You may often hear it said that we live in a digital world and not an analogue one, but for many people and companies, the reality is that analogue is still very much with us and the business of making the transition to digital is still ongoing.
This is particularly true about business telephony. It may be that you have not given much thought to changing your system and have been reasonably happy with it, although there may be many things you could do with more modern technology. Alternatively, you might be thinking about an upgrade, but not be sure where to start or what the process involves.
The Timetable For The Digital Transition
The first thing every company’s management should know is that the UK is now in the process of a digital switchover. What this means is that all the analogue landlines in the UK are set to be retired, with the final switch-off taking place at the end of January 2027 for most customers, both domestic and business.
It was as long ago as 2017 when the telecoms industry announced the intention to switch from analogue to digital, which will also mean dispensing with the old infrastructure of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This is increasingly hard to maintain, not least as some parts are no longer being made as the technology moves towards obsolescence.
Indeed, the original plan was to complete the switchover by December 31st 2025, but it became clear that this was not fully achievable within the timescale and therefore the deadline was pushed back. This gives more time to complete the process, but also means the existing PSTN network will decline even more.
No Need To Wait
While all that means problems with the current network are becoming more frequent, the replacement of this old infrastructure with modern internet connections (known as Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP) offers not just more reliability and resilience, but clearer signals and the potential to enjoy the benefits of more services.
Among the services are three-way calling, anonymous call rejection and broadband services (although the latter is optional until 2030). Some of these (especially anonymous call rejection) may be more suited to domestic customers, but three-way calls may be especially useful in business.
Indeed, the right response to this change should be to embrace the exciting possibilities on offer. Many homes and businesses have already done so, which means there is no reason for you to wait until the deadline is close. We can help you get started with this process through our new business telecoms switching service.
Switching soon means you aren’t doing things in a rush and can take some time to have a look around at alternatives. As a company with a business telephony supplier already, you may find your existing provider has already been in touch about the kind of new services they can provide. However, this may be the time to switch telecoms supplier altogether.
Why You Might Want To Switch
In considering this possibility, you may bear various things in mind. Firstly, will the new, upgraded services be of high quality? While all digital and VoIP telephony ought to be a vast improvement on the old analogue systems using copper wires, that does not mean there won’t be some services that are more reliable than others.
Secondly, what services will your provider be offering? Could you get more from elsewhere and might these be of a higher standard, or simply more suitable for your business needs?
Thirdly, the question of price is unavoidable. This comes in two parts. One is whether you can get a better price in general for the same service, or whether you can obtain an overall package elsewhere that is different in terms of services, but offers better overall value for money.
Finally, there is the question of the basic standard of service, which will be important when the package includes extra new technology that makes use of VoIP technology to give you new things, but also when it comes to installing services promptly and providing swift and effective action whenever a problem arises.
Embrace The Opportunity
Ideally, the digital switchover will provide you with an opportunity to enjoy a more reliable telephone service with additional facilities offering useful things analogue cannot provide, all at a decent price and backed up by great customer service. However, you may find that your provider falls down on at least one of these points, if not more.
That is why our business telecoms switching service may prove so useful. There is no reason to assume that your current provider will come up with the best package, or that someone else will not provide something superior before long. If you can find something better, our switching service will help you make the most of this new digital opportunity.
