On 30 September 2019, Telstra started the process of decommissioning its ISDN services network and in 2020 NBN Co officially completed the build of the National Broadband Network across Australia. These two events mark the sunset of a technology that has underpinned business telephony for decades and the start of the transition to Voice over IP (VoIP).
ISDN is out, SIP VoIP is in.
What is ISDN?
It stands for “Integrated Services Digital Network” and has been the backbone of business voice and data communications over the traditional copper phone line network for decades. It became enormously popular due to its ability to deliver guaranteed bandwidth (although low by today’s standards) and capacity to support multiple simultaneous services including voice and data.
It is delivered over standard copper telephone cabling.
What is VoIP?
Voice over IP, more commonly known as VoIP, is a technology that sends and receives phone calls over the internet using the same telephone numbers that can be dialled from a traditional phone system. With a VoIP Business Phone System you can do everything you can normally do with a traditional phone system plus a whole lot more.
VoIP is delivered as a subscription service over the Internet.
What does this mean for my business?
All businesses using ISDN for their phone system will need to transition to a VoIP/SIP alternative. Once the NBN rollout is completed in any specific area, businesses have 18 – 36 months (depending on circumstances) to complete their transition from ISDN to VoIP. After that time, the ISDN services will be disconnected.
Any business that has not completed its transition to VoIP before the disconnection date may have their phone services disconnected.
How can Caznet help?
Our Cloud Hosted PBX replacement and Voice over IP (VoIP) service is a powerful and cost-effective alternative to PSTN and ISDN services for businesses looking to modernise their communications, reduce costs and transition away from ISDN. It is fully compatible with all NBN internet connections irrespective of the service provider.
If your business needs to transition away from ISDN to VoIP/SIP, we can build a tailored and reliable business or office phone system that is fully compatible with the NBN while maintaining your current phone numbers and saving you money.
Porting Delays
If you want to keep your telephone numbers when you move from ISDN to VoIP, you’ll need to port them. This process is something most people are familiar with, especially if you have ever moved mobile phone providers. However, unlike a home phone or mobile number, porting of “complex services” (also known as a CAT-C port) like business numbers connected to ISDN, this process could take 8 to 12 weeks.
You need to plan ahead. Do not leave your transition to the last minute or you may risk losing your numbers or disruption to your business phone service.
Caznet is an Adelaide based telecommunication services provider specialising in VoIP office and business phone systems, data centre, business internet, private cloud and enterprise networking for the small to medium business market and education.