The UK’s phone lines are going digital. For decades, phone calls have been carried over copper wires – an analogue system known as the ‘public switched telephone network’ (PSTN). That’s served the country well in the past, but it can’t keep up with the demands of the modern, interconnected world. So it’s being replaced, and by 2025, all phone calls will be carried over the internet instead.
What does that mean for your customers? In this short guide, we look at some of the big benefits of going digital.
With digital phone lines, your customers don’t connect to a physical exchange. Instead, their calls are handled in the cloud. That means they can take their business line with them, wherever they go. They can even make and take calls on different devices, including their mobile phone or laptop.
Not only are internet phone calls usually cheaper, customers also don’t have to pay for any extra physical lines if they want to add a new user. As long as they have an internet connection with reasonable bandwidth, they can add new lines without high cost.
If the power goes down in a customer’s office or if they can’t access their premises for some reason, they can still make calls from somewhere else. Anywhere that has an internet connection, in fact. No matter what the circumstances, they can keep their business up and running.
Adding extra phone lines and users is much easier when they’re digital. No physical lines need to be connected, so new numbers can be added almost instantly. If your customers want to connect an internet desk phone, setting it up can be as simple as plugging it in.
There’s no need for separate lines for the internet and for phones. With a digital system, everything can go through one internet connection. Not only does that include phones, but also computers and any smart devices your customers might have.
When phone calls are carried over the internet, they can easily be integrated into other systems. That’s led to what’s known as ‘unified communications’, where it’s possible to have a single platform for calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, file sharing and more.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons to switch to digital phone lines is that everyone has to. By the time the old analogue network is switched off, everyone will need to have upgraded their phone line if they want to continue making and taking calls.
Whether they’re already thinking about switching their business to digital phone lines or not, we can help. We offer a range of connectivity and digital phone solutions. Running on the BT network, they offer excellent reliability and performance.
To find out more, contact us at hello@onecompartners.co.uk.