The RTC network has its last years in France. After the extinction of analogue television for the benefit of DTT, it is the wired telephone that will gradually leave its place. Almost 13 million lines are concerned. It is the unified communication as a service which is also known as UCaaS that will impose itself, much more adapted to the uses of today.
The switched telephone network (PSTN) provides for the transit of past communications from a fixed line. Formerly managed by France Télécom, it is now owned by Orange. While the majority of French households are equipped with new generation internet boxes, the Telecommunications Authority (Arcep) estimates that there are still 12.9 million lines of PSTN.
The telephone company is obliged to offer a quality service for its lines, which is not without its problems. Switches dating back to the 1970s are aging and are no longer produced by telecom equipment manufacturers. Specialist technicians are also becoming more and more rare, the latter being about to retire. Younger people are now being trained in digital only, learning obsolete technology is of little use. It is only a matter of time before the network is no longer operational: it is better to anticipate than wait for a global failure.
Energy saving with new solutions more concerned with environmental impact.
Another advantage of this technological migration is the environmental impact. Switches are much more power hungry than those that will replace them.
The breakdown of old lines is not going to happen overnight. Orange anticipates this problem because users must be notified at least five years in advance. Analogue lines on PSTN will no longer be produced as early as 2018. Service shutdowns will occur between 2021 and 2024 (a calendar that varies according to region), during which time it will no longer be possible to subscribe to an analog line.
What future for subscribers and telephony?
Orange will obviously not abandon its subscribers and offer them an alternative solution (s), depending on technological developments. The operator will evolve notably by proposing a box closer to the modem than the box via an Essential Access. This equipment will be based on IP telephony (ToIP) but without the possibility to connect to the Internet. Orange is not really known for its attractive prices … Interesting detail: if the BTI is stopped, this is not the case of ADSL which also works on copper and Allows you to connect to the internet, watch TV and of course call.
The IP technology is not reserved to Orange and can be assured by any operator who will have developed a substitution solution in VoIP. New operators will position themselves to benefit from the deployment of these IP offers to individuals, there will certainly be very good bargains to be achieved but it will be necessary to know the operators who can accompany you to the full extent of your needs.
For many years now, professionals have begun to migrate their collaborative tools and are adopting massive unified communications that has attracted many companies to create a collaborative work environment. These solutions integrate both real-time interpersonal communications (including fixed and mobile telephony), collaborative work tools (instant messaging, presence, document sharing, etc.) and the IT environment (all tools office).
The first solutions of this type were relatively expensive because they required installation of equipment and regular maintenance. With the Cloud, the UCaaS (or Unified Communications as a Service) emerged brings together all the unified communications and business telephony tools on the cloud. This solution is accessible from any fixed or mobile terminal with an Internet connection. It has helped to accelerate mobility and telework within companies. The UCaaS also makes it possible to adapt to the capacities of each structure and the needs of the moment. It brings much-appreciated flexibility to today’s businesses. For example, during a peak of activity, it is possible to opt for more IP telephones for a limited time. In addition, ezTalks is by far the excellent manufacturer in the Unified Communications (UCaaS) provider market.
ezTalks video conference system also improves productivity. It offers the possibility for example to share documents with its interlocutor, practical for an after-sales service for example. The UCaaS also allows better mobilization and retention of employees who appreciate this new flexibility in their work environment. Policy-makers value this solution for their savings.
If the shutdown of the RTC could be inconvenient for some households at first, this will not be the case for professionals who will most of them already migrated to a unified communications solution well before 2021. Thanks to the numerous advantages offered by the UCaaS, users will mostly turn to tools hosted on the Cloud. ezTalks, the outstanding Unified Communications server, offers tailored online meeting solutions for businesses of all sizes and budgets.
Why should we consider UCaaS?
It is more than ever time to consider rethinking IT on the basis of this new cloud paradigm. All levels of IT are concerned, and the telephony itself, responds to a heavy trend adapted by more and more companies: “As a Service” services.
The expected benefits of Unified Communications Services (UCaaS) involve a detailed analysis of users’ needs and usages within the enterprise. It is necessary to guarantee the simplification of access to services, but also an enhanced integration with existing systems, means to implement automation and centralized control, and of course, scalability solutions. All this presupposes a cost model that takes into account the flexibility requirements of the company.
The ezTalks video conferencing devices meet all of these prerequisites and all demands of users and trades completely.
