The recent ‘stop sell’ notice issued by Openreach for copper-based telephony services is fast approaching.

With the stop sell notice springing into action this month, we’re here to help your business stay on top of the coming changes.

According to a recent report from BT, it was noted that just 8% of businesses in the UK are ready for the 2025 PTSN switch off. While current services will not be affected until the end of 2025, we strongly advise businesses to plan for the switch to digital services sooner rather than later.

 What is the stop sell notice?

A nationwide stop of the traditional telephone line supply is scheduled, meaning there will no longer be any new orders or installations accepted of several Openreach services after September 2023. Services that will cease to be provided include:

• Analogue lines (PTSN)
• ISDN2
• ISDN30
• SMPF
• Narrowband Line Share
• and Classic products like fax lines and some alarm lines

After a fixed 12-month period, Openreach will no longer allow ordering, changes, or upgrades to copper-based products. To adapt to this change, businesses can explore alternatives such as SIP Trunks and Hosted Cloud Telephony, which offer cost savings and additional features.

At Uplands, we’re here to help your operations run smoothly to ensure minimal to no disruption to your business phone lines, providing solutions and services to suit your needs.

New VoIP services

 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a type of phone system that uses an internet connection to make and receive calls, rather than traditional landlines.

 If you already have a broadband connection to the Internet, then the VoIP service will use this. If you don’t have a broadband connection, your provider will supply one specifically to support the VoIP service, but you shouldn’t pay extra for your VoIP service if you don’t take up a broadband service.

Preparing for the change

Your telecoms provider should contact you to update you on any upcoming changes. Keep an eye out for important emails, notices or other communication material ahead of the next few weeks.

 We can provide quality assured customer care and guide you through the stop sell notice addressing any concerns or queries you may have. Talk to us today and we’ll see how we can help.