PSTN Switch-Off: What It Means and Why You Should Swap to Digital Telephony Now

The Public Switch Telephone Network, which is responsible for landline telephone calls, will switch off in December 2025. From this date onwards, at home or work, everyone will have to stop using landline services in favour of digital telephony. Before this date, we highly recommend that you swap digital telephony now.

The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) will also be switched off in December 2025. ISDN is a set of communication standards used to transmit data, voice and other network services over the circuit of traditional PSTN.

What is the PSTN Switch Off?
The PSTN will shut off in December 2025. By this point, every phone line in the UK will have moved to a fully digital network that utilises Internet Protocol (IP) across a fibre-based service. Any equipment that currently uses PSTN and ISDN will stop working.

Why is the Switch Off Happening?
PSTN is simply too old and difficult to maintain. PSTN is essentially a 20th-century technology, it has been the infrastructure for telecommunications in the UK since 1876, and can no longer keep up with the demands of 21st-century communications.
  
ISDN is a lot slower in comparison to broadband internet connection speeds. ISDN has remained relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1986, because of this, it is now outdated and can no longer compete.

How does the Switch Off affect me?
You will no longer be able to use your existing landline and older internet connections. This means that you will have to upgrade your phone system to VoIP and possibly your internet. Digital telephony requires a strong, reliable internet connection, which is why you may need to upgrade your connection.

All non-voice services that can currently connected to ISDN and PSTN lines will be affected by the switch-off, you will have to upgrade/find alternatives to any of your technologies that are connected to the ISDN or PSTN lines.

Technologies such as:

• Alarm systems
• ATMs
• Franking machines
• Fax machines
• Printers
• Dial-up PoS (card machines)
• Video conferencing
• Live streaming
• File downloading

 
What is Digital telephony?
Digital telephony (also known as VoIP) is the new digital phone service. With digital telephony, all calls will be made over a broadband network rather than a nearly 150-year-old network.
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VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) allows you to place and receive calls over an internet connection. VoIP calls are made from devices that are directly connected to the internet. VoIP devices are mobile and can be taken anywhere, allowing you to make and receive calls from work, at home or anywhere as long as there is a strong, reliable internet connection.

Why should I swap to Digital telephony now?
The later you postpone the swap, the more complicated and costly the process will become – especially if you don’t leave enough time to research the right provider.

Benefits of swapping now:

• PSTN and ISDN are no longer an option – As of the 5th of September 2023, the UK national ‘stop sell’ came into effect. This means that every provider in the UK has stopped selling traditional phone lines in all exchange areas, as well as fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband. You can ensure continuity and have an effective long-term solution by making the switch to Digital telephony now.

 

• You can familiarise yourself with the technology –Learning a new technology may seem intimidating, but by swapping now rather than when you are forced to, you can get to familiarise yourself with VoIP and the benefits it provides.

 

• Digital telephony is scalable – You can scale up your VoIP phone system and add more employees as your business grows.

 

• Digital telephony offers flexibility – Digital telephony allows you to communicate from anywhere, with the same phone number.

 

• Digital telephony is cost-effective – Digital telephony offers a higher quality service, at a lower price than traditional services. This is because VoIP uses your existing broadband connection, rather than a dedicated telephone line.

 

• It’s quicker to upgrade now – Waiting until 2025 means you’ll be in line with many others who underestimate the time required to upgrade. This will result in delays as you join the queue to upgrade to digital telephony. There will be a wait to buy VoIP systems and a further wait if you require a technician to install and setup your system. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 01244 344366 and we will be happy to assist you with any of your questions, or if you would like to swap to digital telephony, we can help you with that. 

On our blog next week, we'll discuss how you can prepare for the 2025 PSTN switch-off.