‘ No matter how attached you might be to your Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), it’s time to prepare for its retirement years. BT is forging ahead with plans to switch off both PSTN and ISDN in 2025; yes, that’s still a few years away, but it will soon be upon us. If you haven’t already considered making the switch from traditional telephony systems to new, digital alternatives, now is the time to consider your options. Let’s recap on what you need to be doing right now to ensure communications continuity for your business, while waving PSTN off into happy retirement. What next? If your business is yet to make the switch, don’t worry – there are some great alternatives to the PSTN and ISDN available. The most practical are internet-based solutions. Such solutions are called Voice over Internet Protocols, or VoIP. Each VoIP protocol is essentially a set rules that governs how computers communicate with each other. There are two major VoIP protocols: SIP and H.323. SIP The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) was created by the Internet Engineering Taskforce (IETF) to facilitate multimedia communication sessions between two agents. In addition to voice, it can be used for instant messaging, video conferencing, online games, fax over IP and file transfer. SIP has become the IEFT’s standard for multimedia communication over the internet. H.323 H.323 is an older standard, and a very large part of it is based on ISDN. As such, H.323 uses binary language which makes it less flexible than SIP. H.323 also carries a possibility for delay (up to eight seconds). That said, because the protocol was originally developed to facilitate video conferencing, H.323 is effective when it comes to LAN and WAN video communications. What Can I Do to Prepare? If your existing telephony contract expires soon, now is the time to begin looking toward a VoIP solution. Elite Group provides a range of high- quality SIP solutions. Our SIP solutions connect you to a worldwide network, allowing you to make national and international calls at a much lower cost. And, because internet speeds today are very fast, internet telephony delivers incredibly high quality, reliable calls. SIP solutions are also inherently scalable, and will grow with your Another year closer to the PSTN closure - are you ready? WWW.ELITEGROUP.COM | 0333 003 0155 | THENETWORK@ELITEGROUP.COM business as well as help you manage seasonal call influxes. They also build flexibility into the very heart of your organisation, by allowing you to re-route calls when needed. If you wish to stagger your migration, you can integrate SIP into your existing PBX. Or you can make the switch in one go – we are able to get your SIP solution up- and-running quickly and with minimum disruption to your business. The benefits of SIP: • Savings – cheaper local and international calls, as well as no line rental costs • Mobility – remote users will be able to login to your VoIP system no matter where they are, facilitating home and remote working • Multi-Functionality Unified Communications – increased functionality – including file sharing, instant messaging and video conferencing • Integration – integration with other business systems such as email and customer records • Scalability – instantly scalable solutions to meet your business’s growing needs or to accommodate seasonal call influxes Quality – high quality, reliable telephony customers know exactly how to reach your teams and how Christmas will affect their service. HOT TOPIC: