BT Openreach have announced they will be switching off their existing PSTN and ISDN network by 2025 and switching to a single IP network. Find out about the alternatives and how to prepare your school. The closure of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) is part of plans by BT toward internet-based voice calls via a fibre network.
What is PTSN?
“The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators, providing infrastructure and services for public telecommunication” Analogue voice data is sent over a circuit-switched phone line made up of copper wires which is owned and operated by your phone provider.
What is ISDN?
“Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network”
What alternatives will replace PTSN?
The recent investment in the UK communications network has made the new fibre infrastructure widely available and affordable to small businesses. This means IP-based VoIP solutions are the top alternative for schools.
What is VoIP?
VoIP is a cloud-based telephony solution which moves your whole phone system online so all your calls are sent over your internet connection. This digital cloud-based phone system offers a wide range of additional features such as call recording, receiving voicemails via email, call queuing and unified communications – being able to access the system on multiple devices such as a mobile and desktop.
Top 5 benefits of VoIP for educational establishments
Cost Effective
Put simply, moving to a hosted solution is cost effective and can save your school money regardless of the size. This is because the installation and maintenance costs are able to be kept minimal. A hosted solution also means that you avoid paying costly traditional phone line bills. This is because you place calls over competitively priced internet connectivity instead.
Advanced features
A VoIP system is full of features that are simply inaccessible with traditional phone lines. One area to highlight particularly is its dedicated lines. These can be employed to report absences and prevent unwanted behaviour. We know that safeguarding a child’s welfare is paramount in your school. That’s why we can set up dedicated anti-bullying phone lines. They can be used by students to call and report acts of bullying to them or their peers. These dedicated lines have been critical for many schools in protecting many students from bullying. Other advanced features to highlight that VoIP systems provide include, increased call control, staff emergency broadcasts, call recording, free call between multi-sites and more.
Increased flexibility
VoIP systems allow for increased flexibility. VoIP systems scale up and down seamlessly to match the exact requirements of a school. Adding new users and devices can be added or removed simply when needed. This is a far simpler process than it is with traditional phone lines.
Faster installation
No more waiting for an engineer to install physical lines means you get connected faster.
Want to find out more about VoIP can offer you? We are on hand to talk and answer any questions you may have.
Contact us
With many School VoIP solutions available, we suggest that you contact us for more information or advice. We’re happy to discuss our VoIP solutions with you. You can contact us using the email form or by calling us on 08000 11 64 34.