In 2015 BT gave 10 years notice that they would be switching off traditional lines such as single, multi and digital lines and making their Green Cabinets redundant. Now, 2025 is fast approaching. In September 2024 BT announced that they will no longer be accepting new orders for these lines and two of their cabinets have already closed.
What does the Big BT Switch Off mean for you?
Whether you are a business or home owner, if you are still using single, multi or digital (IDSN) lines for your telephone system, credit card machine, alarm or even fax, you need to be looking at alternative ways to use these.
For your telephone system, VoIP (voice over the internet) is the flexible, cost effective solution. You are able to keep your number/s, and have a choice of where, when and how you wish to make and receive your calls. You can have any combination of internet handsets, apps on your mobile, laptop, computer, tablet, Mac & Android, giving you the freedom to run your business from anywhere, office, home or abroad. For business owners, the option of having their customers contact their staff on a landline number, even when they aren’t in the office, is far better for customer retention, than customers ringing personal mobiles. Extensive reports help you manage staff productivity and identifies unreturned missed calls. Call Recording enables you to agree fact, figures and contracts over the phone, preventing disputes. It isn’t just doctors and dentists that use Call Queuing, we often see busy Solicitor’s practices using it, so that the Fee Earners don’t need to answer the phone. If fax numbers are still required, these numbers can now be ported to VoIP and faxes emailed to you. The cost of VoIP is ideal for both sole traders and larger businesses alike.
Credit card or pdq machines now come with an internet socket, this makes the transaction faster and means that you aren’t incurring the cost of a single line. Alarm and CCTV can now be run through a sim card or over the internet.
Internet
Traditionally ADSL and Fibre (FTTC - fibre to the cabinet) broadband used a single copper line for the broadband to sit on. More recently, it has been possible to switch off the dial tone on these lines, the broadband will still run the same and the customer will no longer paying for that single line.
Over the last few years, we have seen many areas having Full Fibre installed (FTTP – fibre to the premises/property), including new housing areas, offering much faster speeds, with much more reliability. High speed packages can now be purchased at far more reasonable prices than we have seen in previous years. BT have concentrated on residential areas rather than on industrial commercial areas, allowing alternative providers to step in to bridge this gap, but usually this comes at a higher price, however for those businesses that want productive staff and to thrive and grow, this is a price worth paying.
If you would like to know more, ring Dialect Telecom on 01604 212258 or visit their website.
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