All of us have seen the PSTN in action, but we might have not realized it at that point of time. In a world that is becoming inundated with sophisticated telecom solutions leveraging the internet and the cloud, it is difficult to believe that public switched telephone networks, are still being used and for good reason.
PSTN is a traditional circuit-switched telephone network operated by local, national and international carriers. It is being used since the late 1800s; its infrastructure includes telephone lines, switching centres, telephone devices, fibre optic cables, cable systems and satellites. With a PSTN, your business is essentially making landline telephone calls.
So, the question is – considering the availability of more cutting-edge forms of telecommunication, why is PSTN still a good idea for businesses? Here are a few reasons:
1. Purpose-built for Telephony
You know the saying, “do one thing and do it well”. The same holds true for PSTN as well. It was envisioned and built for making telephone calls and designed to handle voice traffic only. Unlike other modern-day systems that do a lot of different things, PSTN does only one thing (helps make telephone calls) and therefore does it very well, without any problems. Over a period of time, PSTN has evolved and got better and better and most telecom carriers offer extremely high levels of voice clarity.
2. Better Reliability and Security
One of the key reasons why businesses still use PSTN is that they are seen to be more reliable than other options available on the market. E.g. PSTN still functions when there is a power failure, which means there is business continuity; if you are using VoIP services, you will face problems during a WAN outage and if you have a bad internet connectivity, your IP-PBX or cloud-hosted telecom systems might not function as smoothly (however in each of these problem scenarios, there is always a solution that is put in place by telecom solutions providers in case such an eventuality were to occur).
Another area where PSTN is seen to score over digital telecom solutions is security. The largely analogue nature of PSTN means it is not susceptible to hacks.
3. Easy to Use and Set Up
There is a degree of familiarity when it comes to the devices and various features and functionalities that are a part of the PSTN set up. When it comes to the calling devices there is no steep learning curve required and a user can leverage their optimal potential easily and quickly. More importantly, the infrastructure set up is handled by the telecom companies and in case of a problem, they are the ones who will sort it out for you.
4. A Good Backup Telecom System
While, PSTN makes for a great primary telecom system, the nature of PSTN also makes it a great backup system for your business. If ever there is a problem in your business’s VoIP setup, you can shift to PSTN in the interim, till the problem is sorted out. It can play the role of a great backup system because it is a durable system and functions excellently even it if it is used sporadically. Yes, PSTN does require regular maintenance and upgrades, but the cost isn’t prohibitive. If you can afford it, installing a PSTN in your office as a secondary telecom system is a good idea.
Conclusion
There are many who regard PSTN as a legacy telecom system that has outlived its usefulness. The arrival of cloud computing has seen businesses leverage cloud-hosted telecom systems, but this hasn’t made PSTN redundant. There are still businesses out there who trust PSTN over new fangled telecom systems.
If you are looking for the right telecom system for your business, it is imperative that you go through the pros and cons of every telecom system available on the market. Check which best fits your business demands and go for it.