Business Enterprise

The PSTN stop sell has happened: What does that mean for your business?

Zen Aug 21 2023 2 minutes

It seems like we’ve been talking about the Great British Switch Off for some time now, but the first milestone in the UK-wide transition from analogue copper services to an all-digital future has just been reached.

That’s because, from September 2023, copper-based telephone and broadband services will no longer be available for sale. So what does that mean for your business?

No new services

The first and most obvious thing to bear in mind about the stop sell is that, from now on, no new analogue services will be available. That means, for example, traditional PSTN and ISDN landlines or ADSL and FTTC broadband.

If you’re looking for a new broadband or telephone connection – perhaps you’re looking for a new provider or moving premises – then you’ll no longer be able to order any service that relies on the old copper telephone network.

Upgrades, regrades and repairs

The stop sell won’t just affect new services though. From now on you’ll no longer be able to regrade your service. Think boosting your broadband to the next package up or adding ISDN lines.

With the copper network being retired, repairs and maintenance will also become harder and harder to obtain, which means if you encounter any difficulties with your service you might be out of luck.

Other analogue services

From monitored alarms to CCTV, fax machines and more, the stop sell will affect more than just the broadband and telephony you receive from your ISP. Those services too will need to be transitioned to all-digital in order for them to keep working.

If you rely on any of these other analogue services, we recommend contacting your service provider – if they haven’t already explained to you what’s happening - to discuss your future options.

Your brand-new options

As you’re probably already aware – but there’s no harm in reiterating the point – the stop sell of copper services will soon be followed by their switch off. That means any remaining services that make use of the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) will simply stop working in a couple of years’ time.

If you haven’t done so already, we strongly recommend that you migrate your services to future proof alternatives before that date.

For connectivity, that means full fibre (FTTP), SOGEA (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access: an FTTC-based alternative to full fibre in areas that don’t yet have access to that technology) or a leased line.

For phone calls, our Digital Voice and CloudComms options cover pretty much any business requirement, from a single line to fully featured call centre and everything in between.