BT announced in 2015 that it would phase out the Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) by December 2025. Thus, people will no longer be able to make calls over these analogue phone lines, but will instead be able to use faster, clearer IP technologies.

Is there a reason why this happening?  

In this way, the switch-off represents the next evolution in telecommunications technology. ISDN was introduced in the 1980s, enabling both voice and data services to be delivered simultaneously. As a result of the technology and services available at the time, it served its purpose very well and continued to do so for many years.  

Almost 40 years later, we are now well into the 21st century, and technology has advanced rapidly. As the digital world becomes more and more fast-paced and everything moves to the cloud, the old telephone solutions are falling behind.

How does this impact your business? 

More than 2 million UK businesses, mainly SMEs, could be affected by the switch-off. Businesses still using landline telephones and fax machines will be impacted by the switch-off significantly. There will be changes in how your staff communicates with clients, customers, partners, and vendors due to this situation, and you’ll have to determine how you’ll cope with those changes.

We strongly advise businesses to not wait until the last minute to make a change to all-digital communications such as cloud telephony or hosted PBX even though 2025 may seem like a long while off! 

 So, what’s the alternative? 

As a replacement for ISDN, VoIP can be a cost-effective option. With VoIP, you can work anywhere, regardless of whether you’re at home or at the office. VoIP allows you to call someone over an internet connection, on a cloud network, rather than a traditional phone line. 

Steve is our VoIp specialist here at Ice, below are his top benefits of VoIP! 👇🏼

Businesses that switch to VoIP, have a wide range of benefits, as long as you have a stable internet connection. You’ll have more flexibility and scalability since you’ll be able to add and delete users as needed, and you’ll be able to work from anywhere because you’ll be able to make calls from your phone. VoIP is also a cost-effective and portable solution — VoIP is typically far less expensive than ISDN lines. Additionally, because VoIP is cloud-based, you won’t have to worry about any ongoing maintenance expenditures.

1. Cost Saving – A Voip system uses an internet connection to make calls instead of traditional lines. This is significantly cheaper and typically includes all uk landline and mobile calls.
2. Rich Features – As standard, such as call recording ,video conferencing, which you would normally have to pay additional on a phone system.
3. Scalability – With VoIP you can easily add or remove lines and users.
4.  Mobility – You can log into the voip account whilst away from the office from other devices, mobile, laptops etc, without the need of costly 3rd party systems.
5. Integration – Because Voip calls are internet based, hosted Voip are easy to integrate with other business applications.

Is VoIP any better than ISDN?

The shift to all-digital isn’t solely due to the outdated nature of existing phone infrastructure. The truth is that all-digital communication is far superior. Plus, even at the most basic level, you’ll be able to make and receive calls with the same numbers on any device, from anywhere.

For communication and collaboration, you can seamlessly link your business systems and apps with video chat and calls, bringing you closer to your customers and team members. You can also access company work at any time and from any location with cloud-based technologies.

When you consider the decreased costs that IP technology can bring, it’s clear that you should get moving and go digital as soon as possible.

Need help making the switch?

We’re already helping lots of UK businesses transition from ISDN systems to our cloud-hosted phone system. If you need help making the switch, give us a call! 0333 202 5000.