PSTN switch-off FAQs: Everything you need to know in one place

PSTN migrations can be worth millions so missing out through lack of involvement is not something many providers can afford to do. So we’ve collected all our best info on the PSTN switch-off below to make it easy for you. Whether you’re a beginner in the topic or you know it all, you can tap into a huge and thriving market by reading our FAQs below.

Having originated in the late 1800s, the PSTN has become an inefficient and expensive mess to maintain, particularly over the past century. Hence why back in 2015, Openreach decided to switch it off gradually and to replace it with a faster, more reliable digital service.

If you’d like to learn more, you can read about it in our blog here.

2.4 million businesses in the UK still use PSTN lines, with 24% of them completely unaware of Openreach’s plans to switch off the PSTN. They’ll need your help and guidance with migrating, making it your easy way to future-proofing your customer relationships and growing your business. But only if you act fast.

The switch-off has already begun. It’s happening gradually and in stages depending on your area’s postcodes. Just to give you an idea, Openreach already announced they’re going to stop selling new PSTN lines as early as September this year. And by 2025, the PSTN will be fully retired.

Over two hundred kinds of applications rely on the PSTN for network access. Hundreds of thousands of sales machines, lifts, alarms, and plenty more need your help to secure a safely connected future.

P.S. There are 50,000 lines a week that’ll need migrating if we’re to make the 2025 deadline.

Be careful. Sticking with fixed lines will likely hold your business back when it comes to PSTN switch-off replacements. With fixed lines it can take weeks or months to set up, outages can occur, your speeds can suffer in rural areas, and providers tend to lock you into rigid contracts.

Mobile is plug-and-play, downtimes are less likely, speeds are far quicker, initial costs can be reduced, and being stuck in long-term contracts doesn’t happen.

After getting an NPS score of 74 (more than double the industry average) we took the feedback on board and created a self-help, free, automated tool called the PSTN switch-off sales planner.

It takes the guesswork out of the PSTN switch-off and helps all partners cut weeks out of their replacement roll-outs, putting an end to the headache and hassle of their PSTN migrations. Read more about it here.

All it takes is 15 minutes and three simple steps to give your customers the best connectivity for the job. And we’ll give you the best margin. Easy. Just:

01. Download our PSTN audit template and enter a few simple details

02. Upload your completed audit to our plan generator

03. Get your complete end-to-end sales and deployment plan

We offer intelligent mobile connectivity PSTN replacement services for both low data applications and high data applications. You can make your PSTN migrations a breeze when you’re supported by our intelligent SIMs, add-ons, static IPs, L2TP, best-in-class hardware, and end-to-end 24/7 support. Learn more here.

Just speak to one of our sales team or check out our sales planner for yourself if you’re already a partner.