WLR Withdrawal, is your school ready?

07/12/23 Wavenet

Old Phone on a table.

As BT accelerates its plans to migrate the UK voice network from copper to fibre, the pressure to change solutions becomes ever more urgent. BT will withdraw the Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) service by 2027. It sounds an age, but it isn’t. Schools need to be thinking about their future communications solutions.

Wavenet Education provide specialist telephony services for schools, so we’ve outlined below a few ways you can prepare. If you want to discuss your options in more detail please don’t hesitate to book a review with one of our experts.

Have a look at one of your recent bills. Do you see any of these items listed?

ISDN30
ISDN2
Analogue Line
Business Line
Alarm Line
PTSN Line

If you do then you need to start thinking about your long term telephony arrangement. In short, anyone with an on-site PBX, telephone line, fax line, PDQ line or broadband line is affected and will need to make a plan.

What’s happening?

BT & Openreach announced some time ago the intention to switch off the ISDN services from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) by 2027. They have also announced that they intend to switch off the whole PSTN service by 2027, with no new supply after 2027.

Although they’ve been the most reliable solutions to date, PSTN and ISDN are rapidly becoming out of date technology, and expensive to operate and maintain. Openreach plans to invest instead in fibre infrastructure rather than further invest in a new version of the PSTN (which is essentially Victorian technology).

This means that any individual or organisation still using these traditional voice services will need to have moved to newer SIP and IP voice solutions by then or, simply put, they won’t be able to use their phones.

What are our options? SIP and VoIP

The terms SIP and VoIP refer to telephony based services delivered using IP signalling. Historically, telephony based services have been delivered using technology and signalling which is now over 30 years old, such as ISDN30 and PSTN lines.

SIP services are generally used to connect lines to a telephone system and these are a direct replacement for the ISDN30 technology. VoIP is a general term used to describe routing voice calls over an IP network. The term is closely associated with hosted telephones, where a telephone system installed at a customer’s premises is replaced with a central system shared between many different locations.

What do I do now?

Essentially we all have 3 options.

Ignore it all and do nothing

It should go without saying, but consider how important your phones are to your school, 2027 is approaching quickly.

Recent studies have concluded that a large proportion of UK organisations are unaware that the change is taking place. Don’t run the risk. Have a plan in place and be ready for the change. VoIP and SIP based solutions will almost certainly offer cost-savings if deployed correctly and they’ll offer more functionality for your school, and be future-proofed for years to come.
Panic and rip it all out tomorrow

Though it is time to take action, that doesn’t mean now is the time to change – you may not be ready. It may not make economic sense, or you may not have resource available to manage the transition. You could make the wrong decision, and chose a solution that offers little or no additional benefits over your current service, or even worse, spend time and money implementing something that will only help you out for the next few years. Make an informed decision, you still have time and options to explore.
Engage with an industry professional to better understand my options and make a self-paced evolution to the future

Wavenet Education have years of experience providing communication solutions to schools, including SIP and VoIP solutions, refining our portfolio to best match their customers’ requirements. We have already developed a number of IP and VoIP services which are available to replace the current PSTN and ISDN services and would be happy to discuss the benefits of these over your current solution.

We’re offering both new and existing customers alike the opportunity for a free telephony audit. This audit will review all of the telephony services currently supplied to your business, providing a report on the services and a recommendation of the actions needed to prepare for the withdrawal of the PSTN and ISDN network in 2027.

If you’d like to discuss your telephony requirements in more detail or to book a free telephony audit please call us on 0333 234 0011 or email contact@wavenet.co.uk. Click here to read more about our Voice solutions.

ISDN, PSTN, Education

Latest blogs

See all posts

Placeholder thumbnail

Boardroom vs breach: 20 questions every IT leader should be asking about cyber security

Cyber threats are evolving faster than most organisations can keep up. Between new attack techniques, expanding digital estates, and the cyber skills shortage, even well-equipped IT teams are struggling to stay ahead. It’s no longer enough to tick compliance boxes or to simply deploy the latest tools. Real security starts with asking the right questions and acting on the answers. That’s why we’ve created Boardroom vs Breach, a 20-question self-assessment designed to help IT leaders and those responsible for cyber-security take a clear-eyed look at your current security posture, highlight blind spots, and spark critical conversations at board level. Why this matters The cost of a cyber breach isn’t just downtime – it’s trust, reputation, compliance fines, and lost revenue. Yet many companies don’t know if their defences are actually up to the task – do you? These 20 questions aren’t about theory; they reflect real-world weak points that we see every day. If you can’t answer them confidently, we can help. The 20 Questions You Need to Answer Visibility & Monitoring Do you have complete visibility of your IT assets? What visibility do you have into incidents and events across your infrastructure? How do you manage your security tooling? How many different tools are you running — and are they working together? Are your systems and endpoints patched regularly? Our advice: Gaining complete visibility starts with consolidating event data, automating alerts, and ensuring continuous oversight across your entire estate. Take a look at: Security Information and Event Management Vulnerability Management Managed Detection and Response Threat Detection & Response What happens if an incident occurs after hours? How do you find out? Who responds? When was your last penetration test? How regularly do you conduct them? What protections are in place for endpoints, email, and networks? What level of visibility do you have into potential breaches? Do you work with a partner that offers 24/7/365 response and real-world support? Our advice: Improve threat visibility and reduce response times by combining real-time monitoring with expert-led incident analysis and containment. Take a look at: 24/7/365 Managed Detection and Response Incident Response Retainers Penetration Testing and Red Teaming Cloud & Modern IT Risk Do you use public cloud services? Are you confident in how they’re secured? How do you manage and secure user devices remotely? What vendors are you currently relying on — and are they right for your risk profile? How do you secure your network beyond the firewall? Our advice: Extend visibility beyond the traditional perimeter by applying cloud-native monitoring, endpoint telemetry, and policy-based access control. Take a look at: Cloud Security Assessments Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) People, Process & Planning How are your users trained to detect attacks such as phishing? Do you have access to expert help in a crisis? What cyber expertise exists in-house — is there a dedicated security leader? How do you create a positive security culture, not just rules? What threats are most relevant to your industry? Are you meeting required regulations and compliance standards? Our advice: Build better situational awareness by aligning people and processes with continuous monitoring and clearly defined escalation paths. Take a look at: Security Awareness Training Virtual CISO Services Compliance and Risk Consulting And a bonus question, with potentially the most worrying answer of all… What would a breach cost your business — financially and operationally? Putting It All Together While individual solutions can address specific security challenges, working with a trusted managed services and security partner ensures cohesive, round-the-clock support across every aspect of your cyber security posture — delivering greater efficiency, resilience, and long-term value. We work with IT and security leaders across all sectors to assess risk, build resilient cyber strategies, and deliver comprehensive protection that scales with your business. From real-world penetration testing to 24/7/365 threat detection, cloud security, and expert consultancy, we’re your trusted partner in securing the ‘now’ — and preparing for what’s next.

Placeholder thumbnail

Migrating legacy on-premises PBX to the cloud: The tide has turned

Cloud is the clear choice for business communications Industry watchers and pundits all agree that in the cloud-versus-premises PBX debate, the cloud has won. Cloud-based “as a service” solutions are taking off as companies look to the cloud for their unified communications (UC), collaboration, and contact centre needs.

Placeholder thumbnail

7 benefits of moving from an on-premises PBX to the cloud

Tipping points: Factors typically driving the transition from a legacy PBX to cloud VoIP Essential business apps are now born in the cloud. Whether you have a CRM solution, something for HR, or simple file storage, it’s probably in the cloud. But for any number of reasons – not the least of which is the relatively large investment required for a new PBX – many businesses have delayed upgrading their PBX and moving it to the cloud. Consequently, you may be living with a communications system that lacks the capabilities and flexibility to support rapid growth or business agility. Or you may be dealing with the worry that you are literally one ageing component away from complete failure of your company’s business communications.

Placeholder thumbnail

Microsoft 365 by Wavenet - video

Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive cloud-based subscription service that integrates collaboration, communication, and productivity tools for enterprises, supported by various management and compliance services. Microsoft 365 brings together best-in class productivity apps with powerful cloud services, device management, and advanced security in one, connected experience. Once used to its full potential, Microsoft 365 can speed up processes, reduce costs, save time and make compliance easier. But its constant updates and complexity often get in the way. That’s where we help — with nine practical ways to get more value from Microsoft 365, from buying and configuring it to improving security, collaboration and everyday use. Watch our 3 minute video below, to find out how…

Close up of a server stack with flashing lights

3 reasons why reliable network infrastructure is the backbone of digital transformation

Reliable network infrastructure is the foundation of any successful digital transformation. In this short video, Tom Harris explains how strong connectivity supports secure operations, enables remote work, and gives businesses the flexibility to scale and innovate. From improved data protection to cloud readiness, learn why getting your network right is essential for long-term growth.

Top 3 cyber practices every business should adopt

Top 3 cyber practices every business should adopt

Cyber security threats are evolving, but so can your defences. In this short video, Tom Harris shares three essential practices every business should adopt to protect sensitive data and reduce risk: implementing strong access controls, delivering regular security training to employees, and keeping software up to date. These simple, proactive steps can make a big difference in strengthening your organisation’s security posture.