Headsets4business IMPORTANT INFORMATION For Your Business!

By 2025 BT OpenReach will have moved ALL the old analogue public switched telephone network (PSTN & ISDN) to a fully digital IP based network. (IP is internet protocol; in simple terms, voice calls over broadband)

It’s already started.
Did you know that from 2023 it will no longer be possible to order new or additional analogue or ISDN phone lines?
So expanding your current non IP based system will not be possible.

It is imperative that your business or organisation plans well in advance of 2025, before every phone call in the UK is digital & routing over IP replacing the traditional PSTN analogue & ISDN lines.

Why are they doing this?
The UK telephone system dates back to the dark ages and maintaining the network is no longer feasible. It’s hardly surprising with our obsession with the Internet & how we now communicate (think Fibre & Broadband) that UK telecoms technology is in need of a serious make over.

And in other countries....

The Netherlands & Estonia have already switched off PTSN, whilst Germany and Japan are also in the process of switching over.

Apart from all Your Business & residential lines, the switch off will also impact the following services:

Which of these are you currently relying on?

Fax Lines
Alarm Lines (Digital Dialer)
Door Entry Systems
CCTV
Redcare Alarm Lines
PDQ Payment Terminals
Payphone Lines
Emergency Lift Lines
Direct Line Phones
EPOS Terminals
Personal Health Lines
Franking Machines
Panic Alarms
DDI Numbers

The short answer is YES - Absolutely....and a whole lot more!

Modern Ip telephony offers a multitude of connectivity from the old phone systems to the new like:

• Screen Sharing
• Video Conferencing
• Call Recording: On-Demand
• Remote/Home Working
• Call Forwarding
• Call Transfer
• Call Monitoring
• Call Queue
• Call Group
• Integration of existing business software

Most Frequently Asked Question:
Can I keep my old phone number(s)? - YES....BUT

You must move to IP telephony before the shut down in order to retain current numbers!

Suprisingly not as much as people think
(there is no giant box screwed to a wall any more, its all via broadband - a single source)

Cost:
Typically from around *£15+VAT per month, per person including calls etc
*based on typical small business, doesnt include set up fees

In many cases there are considerable savings to be had moving over to an IP system. You will not have any line rental costs, and because there’s no hardware on site, an expensive system maintenance contract is no longer needed. Apart from the cost saving, think about all the new features and benefits an IP system will bring & the potential for an increase in productivity.

The first thing you need to do is:

1. Ensure you have the right connectivity
   You need connectivity that’s up to the job, now and in the future. Think high-quality internet connectivity, fixed or mobile. The new systems are often cloud-based and as such demand resilient applications & high-bandwidth etc.
   
   In order to provide the highest quality voice calls & super smooth video conferencing, you must ensure you review your current needs and how upgrading to digital voice and collaboration services will affect your internet connectivity needs.
   
   Basically - What type of connectivity will provide enough capacity to comfortably handle existing & new technology for you?
   
   We Can Help You With this
   
   
2. Make a list of other services using your current line
   (see "What could be affected" above)

   Your upgrade to a digital IP system may have an impact on how your currently connected services like CCTV, EPOS, Door Entry systems etc work, so it’s vital that you have a list of everything currently running off your old PSTN and ISDN lines
   

   
   We Can Help You With this
   
   
3. Prepare to educate and train your employees
   No one likes change, its just one of those human things BUT - in this case it's definitely change for the better, technology moves at such a rate and we need to keep up. To ensure every one is up to speed, we will will ensure any training on new systems is carried out in a timely and effective fashion
   
   We Can Help You With this
   
   
4. Think about the Phone hardware
   At one time the choice was simply a desk phone (& they still work well today!) but now we have softphones with all the functionality of a desk phone but works on any PC or Laptop. Plus mobile telephony has the capabilities (via apps) to act in exactly the same way as a desk top phone. Different applications depending on your own requirements - think remote working, wharehouses, contact centres etc - Which new capabilities will best suit your needs?
   
   We Can Help You With this
   
   
5. Nothing negative here, its an opportunity to Prosper!
   This is an opportunity, not a hinderence! (yes its a forced switch off by BT Openreach) BUT a necessary one to ensure that you not only have a "phone system" but an infrastructure which will allow you do so many other things - integrated via a single source
   
   Interested -time to to have a chat?

In our 14 years in business and with thousands of customers of which statistically over 50% will still be on the old analogue legacy systems, we thought this was too important not to get involved.

After all there is no point having a state of the art headset attached to an old PSTN line, especially one that's about to be switched off.

This ensures that you will not only continue to get the right headset for the right job. But also now we will help ensure you have the right telecoms IP infrastructure in place.

How will we do that?

We know the telecoms sector like the back of our hand so we have decided to partner with one of the UK's leading supplier of Telecoms VoIP technology.

Zest4 is a UK owned business and are renowned leaders in their field. They are wholesale providers of the most secure and reliable IP communications platforms available in the UK.

Headsets4Business has been working with Zest4 for the past 5 years providing them and their customers with our market leading headsets.

We are delighted to extend this partnership to include the supply of the Zest4 portfolio of IP based telephone systems to our customers.

From a few employees with basic requirements to multi site & complex telecoms requirements, Zest4 can & will help guide you through from start to finish.

Get in touch today (form below)