July 14, 2023
Hopefully those of you that read our content regularly have found our insights useful.
In the interests of clarity, the older technology, PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the standard telephony set up for small businesses or satellite offices, with ISDN (Intergrated Services Digital Network) delivering digital lines for larger businesses.
We felt it would be interesting to write an article based on market research from actual users/businesses and their attitudes to telephony and the old versus new technology. A new study conducted by telecom review firm, ‘Software Advice’, highlighted some very interesting points that we’ve commented on throughout this article.
‘Our major goal for this survey was to find out why certain businesses are dragging their feet on transitioning from traditional voice services to IP communications.
We found that PSTN subscribers are interested in a number of the benefits of VoIP solutions. 25 percent of our sample expressed a willingness to consider VoIP systems to save money on their phone bills. More interestingly, PSTN subscribers were also quite interested in the ready compatibility with mobile devices offered by most IP PBXs and hosted PBXs.
23 percent of our sample said that they’d consider VoIP service in order to integrate their mobile devices into their business phone systems, which is almost as high a percentage as the number of respondents who were interested in cost savings.’
In the interests of clarity, the older technology, PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the standard telephony set up for small businesses or satellite offices, with ISDN (Intergrated Services Digital Network) delivering digital lines for larger businesses.
We felt it would be interesting to write an article based on market research from actual users/businesses and their attitudes to telephony and the old versus new technology. A new study conducted by telecom review firm, ‘Software Advice’, highlighted some very interesting points that we’ve commented on throughout this article.
‘Our major goal for this survey was to find out why certain businesses are dragging their feet on transitioning from traditional voice services to IP communications.
We found that PSTN subscribers are interested in a number of the benefits of VoIP solutions. 25 percent of our sample expressed a willingness to consider VoIP systems to save money on their phone bills. More interestingly, PSTN subscribers were also quite interested in the ready compatibility with mobile devices offered by most IP PBXs and hosted PBXs.
23 percent of our sample said that they’d consider VoIP service in order to integrate their mobile devices into their business phone systems, which is almost as high a percentage as the number of respondents who were interested in cost savings.’
Daniel Harris, VoIP and telecom researcher at Software Advice
At this point it is of course important to highlight that a VOIP system, is not necessarily a Cloud solution, as a VOIP system can still be traditional in the sense of it being ‘on-premise’. A Cloud Telephone system does use VOIP technology, but in an ‘off-site hosted’ environment offering greater flexibility, reduced costs and disaster recovery.
However the purpose of this article is to explore current market perceptions around VOIP and PSTN/ISDN technologies.
VOIP, as a concept, is being embraced far more widely now; even if it is a traditional on-premise solution, it is far more likely that a new phone system today will be based on VOIP.
However the purpose of this article is to explore current market perceptions around VOIP and PSTN/ISDN technologies.
VOIP, as a concept, is being embraced far more widely now; even if it is a traditional on-premise solution, it is far more likely that a new phone system today will be based on VOIP.
So what do businesses feel the main draws are to this technology:
Not surprisingly here, one of the main drivers is cost, with users being able to eliminate the monthly costs associated with multiple PSTN/ISDN lines, as a VOIP system will simply require one line with an internet connection.
Also of interest is the concept of having voice and data on one connection; this can be beneficial, but can also be problematic if the implementation has not been scoped properly. For example, if there is not enough bandwidth available, then your call quality could be very poor. Also it’s important to consider some key differences between voice and data traffic on your network. Whilst a slight delay in data being sent is not likely to cause major concern (within reason), voice data cannot have any delay, even by a few seconds, as this would be immediately apparent to users at both ends of the call, making calls extremely difficult to understand and, of course, having a negative impact on your brand.
Therefore if running over the same network, voice should be prioritized over data traffic. Many of the misconceptions around VOIP and Cloud Telephony quality are actually due to poor planning and implementation rather than the technology itself.
Also of interest is the concept of having voice and data on one connection; this can be beneficial, but can also be problematic if the implementation has not been scoped properly. For example, if there is not enough bandwidth available, then your call quality could be very poor. Also it’s important to consider some key differences between voice and data traffic on your network. Whilst a slight delay in data being sent is not likely to cause major concern (within reason), voice data cannot have any delay, even by a few seconds, as this would be immediately apparent to users at both ends of the call, making calls extremely difficult to understand and, of course, having a negative impact on your brand.
Therefore if running over the same network, voice should be prioritized over data traffic. Many of the misconceptions around VOIP and Cloud Telephony quality are actually due to poor planning and implementation rather than the technology itself.
So why do some users still opt for PSTN/ISDN:
The top point here, ‘Easier to use’, is actually a massive misconception, although not a surprising one, since there has been a real lack of genuine education in the industry, with telecoms providers, unfortunately, selling what is easier for themselves rather than the end user.
With the convergence of telephony and IT many traditional providers no longer have the right skill sets to implement and support modern solutions, so it is quite apparent why this perception has been created.
With the convergence of telephony and IT many traditional providers no longer have the right skill sets to implement and support modern solutions, so it is quite apparent why this perception has been created.
So how important is uptime of a phone system to businesses:
With the rise in email communications, it’s perhaps not surprising that these figures aren’t higher, but it’s fair to say a good proportion of people still place a great deal of importance on the ability to make and receive calls in their businesses.
What’s really interesting is comparing these stats with those in the previous section, with people highlighting that the reason they might opt for PSTN is due to fewer service interruptions.
As we explained earlier in the article today VOIP has now progressed to be available as a Cloud service just as many IT systems can now be accessed via an internet connection.
The reason for highlighting this, is that if a business were to opt for a Cloud Based system they have all the benefits of VOIP, but with the added benefit of being able to access their telephone system and make and receive calls from any device, anywhere with an internet (or 3G/4G) connection. Apart from the ability to dramatically increase flexibility within a business, this also addresses the issue of ‘service interruptions’ better than any traditional PSTN solution ever could.
What’s really interesting is comparing these stats with those in the previous section, with people highlighting that the reason they might opt for PSTN is due to fewer service interruptions.
As we explained earlier in the article today VOIP has now progressed to be available as a Cloud service just as many IT systems can now be accessed via an internet connection.
The reason for highlighting this, is that if a business were to opt for a Cloud Based system they have all the benefits of VOIP, but with the added benefit of being able to access their telephone system and make and receive calls from any device, anywhere with an internet (or 3G/4G) connection. Apart from the ability to dramatically increase flexibility within a business, this also addresses the issue of ‘service interruptions’ better than any traditional PSTN solution ever could.