Riding the Crest of the Wave Part 3 and the Big Copper Switch-off Approaches

CREATED BY PRITESH GANATRA Published: 13/05/2025 @ 09:00AM #Blackberry #RiseAndFall #SecureEmail #HandsetMarket #2023Documentary

And all of a sudden, we had Blackberry dominating the Global market. Watch the 2023 documentary of the Rise and Fall of one of the most secure email systems in the world, which is no longer with us in the handset market ...

I have been fortunate to have ridden the crest of the wave and I am still in the industry!

Yet, whilst I write this latest blog post, Blackberry Limited (formerly Research in Motion), now a software company, has posted profits, backed by a resilient demand for cybersecurity services amid rising online threats.

In this final instalment of my fantastic career in Technology
I am going to go backwards from here!

Firstly, we are at the present date of May 2025, and you now have less than a year to decide how you are going to replace your old 3Com, Avaya, Ericsson, LG / LG-Ericsson. Mitel, NEC, Phillips, Samsung or Toshiba phone systems that work on ISDN2e / ISDN30e.

This is because in December 2025, Openreach is decommissioning all equipment in BT Exchanges that generate a dial tone, known as the PSTN and ISDN networks. They cannot discontinue/decommission the physical copper cable in the ground as we still have SoGEA (fibre-copper hybrid-based broadband that does NOT require a dial tone).

BTS (UK) have been supplying this version of
FTTC since 2019.

So, as we venture even further into the murk of the virtual world, we need to ensure our voice is clear and on par with the current copper-based public voice networks. How do we achieve this I hear you ask?

The first and most essential step is to ensure you have 'business-grade' broadband. I won't bore you to death in this blog post about the technicalities and complexities of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and that not all broadband is the same quality. Just make sure you have a solid, business-grade ISP with a static IP (I will cover this in a future blog post).

Secondly, modify some of your email systems and use advanced off-site filtering to limit the volume of false emails you get (again, I will cover this in a future blog post). You may be thinking right now, what on earth is Pritesh talking about? In layman's terms, it's to ensure your connection is the best possible quality, stays 'clean', and that your bandwidth usage is never compromised.

Thirdly, a decent firewall both on-site and at the hosted telephony provider's end. And there is the defining words: "the hosted telephony provider". The questions to ask are:

• Where are the servers that house that telephony software?
• How many fully qualified and trained engineers are there in the UK for the VoIP system you are thinking of purchasing in place of your solid ISDN-backed Mitel, Avaya, (Siemens) HiPath, Nortel, ShoreTel, Toshiba, Philips, Panasonic or Samsung systems?
• What resilience does the Hosted Telephony provider offer in terms of multi-point routing, and do they have their own diverse routed internet connections to ensure your call is always 'on', even if one of their connections drops?

That's it for this blog post! There will be quite a number of continuations for this topic. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Until next time ...

PRITESH GANATRA
Your technology problem solver

Share the blog love ...

Buffer Facebook Twitter Linkedin Pinterest WhatsApp #Blackberry #RiseAndFall #SecureEmail #HandsetMarket #2023Documentary

About Pritesh Ganatra ...
The word 'Technology' has too many connotations in today's world! Where do we start? Simple terms like 'IT' and 'Telecoms'? or terms that appear NOT to have an actual meaning at all!, e.g. 'Internet of Things (IoT). Technology also encompasses specialist products and services like 'Rugged' and 'Tough' android devices, Lone Worker Software, panic alarm devices, smart energy devices, low energy lighting, credit card terminal (PCI DSS) security, indoor/ outdoor Wi-Fi systems, Ultrafast Gigabit internet connectivity, access control systems, industrial IoT circuit controllers. BTS UK can consult from simple solutions to the most complex, provide some of the products through a wholesale channel, bring together a multi-disciplined 'Task Force' to deliver and implement complete Technology 'projects'. I am your technology problem solver and I look forward to helping you.

More blog posts for you to enjoy ...
		What's Your Back Up Strategy? Here is the irony of the situation. It was inevitable that it would happen one day; that I would be caught out on the very thing I always preach to my clients. In two words: data backup ......
		Who watches the watchers? Why AI agent security matters to us all Increasingly, autonomous agents can access systems, run code, and make decisions on our behalf. That makes AI agent security one of the most important technology conversations businesses should be having today. If an agent is...
		Are AI tools disruptive to the human psyche in modern life? Are AI tools disruptive in ways people don't notice until things feel off? This post looks at why younger adults ask AI for life advice, where the risks sit, and how families and firms can respond without panic. It's a pragma...
		Choosing the right business technology rather than blindly trusting AI Choosing the right business technology is not about chasing the latest AI promise. It is about matching mobile networks, fibre, Wi-Fi, IoT and software to the real task. In practice, a sensible technology strategy still beats...
		The Importance Of Being Earnest I still believe in the notion that 'people buy from people', however, we seem to be in a world where people are being pressured into buying technology for the fear that their business will fail or be left behind if they don't...
		Fraud, Fraud, Fraud! What's The Cost To Your Business? Did you know that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 99.9% of the businesses in the UK? At the start of 2023, there were estimated to be 5.6 million private-sector businesses ......
		Who really monitors data sovereignty in the age of Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence is transforming the way organisations process information, automate tasks and make decisions. However, as AI systems become more capable, an important question is emerging: who is actually responsible ...
		The impact of infrastructure disruption in modern conflict Conflict is no longer confined to physical battlegrounds, as critical systems such as oil facilities, gas pipelines, data centres and communication networks are now key targets. When these systems are damaged or taken offline...

Other bloggers you may like ...
		What happens if nobody notices you're out of action? Posted by Steffi Lewis on https://www.yourping.uk Living alone offers freedom, independence and privacy, but it also raises a question many people would rather avoid: what happens if nobody notices yo ...
		Exploring the Benefits of Serviced Accommodation: A Superior Choice for Travellers Posted by Emily Freeman on https://blog.shortstay-mk.co.uk Compared with a hotel room, our serviced accommodation offers enhanced comfort, privacy, and a lot of guest satisfaction. From the spaciousness of a w ...
		Signs of burnout at work and what you can do about it Posted by Dave Cordle on https://blog.davecordle.co.uk Most of us have periods when work feels exhausting, frustrating, or too much. A difficult week does not necessarily mean burnout, but recognising earl ...
		The soft skills employers look for are becoming more important Posted by Roger Eddowes on https://blog.essendonaccounts.co.uk Qualifications and technical experience will always matter when businesses recruit new people. However, recent research highlighted by the BBC suggest ...