Removing landline charges from your small business

How to completely remove landline charges from your small business – in one easy step.

A recent survey revealed that 62% of UK businesses are still using landlines within their company, and that 45% are unaware of an important and impending change that will eradicate them for good.

What is happening?

From January 2027, BT Openreach is closing down all ISDN lines – which will basically mean an end to landlines in the UK and the lines most commonly used to make phone calls across the world.

This means that any Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) - based products that your business uses today will need to change.

PSTN not only supports traditional landlines, but also voice services such as ISDN2/30. The bulk of widely available broadband services, such as fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) or standard broadband (ADSL), also rely on the PSTN.

Voice will become completely digital and delivered over the internet using Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.

Broadband services will begin transitioning to Full Fibre (FTTP) and single order broadband (SOGEA). These don’t rely on landlines and are fully future-proofed, offering fast download speeds of up to 900Mbps.

Crucially, VoIP only requires an internet connection to work. This means you’ll be able to say goodbye to costly, old-fashioned analogue phone lines in all of your offices.

Why is this happening?

Known as ‘The Great Switch Off’, this is the biggest communications change in a generation.

It is happening because PSTN – which ISDN is a part of – has become outdated and been overtaken by these newer technologies, such as fibre broadband.

When is this happening?

In September 2023, any broadband or phone services that use the old copper network will no longer be sold.

In January 2027, the PSTN will be switched off and all UK landlines will cease to operate.

From February 2027 – all home or phone calls will be hosted via the internet.

Other than no more landline charges, what are the benefits?

• Improved video conferencing, file sharing and cloud-based working.

• The ability to scale without adding new landlines, allowing for remote answering, greater automation and tracking.

• Better call quality and faster networks. This will in turn improve innovation, increase productivity and keep teams tight via hyperconnectivity.

• The move towards more flexible and inclusive hybrid experiences will also be bolstered and future-ready operations and intelligent workspaces will be better enabled.

  
  
  

What do you need to do?

Take some time to review and understand your communications infrastructure. This will include thinking about the number of locations, the amount of bandwidth you have at each site and the telephone numbers you own.

Remember that organisations that are not prepared before the switch off date might also find that they’re at the back of a long queue of instillations while also having no telephone system. This could cost businesses customers and revenue.

There are several great partners out there who can support with your migration. Be sure to research your options and look for a company who can help make this process a smooth and successful one – readying your business for the future.