News in the Channel - issue #9

PSTN SWITCH-OFF

provide PSTN connectivity, but delivered over an IP network rather than a physical copper cable. “SIP Trunking will continue to deliver inbound and outbound calls in the same way that ISDN has, but it allows for additional features and greater resilience and flexibility than traditional telephony. “Switching to SIP Trunking gives organisations the option to futureproof their existing hardware and make it compatible with internet enabled telephony solutions. Once the PSTN is switched off, legacy telephones will no longer work, so if organisations are keen to keep their current equipment, then opting for SIP trunking is essential. This allows them to take advantage of integrated communications, including messaging, presence and video and enable organisations to integrate infrastructure across voice, connectivity and security, providing a robust network for internal and external communication. “Experienced suppliers can deliver SIP channels into most on premise PBX environments, along with connectivity into cloud services such as Cisco Webex Calling or Microsoft Teams. This flexibility can allow a single PSTN service to be consumed even when an organisation is planning a migration to cloud telephony services. This in turn reduces the complexity of migration activities around Direct Dialling In porting, CLI presentation and reachability between platforms. “For public sector organisations, SIP Trunking can be delivered over different types of connectivity, including but not limited to the internet, Health and Social Care Network, private data circuits or existing Multiprotocol Label Switching services in a highly resilient manner.” Jono adds that while the PSTN switch off may seem a long way away, getting prepared now is key to success. “Organisations need to upgrade to internet solutions ahead of this deadline to ensure continuity of service,” he says. “Looking at the services that need to be migrated now will avoid any last-minute panic or long-lead times for the installation of new services. Being aware of when Openreach’s stop-sell policy will affect your local area and getting the right expert support will be key to future-proofing communications ahead of the switch off.”

Stephen MacIntyre marketing director

be reactive to any future changes.”

nimans.com

Auditing Stephen McIntyre from Nimans says resellers need to be auditing their customers now to establish what connections their customers have and what they are being used for. “It may be that end users have a lot of redundant lines that can be ceased, so some cost savings can be made right away,” he says. “Then it’s a case of understanding the migration options, what services need to be retained and upgrading to SoGEA or FTTP as soon as possible. “Resellers need to explain what the switch off means, what SoGEA and FTTP are as solutions and how voice will be delivered differently over these connections compared to PSTN/ISDN. Resellers need customers to establish which of their command line interfaces (CLIs) need to be retained. This is vital to avoid customers losing phone numbers and service. Resellers can also advise of the dates exchanges are due to move to full fibre. “There are some limitations in some areas but generally with SoGEA having 97%+ UK footprint business can start to migrate now. However, we see the main problems being with the communication from Openreach. ‘2025’ is so misleading in terms of timescales as in reality it’s 2023. Resellers are also finding it hard to get around all their customers. There is also a cost to migrate from legacy solutions to fibre, either with an existing or to a new supplier.” SIP Trunking Jono Darlington, collaboration solutions architect at Cinos, notes that the ISDN replacement is SIP Trunking, which will still

Resellers need to explain what the switch off means, what SoGEA and FTTP are as solutions and how voice will be delivered differently over these connections “

compared to PSTN/ISDN.

”

Jono Darlington collaboration solutions architect

cinos.net