Is your telephony system ready for the big ISDN switch off?

02/05/22 Wavenet
Is your telephony system ready for the big ISDN switch off? placeholder thumbnail

In 2025 legacy ISDN and PSTN telephony networks will be switched off for good.

The transition to an all-IP network means that, from December 2025, all voice data will need to travel over an internet connection, as it already does if you make a TeamsLink call. There will no longer be an analogue option.

 

The fact is that these legacy systems are simply not designed for the kind of data-rich communications that are increasingly crucial to modern business. So, the sooner your customers make the switch to all-IP communications, the sooner they’ll start seeing the benefits.

 

Farewell to ISDN and PSTN

 

Still, change is always unsettling, and the ISDN switch off represents the biggest shake-up to telecoms in 30 years. But it needs to happen because modern, all-IP communications are simply more efficient, more flexible and more cost-effective than their legacy counterparts.

 

Businesses are recognising that already, which is why the transition is gathering pace well ahead of the switch-off date. For example, around 40% of UK business lines have already moved to Hosted Voice, a cloud-based all-IP solution.

Meanwhile, the sales ISDN and PSTN services have already moved to Stop-sell in several areas, as part of a phased all-IP trial. In just a couple of years, you won’t be able to buy new ISDN or PSTN lines anywhere, with the final withdrawal of services in December 2025.

 

MSTeams120

 

It’s time to change

 

So, it really is time to start making plans around your future telephony and communications needs. The sooner you do, the more time you’ll have to pick the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution that’s exactly right for you. Panicked decisions, taken in haste, rarely work out for the best.

 

And there are some important decisions to be made. IP communications solutions come in various flavours, with different benefits and costs, so you do need to do some homework.

 

For example, a Hosted Voice system puts all your telephony infrastructure in the cloud, making it accessible from anywhere and on any device, and entirely replaces your legacy ISDN and onsite PBX. SIP Trunking also offers next-generation voice technology and can often be used with an existing PBX and your current handsets. Both options can offer Unified Communications (UC), which integrates voice, video, chat and other multimedia communications into one seamless solution.

 

That integration is the huge advantage of modern internet-based communications, especially for remote workers, but you don’t have to have it if you don’t have the need. Basic VoIP services offer the simplicity and cost-efficiency of internet telephony without any added extras.

 

Get ahead of the communications curve

 

There’s another reason that now is the right time to review your customers' communications needs. The last year has seen a huge upswing in the take up of new technological solutions, as firms have been forced to equip remote teams with the tools and services they need to work productively from home.

 

Many organisations don’t expect to go back to full-time office working in 2022, and perhaps ever. Hybrid working - where employees spend some of the week in the office and some working from home - could become standard practice.

 

The fact is that IP-based communications are far more remote worker-friendly than ISDN or PSTN. Using softphones or personal devices to make internet calls is a cost-effective and flexible way of equipping home-based workers. With UC solutions, homeworkers can access a full suite of communications and collaboration tools wherever they happen to be. All they need is a decent internet connection.

 

Connectivity is another factor you need to consider, whatever VoIP option you choose. Routing voice and video calls through the internet takes up bandwidth. If your corporate network is already stretched, an upgrade to Full-fibre (FTTP) broadband or dedicated Ethernet can make sure you have the capacity and reliability for a new era of all-IP communications.

 

None of this is anything to worry about. In fact, forward-thinking companies will come away from the transition with better, cheaper, more agile communications, based on more robust data networks. But why wait for those benefits? Contact us today and we’ll be happy to talk you through the IP communications options that are available right now. Why not get ahead of the curve, and steal a march on the competition?

 

 

 

Networking & Connectivity, Articles, Full-Fibre Future

Latest blogs

See all posts
Microsoft 365 e3 vs e5
Microsoft 365 E3 vs E5 – what’s the difference for your business?

Choosing the right Microsoft 365 licence can make all the difference – from managing costs to ensuring security and compliance. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two enterprise plans, so you can decide what works best for your organisation.

Read more
Placeholder thumbnail
Webinar - Wavenet and Mitel’s vision for 2025 & beyond

Webinar summary: future-proofing business communications with Mitel & Wavenet As communication continues to evolve, choosing the right partner is essential. This exclusive webinar, hosted by Wavenet in partnership with Mitel, featured Stuart Aldridge (UK Head of Mitel), Emma Westland (Strategic Director at Zoom) and Barry Ward (Product Director at Wavenet), delivering a forward-looking session focused on the future of unified communications (UC) for Mitel, Zoom and Wavenet.

Read more
A happy house tenant is using an app on her phone to report a home issue to her housing provider
From risk to resolution: how Active Assessor helps you stay ahead of Awaab's Law

What does Awaab's Law mean and why does it matter? Damp and mould aren’t just inconvenient maintenance problems - they’re serious risks to tenant health, regulatory compliance, and the reputation of housing providers. Nearly 1 in 7 social homes in England failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2023¹. On top of that, the NHS is estimated to spend £1.4 billion a year treating health issues related to cold, damp housing². And yet, more than half of tenants experiencing condensation, damp or mould don’t report it. Often, they don’t recognise the early signs, or they simply don’t believe they’ll be taken seriously. This silence leaves landlords in the dark and turns small, fixable issues into expensive, high-risk problems. From October, social landlords will be legally required to fix emergency hazards within 24 hours and investigate and repair dangerous damp and mould within set timeframes, under new legislation known as Awaab’s Law. Introduced in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who tragically died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in his social housing, the law represents a major step toward improving housing safety and quality. It allows tenants to take legal action if landlords fail to comply and will be rolled out in phases, beginning with damp and mould, to ensure effective implementation. This approach aims to deliver meaningful, lasting change while honouring the efforts of Awaab’s family to secure justice. Awaab’s Law also supports the government’s broader plan for change, which includes a commitment to building 1.5 million new homes and delivering the biggest improvement to social and affordable housing in a generation. The challenge: strained teams & outdated systems Most housing providers care deeply about tenant safety. The problem isn’t willingness—it’s capacity. Maintenance teams, IT departments, and customer contact centres are already stretched thin. Spotting early-stage issues requires tools they simply don’t have. Traditional, manual inspections are expensive and slow. Reactive workflows leave little room to get ahead of problems. And despite growing demand for proactive service, only 13% of customers actually receive it. The systems many teams rely on today are fragmented, outdated, and not fit for the pressures of a post-Awaab world. The solution: Active Assessor by 8x8

Read more
Placeholder thumbnail
Top 5 benefits of a network intelligence solution

Do you know exactly what’s going on in your network, or is it all a bit of a mystery? If you’re in the dark, it could be costing you more than you think. Without visibility into your network, you can’t stop downtime before it starts. With downtime costing an average of £7000 per minute (1) that’s a high price to pay.

Read more
Placeholder thumbnail
Struggling with digital delivery? It’s time to look at your network

The NHS isn’t short on digital ambition. Across the country, Trusts are working hard to roll out Electronic Patient Records, launch virtual wards and connect services across Integrated Care Systems. The vision is clear. But the path forward? Often less so.

Read more
Placeholder thumbnail
Building resilience in the public sector: a strategic guide

Beyond traditional cyber security: how to create an effective cyber resilience plan In an era where cyber threats are growing in scale and sophistication, public sector organisations must go beyond traditional cyber security. While many may feel like they are too small a target to fall victim to the headline-grabbing attacks we see in the news, it is the unfortunate truth that all organisations are at risk, whether they turn over vast amounts of money or not. Therefore, the ability not only to defend against attacks, but also to recover quickly and continue delivering essential services is of paramount importance.

Read more

Stay service-savvy

Get all the latest news and insights straight to your inbox.