Telstra will start the shutdown of copper ISDN services from the end of September this year. This means that in the very near future all Australian businesses that are using an ISDN2, ISDN2 Enhanced, ISDN10/20/30, DDS Fastway, Megalink and Frame Relay product will have no choice but to migrate to Voice over IP (VoIP) and begin making calls over the internet.
If you are in this situation, you should prepare for the shutdown of ISDN now to avoid getting caught in the bottleneck that is coming due to many premises leaving their transition until the last minute. This will also reduce the chance of downtime and disruption. Ideally, your business should replace ISDN lines when the premises converts to NBN, and at the same time as migrating any PSTN lines to NBN.
Telstra announced the “stop sell” to all retail and wholesale customers, encouraging users to find alternative replacement solutions ahead of the date the shutdown will start. But how do you choose the best alternative replacement for your phone system? Working with a team of experts proves to be the most efficient way, ensuring that you’ve chosen the best solution using the latest technologies available on the market for your phone systems.
Working with a team of experts will also consider taking a look at other VoIP providers than Telstra, like Exetel, Vocus and TPG. They will assess your situation and determinate which provider is the best for your business.
What should your business do to prepare for ISDN shutdown?
There are 3 main steps involved to ensure the best practice when it comes to disconnecting and migrating your ISDN:
Review the current infrastructure
Check how is your phone system set up currently, how your staff members access data, how are calls directed, and if your business benefit from voicemail to email capability, or cloud-IVR.
If your business is having its phone system on an ISDN platform, you need to consider to what hardware your teams are using right now for your business and if it needs an upgrade. Older PBXs might function with a SIP conversion device, but businesses will benefit more from IP phones and a cloud PBX. This, in turn, allows businesses to access advanced IP Telephony features.
Create a migration plan
Creating the process in a data migration planning guide will help to minimise the risks inherent in a data migration project.
When you start by thoroughly scoping out the project, you can identify potential issues that might occur when you initiate the whole process. You will need a team of specialists to conduct your thorough audit, to identify the risks and do the data migration.
Adopt a Specialist Migration Service
This process is time-consuming. Besides the infrastructure audit and the build, there is also a process for lodging the order and processing, which unavoidably involves hours of time on the phone. On top of this, time is needed to coordinate equipment supplies to the site, and site visits.
There are massive benefits that the migration to Voice over IP will bring:
Reduced Cost: On average, customers save 40-50% on their phone bill.
Functionality: All the features of your PBX are still available. Call queuing, call transfer, line hunt, extension dialling, conference calling and IVR.
Transportability: You can connect to the internet anywhere; take your number with you.
Flexibility: Add, change, move or remove extensions easily.
Xenex Systems offers a range of VoIP solutions that make upgrading to VoIP easy and your business more effective. We are a retailer of Telstra, Exetel, Vocus, TPG, and we can help you to take a look at all their services and chose the best for your business. Offering fully managed IT services, ISDN migration and NBN migration, our team will complete the operational requirements and look after your business migration with minimal input from you and your staff. Contact us now to discuss the options for migration, the timeframes and the pricing involved.
