Prepare your business for the PSTN switch-off

Before replacing anything, it is important to understand what is already in place.

Chrome can help review the phone lines, broadband, numbers and connected services your business uses.

This is especially useful if you have more than one site, older phone systems, alarm or lift lines, payment devices, fax machines, broadband linked to a phone line, or bills with unclear line descriptions.

Please do not cancel a line until you know what it supports.

A line that looks unused on a bill may still be connected to something important. That could be a lift emergency phone, intruder alarm, fire alarm, door-entry system, payment terminal or monitoring device.

Chrome can help identify where older services may be in use. The equipment provider may still need to confirm compatibility, replacement options or testing requirements.

We’ll make clear what Chrome manages and where another provider needs to be involved.

This avoids replacing a line before someone has checked the device attached to it.

For many businesses, the PSTN switch-off is a chance to move from older phone lines to a cloud phone system.

ChromeX can help your team make and receive calls using an internet connection rather than a traditional phone line.

It can support office phones, mobile apps, desktop calling and useful call features that are harder to manage on older systems, including call routing, voicemail, mobile and desktop apps, call recording where included, and reporting where included.

The right setup depends on your users, sites, devices and call requirements.

We’ll explain what needs replacing, what can be reused and what your team needs to know before the change.

We can also help plan number porting where numbers need to move from older lines to the new service.

The important part is simple: do not cancel the old line before the number and any connected services have been checked.

Digital phone services need a suitable internet connection.

That does not mean every business needs the largest connection available.

It does mean the connection should suit the number of users, the phone system, cloud tools and the work being done online.

Chrome can review your connectivity alongside the phone system, including business broadband, full fibre or FTTP, a leased line, 5G backup or satellite connectivity where other options are limited.

Digital phone services also rely on equipment at the premises, such as routers, switches, handsets and broadband equipment.

If that equipment loses power, the phone service may not work unless backup arrangements are in place.

For some businesses, staff can use mobiles or work from another location. For others, it needs more thought.

Chrome can discuss practical options such as battery backup, mobile connectivity, call routing to mobiles or another agreed continuity plan.

The right answer depends on how your business uses phones and which services need to remain available.

We’ll explain the options before you move, not after a power cut has already made the point.

Multi-site businesses can have a mix of old and new services.

One location may already use cloud phones. Another may still have ISDN. A smaller site may have an alarm line that nobody has checked for years.

Chrome can help review each location and build a clear record of what needs attention.

We can support site checks, line reviews, number porting planning, connectivity checks, phone system replacement, backup options, supplier coordination and post-change testing.

This helps avoid a different plan, provider and support route for every address.

It also gives your team a clearer view of what is changing, when it is changing and who needs to be involved.