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Openreach ISDN/PSTN switchoff plans

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NickStroud

IS-IT--Management
Sep 1, 2014
23
GB
Hi all

Finding it difficult to get concrete plans about the planning ISDN/PSTN switchoff process, has anyone else found out info about this?

The latest I have heard is the following from one telecoms provider ("They"):

They now have further information about the timing and process for ISDN/PSTN switchoff following a conference with Openreach a few months ago.

They claim that after The Openreach rollout consultation BT Openreach decided to take a phased approach to the switchover and this is aligned to the progress of the new Fibre First program which delivers Fibre To The Premises ( ). They claim the phased approach is already underway and they are upgrading 40,000 lines per week to get to the closure date in 2025.

They stated that as and when exchanges reach 75% Fibre To the Premise capacity under the Fibre First program ( that’s capacity in the exchange to roll out FTTP, not actual rollouts to businesses ) then a Stop notice will be issued to telecoms suppliers issuing lines for that exchange giving a date when new PSTN/ISDN lines can no longer be ordered. Once that date is hit then 12 months later all existing ISDN/PSTN lines for that exchange will be ceased – ie the businesses using those lines must have migrated to VOIP solutions.

The stop notices have now started in the UK – Salisbury has very recently been issued with a stop notice, and been given 3 months to the date when ISDN / PSTN lines cannot be sold – and that in about 15 months’ time all PSTN/ISDN lines will stop operating from that exchange. Its unclear whether the 3 months stop notice is fixed, or whether it will vary with each town, but apparently the 12 months cease notice is fixed.

There isn’t clear information as to when each exchange is likely to reach the 75% Fibre To the Premise capacity limit to trigger the Stop notice, so we will probably not be informed about the switchover for Stroud until approximately 15 months ish ( depending on the Stop notice period ) before we have to have migrated to VOIP – but it does sound like to it is definitely happening, and we will need to migrate at some point.

I have tried to get verification from Openreach and found this update from Openreach: from March this year:
This seems to suggest the following key dates related to the All-IP programme ( as does )

• December 2018 – We announced that we’d stop selling products which are reliant on the PSTN within five years
• June 2019 – We proposed trial locations to test withdrawal and migration scenarios
• Sept 2023 – We intend to stop selling products reliant on the PSTN
• Dec 2025 – We intend to withdraw all products reliant on the PSTN

This doesnt mention the phased rollout as having already started ( but that could be part of the trial noted in the dates )... all very vaugue :)

Does anyone else have info on this?

Cheers

Nick
 
There is a natural move happening away from PSTN anyway as some of the PSTN is being replaced by SIP trunks and cloud services.
I don't think there will be an area by area rollout as such but PSTN products will be phased out with a preference for IP services.

The stop-sell trial for Salisbury will be December 2020 and SOTAP (Single Order Transitional Access Product) will be Piloted in Mildenhall in April 2021.

There is more info here:

Openreach are doing roadshows at the moment and there will be a further update on 6th November in London.
 

At work we had an IP Office 500 with ISDN lines but we swapped to SIP trunks a few ago by adding a VCM (VOIP module) at minimal cost. I assume PBXs of a similar age can do the same.

I'm not clear what happens to consumers. Do they get a SIP phone or an ATA to use with an analogue? Many consumers just use their landline for ADSL but use a mobile for calls.
 
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