"Making communications work for you"
BT PSTN switch off
Overview - You've probably heard something about this. Some of our clients have been contacted by people pretending to be calling from BT and persistently trying to force an appointment to discuss the changes. So here we address what's actually happening, things to consider and the timeline.
Lines affected – Analogue (standard home and business phone lines) and digital (ISDN2E and ISDN30E) phone lines. This isn't just phone systems it also affects alarm lines, lift lines and any service that uses such lines.
What’s happening – BT will be switching off the above type of phone lines in January 2027 so anyone using them will need to have made arrangements to transfer their numbers using those lines to the newer services generally known as SIP, VOIP or Hosted services including Microsoft Teams phone which we also supply.
Price increases 2026 – BT has increased pricing for these services in April and is implementing further 40% increases on 1st July and 1st October 2026, effectively doubling costs by autumn. We recommend doing something sooner rather than later both to avoid a last-minute rush and to take advantage of the savings available now.
New line/system options – If you currently have a phone system in your office/premises this can usually have non PSTN phone lines added to it either by adding the appropriate licences and hardware or, using an external converter. From a calls point of view functionally it would work in the same way as your current setup with one number shared across all lines and/or a range of numbers including the main number and direct dial numbers shared across all lines. These newer SIP lines are less expensive than current phone lines and include call bundles so you will reduce ongoing line rental and call costs. We've switched many clients successfully already.
Hosted system – The other option is to move to a Hosted system or Microsoft Teams phone system. This replaces an on-premises phone system but again works in the same way as far as main, direct dial numbers and other functionality is concerned. Both SIP lines and the hosted options also have a lot of additional optional enhanced productivity functionality available which is much easier to deploy than with traditional phone systems.
Summary – If you have any questions please get in touch info@adeptcom.net