ISDN doesn't have long left. BT has already announced that it will switch off their entire ISDN network in 2025. Within the next five years, it will pretty much disappear but it is still being used by a lot of businesses.
ISDN currently relies on physical infrastructure such as copper wiring. It became so popular because it gave businesses the opportunity to transmit voice and data over the same lines.
Since it takes up so much physical space and you need to administer and maintain the lines, it can take up a lot of time. You also need to physically add or remove lines and it can be a hard process to go through.
So what can you do?
Currently, there are two future-ready solutions that are already gaining traction. SIP Trunking and Hosted Telephony. SIP connects a business’s PBX to the provider’s national network over the broadband, Ethernet or private circuit. Hosted Telephony is a complete business phone system. It’s delivered over the internet and provided by a host or telephony provider.
What is the best alternative for you?
SIP
– One SIP channel can cost approximately half the price of its ISDN equivalent.
– You get free internet calls.
– SIP trunks can be added in less than a minute, so you can quickly scale up and down.
– It has built in business-continuity allowing you to reroute calls to an alternative location.
– SIP trunks are integrated, tested and approved to link in with platforms such as Microsoft Lync.
Hosted Telephony
– There is no onsite hardware and on-net rates over a business grade network are extremely competitive.
– You have control over your systems with call handling and management features.
– It comes with dynamic call handling, pre-recorded messages and seamless transfers at the touch of a button that integrate with your disaster recovery plans.
– CSG can give you full support and training, number porting, provisioning and 24/7 assistance within the UK.
If you want to find out what your options are, call our team today on 0330 400 5465