The big analogue switch-off FAQs

The old phone network is fast approaching the end of its useful life. Designed and installed decades ago, the aging infrastructure is no longer able to cope with current demands and is becoming ever harder to maintain. To meet modern requirements and prevent increased disruption as the network deteriorates, communications providers are moving their customers onto newer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone services. This change isn’t unique to Virgin Media Business – it impacts all providers.

They’ve already started. And they’ll continue to take place over the coming months and years ahead.

Switches providing the traditional analogue voice solutions will be decommissioned in phases. We will contact you at least six months in advance of the decommission date to notify you and give you ample time to change your service to an alternative solution using our VoIP or cloud-based digital technology.

Regrettably, this won’t be possible. When the switch is decommissioned, voice connectivity will be lost and your existing service will stop working. This is why we are encouraging businesses to be proactive and migrate to a new IP solution well in advance of the switch-off date.

If you are still within your minimum period of service at the time services are ceased, then no, you will not be charged any cancellation fees.

Many suppliers of alarms, telemetry, lifts, point-of-sale equipment, etc have developed new IP-based hardware or analogue telephony adapters that work with digital data services. Please contact your supplier to find out more.

We appreciate the needs of every business are unique. We can work with you to ensure you have the most appropriate service to meet your needs. You can easily make IP phone calls over an internet connection and we have a variety of broadband, VoIP and cloud-based solutions depending upon your specific requirements.

We are happy to review your existing infrastructure and recommend any changes. If your LAN is wireless or fixed, it can already carry digital voice traffic.

When you transition your existing analogue telephone service to one of our digital solutions you will benefit from an enhanced range of features based on newer technology.

If you choose to keep your existing PBX and move to a SIP service, your phones will not need to be changed.

If you choose to move your service to one of our new cloud or VoIP services, you’ll have a variety of options available, such as new IP phones, laptops or mobiles.

Your old dial plan will not be compatible with the new solution. We will work with you to talk you through setting up a new dial plan using the newer technology.

As calls on VoIP and Cloud-based solutions are routed through data networks, these services need to be connected to local power. In the event of a power cut, we do recommend having a backup line (such as a mobile).

The good news is you can easily divert VoIP and cloud-based services to home numbers, mobiles, etc. without end callers seeing those numbers (sales and marketing outbound calls excluded), providing more flexibility in most disaster recovery situations – power loss or unexpected weather conditions, for example.

Our digital VoIP and cloud-based offerings provide very similar solutions and are totally scalable to meet the needs of your business.

If you have any connected devices that you use currently with your phone service (such as payment machines/EPOS terminals or security alarms etc), you’ll need to check they will work with VoIP/Cloud based solutions. If you need the device to operate 24/7, including during any power outages, you’ll need to ensure they have their own battery and network backup. The best way for you to check this is to call your device provider and speak with them directly.

As the VoIP or cloud-based phone service is provided over our broadband network, if you have a local power cut, your phone service will not work and you will not be able to make or receive calls, even to emergency services.

Calls will connect to 999 services when there is power.

Most employers will have a plan to ensure vulnerable employees can escape an emergency situation. If vulnerable employees are working at a site without the support of other employees with mobiles, it is important that the vulnerable employee has access to a personal or work mobile to dial 999, just in case there is a power cut.