From the end of next year, landlines will no longer exist in the UK, affecting businesses and residential addresses alike. But so many small businesses, particularly freelancers and other sole traders, still have no idea that the country is set to go digital.
Known as the Big Landline Switch-off, it’s not exactly something we’ve been keeping quiet about here at bOnline. But we really can’t stress enough how important this is - if you use a landline phone, or other business systems like security or card systems that do, you need to act now so your business doesn’t get left behind.
Many countries around the world have gone through this process already and the UK is no exception. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s Happened Already?
In the background, exchanges in the UK have been upgraded in preparation for the landline switch-off and many are now ready for full digital. Once a local exchange is fully upgraded, a stop sell happens and no new technology can be installed in that exchange.
Why Is The Landline Switch-off Happening?
The landline switch-off is happening to improve the capacity of the network. Traditional copper wires that have existed for over 100 years are no longer fit for purpose because it’s always been that both analogue phone and broadband goes down a single line, splitting it in half. By removing analogue from the network, the full cable can be used for broadband, increasing speed capability. This means that higher fibre broadband speeds can be achieved, allowing for higher grade video calling, streaming etc.
The Worry
The landline switch-off isn’t going away - it will happen, it’s just a matter of when you choose to migrate.
The worrying thing here is that around 60% of UK businesses still haven’t made the switch. And if every business leaves it until the last minute, there could be problems. For example, prices will likely rise, plus there is a chance of downtime for some as the porting capacity is hit. Porting a phone number - which is the process of migrating your number off the analogue systems and onto a digital platform - can take time. As mentioned, you may also need to upgrade payment or security systems for example.
Yes 2025 seems a long way away now and switching your telecom provider might not be high up on the list for your business at the moment. But now is actually the ideal time to get upgraded to digital - or face the mayhem with everyone else who left it too late.
Run A Small Business? Here’s What To Do Next
With landlines going, small businesses around the country are switching to a VoIP digital phone system instead. Essentially, you make and receive calls in the usual way, but instead of the sound being transmitted through copper wires, it’s sent digitally in ‘packets’ over the internet instead.
And that’s not all. VoIP digital phone systems can be accessed from any internet-connected device, including your smartphone or tablet, which is great for working on the go. And not only that, our VoIP systems come with smart business features like call management, call divert, video calling, access to call analytics data, hold music, international call bolt-ons and much more. Our contracts are only 12 months long for greater flexibility and with prices starting from just £7 a month they’re hard to beat!
Try VoIP For Free For 7 Days
At bOnline we know making the switch to VoIP can be daunting. That’s why we offer a totally free 7-day trial with no commitment, so you can test out everything on offer. And we won’t even ask for your credit card details.
Set up takes just 2 minutes and is all done online. No techie knowledge needed by you and no engineer visits.
