HR teams are being called on to prepare their businesses for the transfer from analogue to digital – ahead of BT’s planned Big Switch Off, says a communications company.
National Business Communications says despite the 2015 announcement by BT that all phones in Britain will be using the internet rather than analogue technology by 2025, only one in five businesses know what this is.
According to its research around 60 percent of businesses ‘have no clue what it is.’
Within three years, BT plans for every home and business from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a fully digital network (IP). It started the process years ago and by 2025, there will be no ISDN or PSTN services in the UK.
BT says: “As people switch to mobile and internet communications, everyone demands much more than the traditional technologies were designed to deliver. Which is why we’re switching to IP.”
This has already happened in other countries to keep up with customer demand – for example Estonia and The Netherlands.
John Griffiths, Chairman of National Business Communications, said: “Businesses need to start preparing for the switch off now. We anticipate a hold-up in 2025 due to unprepared businesses, which may mean the industry won’t be able to keep up with the number of last-minute orders, possibly leaving businesses without a service.”
The survey found mobile phones and VoIP are the main alternatives businesses will use once landlines are switched off.
John added: “Although this may sound scary to businesses who still depend on landlines, there are alternatives such as VoIP and the transition can be made smoothly.”
BT has debunked a list of 10 myths about digital phone lines here.
Feyaza Khan has been a journalist for more than 20 years in print and broadcast. Her special interests include neurodiversity in the workplace, tech, diversity, trauma and wellbeing.