With parts of the UK’s public switched telephone network (PSTN) still carried over copper wires laid in the 19th century, the countdown to its phase out (along with the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)) is arguably long overdue. VoIP, in the form of SIP services, is the future.
For individual users it’s as simple as switching a contract. For enterprises with complex business telephony needs and multiple locations however, going it alone could quickly become a complicated technical and regulatory ordeal. In order to get the coverage they need, they would need to form relationships with individual carriers in each region, and potentially install hardware locally. Managing all of those suppliers, monitoring all the additional hardware, and dealing with complicated billing, can all result in high demands on management time.
Most businesses will instead seek to consolidate their PSTN replacement services to reliable SIP providers who have the necessary capabilities to support them in different regions. To understand what is involved in providing these PSTN replacement services, I spoke to Ian Guest, Marketing Director at Pure IP, who explained how SIP providers become licenced for PSTN replacement.
A two-strand operation
Ian Guest
If you’re choosing a partner to support your PSTN transition, it’s essential to ensure they can offer the services you need – including security, support, the right SLAs, with the necessary licence and carrier agreements for all the markets in which you operate:
“The first tasks in providing PSTN migration services are focused on the technical aspects; looking at connections with the local carriers in each region, installing the right hardware locally where required, then testing that the call flows work, and ensuring reliability and data security.”
So far, so straightforward. But the second area of focus is regulatory:
“To be compliant as a carrier in most countries, you need a licence that proves that you can actually provide the service in that country”, Guest continued. “In certain jurisdictions there are extensive regulatory requirements to comply with, such as regional infrastructure, or regular audits on local usage and revenue. Some countries even require providers to set up a local company so you can process tax payments — every country has different arrangements.”
Ensuring that your chosen carrier has obtained the necessary licences is important in ensuring they can reliably deliver the necessary service features, such as caller line identity (CLI) and emergency call services. As an example, Guest explains, “In the USA, there are certain E911 regulations required designed to make sure that the emergency services can pinpoint where an emergency call is coming from, down to a particular floor within a building.” If your chosen suppliers disregard any aspects of this provision, the legal consequences will lie with your business.
“Dealing instead with a single SIP provider who can meet all of your own business requirements, as well as the regional legislation that could expose you to compliance threats, is therefore an attractive proposition.” Guest noted “Pure IP, for example, can provide full PSTN replacement services in 40 countries natively, simplifying the process considerably for our clients.”
Managing the shift
Ensuring a seamless transition which does not impact on your business continuity and uptime would require detailed planning and resourcing appropriately. You’ll need to be careful comparing the cost of doing it yourself vs. outsourcing the project to a specialist because “there can be complicated and sometimes hidden admin overheads,” Guest explained, “including language barriers, support, and licencing delays, which can add significantly to the cost of the entire project.” Add to this the risk of further technical and legal hurdles, and the argument for outsourcing to an expert becomes a lot stronger.
With most businesses at some point in their journey towards cloud-based communication and collaboration platforms, it’s important to factor in the PSTN replacement into this overall journey, and it makes sense to think about it sooner rather than later.
“The closer we get to the switch-off, the more rushed the transition will have to be, which may affect organisations’ due diligence, or push them to make compromises”
So, it’s time to get your plan in place, future-proof your business telephony, and talk to a provider with the reach and experience to manage it for you in a cost-effective, efficient, and painless way — well ahead of the 2025 deadline.
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