Earlier technology, PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the standard telephony set up for small businesses, with ISDN (Intergrated Services Digital Network) delivering digital lines for larger businesses. Thanks to bigger and better data capabilities, businesses are now embracing VoIP, aka the “Voice Over Internet Protocol” – the flexible phone system that allows you to make calls over your internet connection.
Why are businesses moving to VoIP?
VoIP has the ability to cut monthly costs associated with multiple PSTN/ISDN lines, as a VoIP system requires just one line with an internet connection. Only a single network is needed to carry both your voice and data, whilst storage space and equipment costs associated with traditional systems are diminished. Scaling up or down is easy, you can add a line as soon as you add a new employee, and when an employee leaves, you can easily reassign or remove the line. Ensuring you always have the right number of phone lines for your needs. In contrast, ISDN can hinder growth plans and/or adjustments to staff turnover as it cannot be easily expanded to accommodate for new users and carries the costs of installation and downtime if you choose to move offices.
With VoIP, you can take advantage of inexpensive international calls and long distance calls and gain the ability to make and receive calls anywhere with an internet (or 3G/4G) connection. This dramatically increases your flexibility and addresses the issue of ‘service interruptions’ better than any traditional PSTN or ISDN solution could.
Why would a business stick to PSTN/ISDN?
Having voice and data on one connection can also be problematic if the implementation has not been scoped properly. If there’s not enough bandwidth available, for example, then your call quality could be very poor, making calls extremely difficult to understand and, of course, having a negative impact on your brand. However, Voice can be prioritised over data traffic and concerns over poor call quality are therefore due to poor implementation rather than the technology itself and can be solved by using an experienced telecoms provider with VoIP expertise. Secondly, when VoIP first arrived, it was a time of dial-up connections and VoIP was associated with poor audio quality and dropped calls. In light of the increased availability of broadband Ethernet services, however, this is no longer a problem and VoIP is often the most popular option, despite the misconception still held by some businesses.
The future of telephony
In line with current progressions in VoIP technology, the British Multinational Telecommunications giant, BT, will switch off ISDN lines in 2025, with purchases discontinued as of 2020. In light of the upcoming switch off, we are offering a free VoIP system for customers who choose CMM to progress to VoIP*. You can find more information here! At CMM, our UK based team provide free set up and support before, during and after the sale, starting with your free audit and quote.
Terms and conditions
*Minimum 3 year contract
*Broadband connection must be through CMM