In November 2017, Openreach announced a major change in the UK telecommunications landscape: the withdrawal of Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) services, which include PSTN lines, ISDN lines, ADSL, and FTTC connections. Originally set for December 2025, the full switch-off has now been pushed back to January 2027. This transition presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses and consumers alike.
The Impacts of WLR Withdrawal
“The announcement of WLR withdrawal signifies a substantial shift in how we connect and communicate,” says Peter Wilson, Technimove’s Head of Pre Sales. “It’s not just about the physical lines disappearing; it also affects how traffic is routed across these lines. For example, while copper PSTN lines can be repurposed for SoGEA internet service, phone numbers associated with these lines must migrate to an IP-based voice service. This change introduces two primary challenges: ensuring connectivity and adapting voice services.”
Alternative Connectivity Solutions
The UK’s fibre connectivity lags behind many European countries, ranking 25th in terms of FTTP coverage with under 70% availability, according to the European Commission’s 2022 report. However, the WLR withdrawal is expected to drive improvements in connectivity speeds across the country.
Peter highlights this point: “BT has been increasing the number of local exchanges capable of providing full fibre connectivity, such as Fibre To The Premises (FTTP), which offers bandwidth speeds between 100Mb and 1Gb. This is crucial for our increasingly connected work and home environments.”
In remote areas where provisioning full fibre is challenging, existing copper connections can be repurposed as SoGEA or SoTAP connections, offering potential download speeds of up to 32Mb.
Evolution of Voice Services
Traditional voice services have been in decline for many years, even before the WLR withdrawal announcement. Modern SIP and VoIP services have steadily replaced legacy ISDN and PSTN lines, and cloud or hosted PBXs are taking over on-premise deployments.
“The COVID pandemic accelerated the adoption of services like Teams and Zoom, which require reliable and effective communication tools for both work and home use,” Peter notes. “Moreover, mobile services are a viable alternative, eliminating geographic restrictions and supporting flexible working habits.”
Addressing Critical Services
PSTN and broadband services are also used for critical functions, such as alarm lines, lift lines, fax machines, and payment devices. Replacing these services can be costly and challenging, especially when cables are in hard-to-reach areas.
“Fortunately, products and services exist to enable these devices to continue using their existing infrastructure,” Peter explains. “For example, a 4G/5G enabled device can connect to an existing alarm line, removing the dependency on an old PSTN line while keeping the on-site alarm system intact.”
How Technimove Can Help
Technimove has extensive experience in networking, infrastructure, and cloud deployments, providing valuable insights into overcoming the challenges posed by the WLR withdrawal. Currently, the company is conducting line audits for a large council, cataloguing hundreds of lines provisioned over decades across numerous sites.
“This audit will give the council a comprehensive overview of their entire PSTN and ISDN estate, crucial for the next stage of their cloud migration strategy and line replacement project,” Peter explains.
Technimove’s expertise in solution design covers secure WAN services, voice integrations, and cloud or on-premise infrastructure to support Unified Communications (UC).
“Our team of highly-skilled Professional Service Consultants ensures that any new or existing services are installed and configured according to industry best practices, providing a reliable, future-proof solution,” Peter says. “Additionally, our Project Management team ensures projects are delivered on time and meet client expectations, managing Programme-based deployments that integrate various technologies and resources.”
The WLR withdrawal marks a transformative period in UK telecommunications. While it presents challenges, it also offers opportunities for advancing connectivity and modernising voice services.
With companies like Technimove leading the way, businesses can navigate this transition smoothly and position themselves for future success. As Peter emphasises, “The key is to leverage the right expertise and solutions to ensure a seamless transition and capitalise on the benefits of improved connectivity.”