BT ISDN Switch Off

BT has announced its plan to phase out the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), which has been the backbone of business phone systems since 1988. The announcement is that new installations will cease in 2020 and fully switch off by 2025.

ISDN is brilliant; it is reliable and better than analogue lines that went before. However, it is losing market share to VoIP and has come to “the end of the line”.

Time to upgrade to VoIP

ISDN subscribers still have some time before their existing systems stop working. In many cases, until your current phone system reaches the end of its useful life. For any new phone system, there is little point in investing in systems with such a short lifespan. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems are the only practical alternative and are generally better and cheaper. SIP is another acronym that is short for Session Initiation Protocol.

Most legacy phone systems are not compatible with VoIP. Legacy phone systems typically mean hardware-based systems screwed to the wall in office premises. Some legacy systems can be made compatible by installing VoIP cards in them. In most cases, these VoIP cards are costly and usually require licenses for them to work. The cost of upgrading old systems is often more than buying a new system, and you then have a system that is old and will have a limited life.

Planning a move to VoIP

Many phone system providers are using the ISDN switch-off to scare people into signing up with their VoIP solution. Do not fall for this tactic, as you still have time to transition to VoIP.  Atomik.biz does not use these tactics to scare people into buying our services. We think new technology sells itself in performance and cost savings. Our service means our systems will perform as designed.