For those who have been retecent to move to VoIP telephony, there won't be a choice soon.
BT have finally announced that “by 2025, all their customers will be using IP Voice.” This wasn't a quick decision for BT, but rather a decision made after much discussion with the telecoms industry as a whole. It was decided that the end of life for the ISDN and PSTN networks was inevitable and a 2025 cut-off would give providers and customers enough time to trasition to IP telephone solutions.
Gavin Patterson, BT Group CEO, highlighted that the future BT will rely on a single IP core network. The core IP network will replace all legacy networks and platforms. This will allow all BT customers to have a ubiquitous experience on all devices, utilising the BT mobile network (which we believe will be acquired in the upcoming EE deal) and the expansion of their fixed IP network.
The convergence onto their IP network will require BT to migrate all of their customers off the ISDN network at some point in the next 10 years. Although this may seem like a long time, the process will likely take a lot longer then expected and BT intends to start soon. It is thought that while BT is going to do everything possible to keep customers with BT, the forced move off ISDN may make some customers look elsewhere for their voice service.
As of August 2013, there were 3.2 million ISDN channels in the UK. All users and businesses using these channels will have to migrate by 2025, otherwise they will be without phone service.
VTSL have offered specialised VoIP business telephony, or cloud-based phone systems since 2007. VTSL's solution uses the service provider's purely IP network, ideal for those looking for a safe, reliable IP option to replace their traditional BT service. VTSL was one of the first to market with a VoIP offering designed for SMEs, and have expanded their offering to include connectivity for those looking for a sigle voice and data provider.
To hear the full details of the BT announcement, click here. The relevant section starts at 17 minutes.
To learn more about VoIP business phone systems and IP telephony solutions from VTSL, visit www.vtsl.net or contact them today.
