Why your business should start transitioning itself from ISDN to VoIP

In 2015-16, BT announced that it would no longer be purchasing ISDN lines from 2020, and would be switching them off by 2025. So, with ISDN being phased out, businesses are starting to look at alternatives. The alternative to ISDN is VoIP, so why should you begin to transition from ISDN to VoIP?

1. What is ISDN?

First of all, ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. BT introduced it in 1986 and, as technology has progressed, has become harder to maintain.

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This is because it uses the physical network of the traditional PSTN. ISDN digitally transmits phone calls, video calls, and data over copper wires. It splits the copper line into multiple channels, allowing several phones to make various calls.

2. What is VoIP?

On the other hand, VoIP is Voice over Internet Protocol. It is not a technology on its own, but a bunch of technologies used within modern telecommunications. It is just how it sounds – it makes or receives phone calls over the internet or the internal network.

3. What are your options? – ISDN to VoIP

VoIP is a protocol that only allows you to transmit voice over a data network. It is perfect for small businesses that only require making and receiving phone calls with multiple home numbers in between minimal locations. If your business is more extensive or requires more services, you could use a Session Initiation Protocol or SIP.

SIP works by making connections to transfer data and voice over the internet. It is said that it works similarly to how the ‘HTTP’ works on a webpage. SIP can carry voice, data, and audio over the internet.

SIP Trunking from a company like Gamma allows you to link your phone lines within your business virtually and then connects the network to the outside world. This means that you can send multimedia to, and communicate with, multiple people. In other words, SIP can be used to make VoIP calls, as well as video calls and much more.

For businesses that have multiple offices, remote workers, or overseas call centers, SIP Trunking is much better as it allows all your phones to be linked on one virtual network.

It doesn’t matter if you move your office space, scale up, scale down or upgrade. It integrates with your pre-existing infrastructure, and everything else is virtual.

As ISDN is being phased out, businesses must switch to VoIP. Switching to a service like SIP Trunking will allow companies to make not only VoIP calls but also video conferences and much, much more.

This is particularly important at the current time, as it allows your staff to work remotely from home. It also allows you to continue to hold meetings and manage your employees effectively and efficiently from the comfort and safety of your home, without any fear of breaking any rules regarding the ever-changing restrictions.

So, when are you going to transition your business from ISDN to VoIP? The best time was yesterday.