ISDN Switch Off Northern Ireland

This is our guide for the ISDN and PSTN switch off in Northern Ireland.

The full switch off of both ISDN and PSTN will happen in 2025. It is important for business continuity that all Northern Ireland companies make the necessary changes before this date.

In 2015 BT announced that they would stop taking new orders for ISDN in 2020 and that the entire ISDN network would be deactivated by the year 2025.

Below we explain what these services are and what changes your business will need to make, and what preparations you may need to make.

Why do Businesses use ISDN2 and ISDN30?

ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) is a telephone network system that allows voice and data to be delivered over a digital line at the same time.

Initially released in 1986, it allowed businesses to use digital lines as opposed to standard analogue lines.

Digital lines are higher quality in terms of voice, but the main advantage is their ability to transfer data.

For businesses this meant they could incorporate basic video conferencing without compromising on internet speeds.

Why do Businesses no longer need ISDN?

Technology has progressed significantly within the last 5 years. Fast Internet access is now provided through connections such as fibre broadband, DSL or leased lines. That makes the use of ISDN redundant.

It is being replaced with a range of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions. Unlike traditional analogue and ISDN lines, VoIP does not require the use of copper cables

Around 50% of Northern Ireland businesses have already made the move to some form of VoIP such as a Hosted PBX or SIP channels.

Why Make the Move to SIP/VOIP?

VOIP is a modern progressive technology with several important benefits and advantages:

  • Speed of setup – SIP/VoIPt  much faster to provision and setup a new line
  • Line rental costs – As your business will require fewer lines, line rental costs will be reduced
  • Scale and flexibility – By combining a cloud based system with SIP lines it is easy to transfer calls between offices in different locations, and to allow employees to work from anywhere

SIP from b4b Group

ISDN is being replaced with SIP channels or SIP trunks.

For most businesses in Northern Ireland, each channel of ISDN would be replaced with a SIP channel, which operates via a broadband connection. SIP trunks are a high-quality offer and are also much cheaper than ISDN line rental.

Why Choose b4b to move away from ISDN?

  • b4b Group have helped hundreds of business transition from ISDN to SIP & VoIP services
  • Let our experienced team design the best network for your business needs
  • We appoint an account manager who will work alongside our experienced and accredited engineers to allow for a seamless transition with no down time
  • The clock is ticking and there has never been a better time to make the move
  • If you want one of our ISDN migration team to chat through your options, then just fill in your details and we will call you at a convenient time

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