The time has finally come: BT is switching off the UK's integrated services digital network (ISDN). Who can really believe it? For so long, ISDN has been the default of communication solutions, and now, we're pulling the rug from under our own feet. Either way, what was once a thought for the distant future has finally become a consideration for the now. 2020 will mark the beginning of ISDN retirement. In particular, it'll be fully redundant by 2025. Thus, it begs the question, what position does that leave businesses in? What is going to fill the ISDN-shaped hole that'll be left behind? Now, it's not to say that we won't miss ISDN, but you probably already know the answer because it's already here. The future of communications is, without a doubt, voice over internet protocol (VoIP).
VoIP as the future of communications
ISDN utilises a physical telephony circuit to operate. VoIP, however, uses internet to route calls rather than physical wires. Like with cloud, organisations are increasingly shifting their attention to more off-premise solutions. Keeping with modernity and digital transformation, VoIP has already overtaken as a more digital means. One thing today's workplaces and employees love is flexibility. VoIP can offer that, in that it's easy to transfer and easily scalable. Today's landscape necessitates this more than ever, for reasons such as disaster recovery to encouraging remote working. ISDN, of course, is grounded by physical wires. This also means that ISDN cannot grow or move with your organisation. In light of common business aims and initiatives today, such a system would be like attaching a ball and chain to your organisation! Another perk of VoIP is that it's considerably cheaper than ISDN. Once again, like the cloud, it's notable for its low cost. In particular, internal calls are, essentially, free, saving your company bucks on that. Furthermore, VoIP enables the use of multiple devices at once, as well as multiple phone numbers. With so many parallels to the cloud, it's a bit baffling that VoIP doesn't have the same kind of buzz. However, you know and I know that VoIP is indeed, the future for organisations. It's not a question of how it'll fill ISDN's boots – it's already outgrown them.
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