Everything You Need to Know About the UK's PSTN Switch Off
Simon Turner
Experienced Governance, Risk, and Compliance Executive in the IT/Telecommunications industry
Building on my definition of a carrier network article from earlier, I thought it would be fitting to create a series of articles. Thus, I will write about the effects of the PSTN switch off in this article and then address the implications of the PSTN switch off with regard to the PCI scope of a merchant utilising a dial-up payment terminal in a following article.
So, what's the big deal?
Landline phone calls have traditionally been delivered over a network known as the public switched telephone network (PSTN).?This network is old and becoming harder and more expensive to maintain, so it needs to be replaced.
Replacing the PSTN now will ensure that we continue to have reliable phone services available. This event is not exclusive to the United Kingdom. These changes are occurring on a global scale, with several nations having successfully implemented them.
But why is this happening, and why should I care?
Industry, not Ofcom or the UK Government, has made the decision to close the PSTN. Telecoms providers are investing in new systems and networks. They will need to switch customers away from the old PSTN at the same time as upgrading their technology. This means that in the future, landline calls will be delivered over a digital technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). You might also see this referred to as ‘digital phone’ or ‘digital voice’.
Time for a history lesson: good old dial-up
I'm sure the majority of you reading this remember the good old dialup process, the sounds when dialling, hoping that your friends or family don't try calling, and god forbid someone picking up the phone in the middle of a connection, and then the eventual connection finally connecting, hopefully after the first event. The above gif made me feel nostalgic.
Anyway, the public switched telephone network has been the basis of the UK's telephony infrastructure since 1875! This was initially made up of a copper wire phone system, which was designed for analogue voice interaction.
Then, in the late 1980s, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), a digital counterpart of the analogue phone line that allows voice and data to be sent over PSTN copper lines, was introduced. These could be ISDN2 or ISDN30 lines.
In the early 2000s, the Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), also known as the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), was introduced to replace dial-up connections, with half of all Internet users having moved to a broadband connection by 2007.
And now fibre optic cables, first used to deliver broadband in 2008, are designed to replace the outdated copper lines that had previously connected us to the internet. For over the last 15 years, fibre has steadily been phasing out copper in the UK's internet infrastructure.
What does the PSTN and ISDN switch-off mean to you?
The PSTN service will be decommissioned in December 2025. By that time, every phone line in the United Kingdom will have been converted to a completely digital network that uses Internet Protocol (IP) over a fibre-based service.
At some point before 2025, you’ll need to move from PSTN to the latest IP technology. To help make that possible, Openreach is busy rolling out the full fibre network (fibre to the premises, or FTTP) in phases across the UK. And after September 2023, you will not be able to purchase a traditional phone line in the UK.
It is important to know that this will not only affect voice services but also internet services, which will need to be upgraded. The following considerations should be given:
Home Users: Certain devices people use at home, such as care alarms, security alarms, and fax machines, may also be connected to your landline. If you have a device like this, it might need to be replaced or reconfigured to continue working once you move to a VoIP service.
Business Users: Just like residential customers, small businesses that want to continue using their landlines will eventually have to move to VoIP services. You might also have equipment such as card payment machines, alarms, and monitoring equipment connected to your landline that might not work once you have migrated to a VoIP service.
How do I get fibre to my home or business?
Firstly, let's talk about the terminology that describes the types of fibre connections used to deliver connections to your property. There are two main types of fibre services that you will hear about:
What alternative solutions have been introduced?
The landline isn’t going away. For most consumers, the upgrade to a digital phone line will be as simple as plugging a phone into a router rather than the socket on the wall. The service requires a data connection, not always broadband, and can be enabled through a range of access solutions through the multiple communications provider wholesale product range. It may consist of fibre to the prem or to the cabinet, copper, or using our mobile network.
As of now, a nationwide "stop sell" to sales of wholesale PSTN products has been enforced in order to facilitate the shift to digital-based Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) products.
Openreach, which runs the UK's digital network and for which more than 650 communication providers rely, has developed products that can be used to deliver service and has created a set of rules to determine which of these products should be used on a case-by-case basis.
WLR Products avalible from Communication Providers
A pure fibre connection from the exchange to a premises gives speeds up to one gigabit per second. This is Openreach's highest-speed ultrafast fibre offering and is also called GEA-FTTP (Generic Ethernet Access over FTTP). It’s ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and home customers.
领英推荐
Plain English:?Pure fibre from the exchange to the premises at up to 1Gbps. This is the highest speed ultrafast fibre offering.
With SOGEA, communication providers can offer a standalone hybrid fibre broadband line.?And because it uses a standalone line, a landline won’t need to be?ordered as well.
SOGEA gives downloads of up to 80 Mbps using the same reliable?technology as FTTC (Fibre To The Cabinet).
Customers can bring their previous phone number with them?(in line with OFCOM regulations).
Plain English:?You can order broadband without a phone line with download speeds of up to 80 Mbps. It's fibre from the exchange to the cabinet, then copper to your premises.
SOGfast is simply a faster version of SOGEA. For some customers, Openreach can use a special side pod on the street cabinet to boost speeds over short distances. That means communication providers can offer download speeds of up to 330 Mbps.
Plain English:?You can order broadband without a phone line with download speeds of up to 330 Mbps.
SOTAP is a new product Openreach is developing that will deliver a copper path between Network Terminating Equipment (NTE) at communication providers customers’ premises and a main distribution or jumper frame at the exchange.
Openreach is developing SOTAP to help with the withdrawal of WLR. SOTAP can be used to provide broadband and internet protocol (IP) phone services because it connects to your exchange infrastructure.
It will only be for areas where there aren’t any fibre products available. And it won’t include a managed phone service or any associated calling or network features.
Plain English: If you live in the middle of nowhere and are unable to get a fibre connection, then you can use the existing copper lines to deliver a broadband connection without a phone line and potentially achieve speeds of up to 80 Mbps.
As illustrated above, many communication providers have a migration strategy in place. Have you already done so? Don't fall behind; begin planning now and ensure you understand the implications so you can be ready.
What should I do next? How can I get ready for the PSTN Switch Off?
Examine your current PSTN or ISDN contract and consider switching to a newer product, as described above, when your present contract expires. Given the timelines, it would be beneficial to understand how this may effect you and plan appropriately to safeguard your home and business for the future.
If you require extra assistance, there are numerous focus groups with many industries that have been looking at how this problem effects their sectors, and the following are a few links I discovered during my research:
I haven't come across one yet that has a payments focus in terms of payment terminals used by small merchants, but I'm reaching out to several providers to see what preparations have been made and what advise is available. As more information becomes available, I will publish an update.
In my next article, I'll discuss the effects of the PSTN switch-off on small merchants who use the PSTN, as well as if the current SAQ B is still appropriate. Please be on the lookout for it.
Just in case I haven't already mentioned it, the expected retirement date of PSTN and ISDN is December 2025.
#PSTNTurnoff #DigitalVoice #FutureOfCommunication #DigitalInnovation #VoIP #Modernisation
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this LinkedIn article are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of my current or any previous employer, organisation, or any other entity I may be associated with.
Sales & Partnerships @ ConXhub
8 个月Hi Simon, Great article, but there is an alternative to households and SME's investing in new equipment! conXhub is a British company that has developed patented Mobile First Technology which gives households and business an alternative! Let's connect and schedule a meeting, where I can share what the alternative is, why you don't need to invest in any new equipment, why it is more economical and much more...
Retired IT Security Consultant
1 年Simon, Good to see this being finally deployed having worked on various tactical solutions since 2003. The part that says "The landline isn’t going away. For most consumers, the upgrade to a digital phone line will be as simple as plugging a phone into a router rather than the socket on the wall." My understanding is that the router does need to be a specific design of router with the required functionality such as the VoIP client and also a DECT client to allow cordless phones to connect directly. I am not sure if you can plug an existing DECT base unit into the router or the intention is to use the DECT base in the router. Also if you are a vulnerable customer and it must work during a local power failure, then the router may need to support the connection of a back up battery. Easier to just connect a standard mobile phone which already has a VoIP client to a standard router using WiFi but I understand the need to allow the connection of legacy corded phones. .