will continue to work in a very similar to your traditional analogue home telephone line. However, for businesses moving from ISDNs to our VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), there are many benefits that mean most business owners are not waiting until the switch off. Here are a few of the benefits our system can provide over a traditional office telephone system:
- Your telephone system will no longer be physically bound to the telephone line coming into your office. This means that you will be able to make and receive calls from anywhere in the world that has an active internet connection. Perfect for working from home or multiple offices.
- Each phone will have its own dedicated line. This means you can all be on the phone at the same time. No waiting for a ‘line’ to become available.
- Easily adapt the phone system to your businesses needs. Halfway through your contract and you need to add call recording, mobile phone apps or additional users? No problem! With our VoIP telephone system, we can turn these features on and off as you need them without the need for expensive hardware or upgrades.
- Keep your telephone number, even if you move outside of the area. It was always very difficult to take your Bristol number with you to your new Bath office. With our VoIP system, you can take your number with you anywhere in the world. Interesting, you can also add numbers. So if you need a London number, we can add that and make it ring in your Bristol office.
Summary
This should be seen as an exciting change. Many businesses have already made the change purely for the benefits a modern telephone system offers. For those of you that still have an analogue line or system, now is the time to have a little help reviewing the options in anticipation of the upcoming changes.
