This may come as a surprise to you, it may not, but this is their plan. They wish to shut down old PTSN and ISDN phone lines within 6 years. This may sound very sudden but it has been a plan that many had seen coming. They wish to switch over to Voice over IP systems in order to streamline communications. So will this shutting off affect you? The original phone was invented after the dust of the industrial revolution had settled. Such technological advancements brought telephone communications to the masses. So it is right that after a similar shift based upon the digital revolution we are having the largest shift in telephones since they were first conceived. A Voice over IP phone is simply a phone that communicates through internet protocols rather than along ancient phone wires. You probably already use it with or without your knowledge. While most home phones are still on old systems, most modern offices have already made the switch to VoIP because it is cheaper and more flexible. If you use whats-app or a similar mobile phone application then you are using VoIP. If you use facetime however this is Video over IP. Let’s get to the point already…
Are YOU going to be affected?
The answer is definitely in one way or another. It may be that you are still using traditional lines and are going to have to upgrade your whole system. Or it could just be much more simple and it changes the way in which you contact and communicate with other people.
It is very easy to check if you are going to be affected. If you have a look at your bill you should be able to tell. If it states that it is either a PTSN or IDSN line you are going to have to do something.
What are PTSN and IDSN?
PTSN stands for Public Switched Technology Network. This is the most common form of telephone line and what you most likely have. IDSN stands for Integrated Digital Services Network. This is a digital service that runs over old phone lines and as become more common in recent years. You can still purchase new systems for these until next year but I would not recommend this.
If you are going to be affected, what do you do?
Now you could still buy these services from other telecoms providers but I wouldn’t recommend this. BT is a behemoth of both UK and global telecoms and where they go other follow. This means that within a couple of years most other UK telecoms companies will be doing the same. Something I mentioned earlier in the blog was a VoIP phone. Sometimes fighting the tide of technology can be good but this is not one of those cases. A VoIP phone takes analogue signals, makes them digital and send the information over the internet. This is a much cheaper alternative than phone lines as it simply requires an internet connection. On top of this you get a large amount of features that are unavailable on traditional lines without expensive upgrades.
The alphaTALK hosted PBX
Here at alphaTALK we created our own hosted PBX because we didn’t think anybody else’s was good enough. A hosted PBX is an online system that is used to manage an office phone system.
Through this system you can
- Setup timed diverts so that you can have calls go to your mobile out of office hours
- Have call groups to ring multiple phones at once
- Use IVR to direct customers to the right department or person
- Put on hold marketing messages or music
- Internal ringing between phones
Ring us today on 0207 177 5000 to find out more about this shutting off and our hosted PBX system
