September 2023
September 2023 marks the start of the PSTN stop-sell across the UK, meaning that the sale of all new PSTN-related products must come to an end. This is in advance of the complete deactivation of the Public Switch Telephone Network across the nation by the end of 2025. Since the announcement by British Telecom (BT) in 2017, some areas are already feeling the effects of disconnections at their local exchangers.
So why are these changes being made? Ever since the established telephone communications across the nation in 1912, we have relied on the copper lines to send our voices to each other on landline telephone calls. As the demand for faster and more reliable communications increases, the UK’s telecommunication has been forced to evolve. Openreach has been adapting the existing PSTN to support an almost completely digital network.
Surprisingly, some people are still unaware of the impact the PSTN switch-off will have on their homes and businesses. It is not just traditional phone calls that utilise the age-old PSTN – facilities such as lift phones, Nursecall facilities and alarm systems also rely on PSTN. If still utilising the PSTN, the notification facility will cease to work once the local exchange is updated.
In the security industry, this can mean that systems that aren’t updated in advance will experience a drop-out in their notification facilities. For example, traditional SD1 diallers will stop working and older signalling methods that rely on traditional phone lines will mean that alarms are no longer able to communicate with alarm receiving centres (ARCs) on all paths or in the worst-case scenario, not at all. If a particular grade of alarm system is required for insurance purposes, this can mean that the impacted homes and businesses may not be covered if a break-in occurs.
The good news is that there are options available to upgrade these alarms. As the schedule for local PSTN disconnections is not predicable, it is advised that customers investigate the options available as soon as possible. Depending on demand, an upgrade may take a few months to schedule and complete so delaying this alteration could leave a period of less (or no) coverage by your insurance.
For more information, check out our previous blog post here. There is also a link to a video by CSL here that explains the process in a more visual way.
We urge any customers who are worried about the PSTN switch-off to contact us at their earliest convenience to explore what options are available for their system. If you are unsure if your system uses PSTN, please contact us, whereby we can confirm this for you. Get in touch with a member of our team today on 0800 998 1303 or email us at [email protected].
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