Although many businesses have made the switch from ISDN to either SIP or Hosted VoIP, there are still plenty of businesses up and down the country that will continue to use ISDN until the broadband in their local area reaches a level that will allow them to switch. With the ISDN switch-off still a number of years away and with PSTN lines still playing an important part in the UK’s broadband network we feel its important that small businesses understand the options available to keeping their businesses up and running.
ADSL and FTTC Broadband services require a PSTN line to operate but from the billing information we have seen from businesses looking to work with Keytech Networks it appears that there is a large number of services out there on a standard Care Level service. Whilst there is nothing negative about that, what it does mean that should you ever encounter a line fault, the Service Level Agreement from Openreach related to your Care Level will apply which can range from end of next business day (depending on the time the fault is reported) through to a 6 hour repair any time of day, any day of the year.
We see a great deal of cost cutting happening across our industry with a number of race to the bottom price scenario’s occurring on a regular basis but the next time you get asked to provide a telecoms bill for a review, make sure that the ‘quote’ you receive in return takes into consideration what happens should any line faults occur.
Please review the breakdown below on the different Care Levels available and the Service Level you can expect in return, all for a few pounds per month:
Care Level Service Benefits for Openreach PSTN and ISDN2/ISDN30 Lines
Maintenance Level target fix times
Level 1
Clear by 23.59 day after next, Monday to Friday, excluding Public and Bank Holidays. For example, report Tuesday, clear Thursday.
Level 2
Clear by 23.59 next day, Monday to Saturday, excluding Public and Bank Holidays. For example, report Tuesday, clear Wednesday.
Level 3
Report 13.00, clear by 23.59 same day. Report after 13.00 clear by 12.59 next day, seven days a week, including Public and Bank Holiday.
Level 4
Clear within 6 hours, any time of day, any day of the year.
Its worth asking your telecoms provider to clarify this information for you, of if you would prefer to get another company to independently review your current spend and setup, please do get in touch with the Keytech Networks team on 01403 620600 or by email info@keytechnetworks.co.uk
