In its FY24 report published on 16 May 2024 BT announced it would delay the full switch off for analogue lines until January 2027 from the previous deadline of September 2025.
“Following the industry-wide pause to non-voluntary migrations in December 2023, we now expect to have migrated all customers off the PSTN by the end of January 2027, allowing us to align the programme with full fibre broadband customer upgrades where available.”
The reason for this is that some customers depend on analogue lines for signalling in emergencies, e.g. call care systems and lifts. Whilst replacement services are available, they are not as resilient as the current analogue lines. It is hoped that by January 2027 suitable options will have been installed to satisfy those care requirements.
The difficulty is that the current lines are powered from the exchange and the user can use a basic device to access the service, whereas with the new IP services they will need a working data service and compatible device plus emergency backup. Roll out plans have been further frustrated due to lack of a suitable data connection in some areas.
How does this affect you as a business owner?
Clearly if you have a lift, monitoring services or payment card machine you would need to ensure that they are compatible with or can be converted to new IP technologies.
You would need to check what data connections are available in your area, whilst fibre everywhere is the ideal, its not always possible. Plum Communications provide fibre from multiple suppliers so if your premises are not fibre ready with BT, we can often instal fibre with a different provider.
If your voice telephony is provided over analogue or digital (ISDN) lines, you should start planning for replacement of the service. You may be surprised to hear that this can be done even before fibre is available as voice uses little bandwidth, but you would require a working internet connection, copper, fibre or WIFI at all premises where voice is used.
The good news is it is not always an additional cost. In many cases the running costs of a new VOIP system are equal to or less than the cost of a legacy on premise system. Many VOIP systems include call allowance to UK lines and mobiles and in some cases to international destinations.
If you are changing to a VOIP system you can expect to have additional features available like auto attendant, call queueing, on hold messages, voicemail to email, call cording and reporting. Not all VOIP systems are the same so always check what is included before you order and whether any of these features are an extra cost.
Increasingly common is the use of apps on mobiles and desktops which allow users to stay connected even when not in the office. Some systems include these, and others have an additional charge so always check before ordering.
Plum Communications provide a choice of VOIP systems, and we would be delighted to help you choose the right one for your business. We will consider your current arrangements and future requirements and how you may wish to integrate with other services and provide you with a proposal for a suitable replacement.
If you need help upgrading your voice services, contact Plum Communications on 01616223500 or visit their website https://plumcom.co.uk/.
Delay in analogue line full switch off announced by BT
