Business Exchange Lines

Do you just need traditional hole in the wall, standard phone lines? We can deliver these with a choice of services, for instance call barring, at a competitive price.

Traditionally exchange lines provided the basis to enable calls to be made, however technology has moved on and the standard provision is now to provide Voice over IP solutions to enable all types of call to be made. That said, we are still currently able to provide Exchange Lines in specific situations. 

Analogue Exchange Lines are available as either a single line or a group of lines. A single line allows one incoming or outgoing call at a time, whilst a group of lines allows for multiple incoming and outgoing calls on one telephone number. A group of analogue lines can be used for regular desk phones or attached to a telephone system offering a range of additional features.

ISDN services are digital, offering greater call clarity and additional features compared to Analogue Lines. ISDN 2 has many benefits over Analogue Lines:

• Capacity- ISDN 2 lines can handle 2 calls simultaneously where Analogue Lines can only handle a single call. 

• Expandability- ISDN 2 connections can be expanded up to 60 channels. 

• Number ranges- ISDN 2 supports the use of number ranges (DDI's), so you can have multiple different phone numbers connected to the same line. 

ISDN30 is essentially the same as ISDN 2, however it has a greater capacity. Where ISDN 2 is restricted to a maximum of 60 channels, ISDN 30 can be expanded as much as it needs to be, but has a minimum of 8 channels.

ISDN 30 is better suited to larger businesses than ISDN 2 due to its unlimited expandability and the fact that ISDN 30 is cheaper per channel than ISDN 2. 

ISDN 30 and ISDN 2 work off different protocols, with ISDN 30 needing a PRI card installed in the PBX to work where ISDN 2 requires a BRI card. As a result, it can be costly to upgrade from ISDN 2 to ISDN 30 so if you expect your business requirements to grow above 60 channels then it is worth considering ISDN 30 from the start. 

PTSN (Public Switched Telephone Network), refers to the network of legacy copper telephone lines running across the UK. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) allows for simultaneous data and voice connectivity over the PSTN network. 

BT are phasing out ISDN & PTSN, with the intention of switching the network off in 2025. As technology has progressed the ISDN and PTSN network has become outdated, as Broadband Internet Connection speeds are much faster and at a higher level than ISDN.

ISDN and PTSN are being replaced by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).  At CloudConnX we offer both of these solutions and we are happy to advise you on the best way forwards for your business ahead of the switch off.

With the switch off looming, we are advising all customers looking for communications solutions to consider VoIP and SIP over Exchange Lines that are soon to become obsolete. However, if you are specifically looking for Exchange Lines and are aware of the pending switch off we are still able to provide them. 

If you are interested in an Exchange Line product for your business, or simply want advice on how best to prepare for the ISDN/PSTN switch off, please get in touch by filling in the form opposite. You can also call to speak to a member of the team on 0330 122 0550 or email hello@cloudconnx.net