What
The old telephone exchanges are being shutdown. The industry is calling this the “PSTN Shutdown” (Public Switched Telephone Network)
This will involve some changes for customers.
Why
Landline customers are being moved because the oldest telephone exchanges are now around 40 years old and are end of life. The first digital exchange was installed in Lower Hutt in 1981, and the digital exchanges were rolled out across the country during the ’80s and ‘90s to replace mechanical exchanges.
Some of the software for the telephone exchanges was developed in Wellington. By the early ’90s, New Zealand had one of the most advanced telephone networks in the world.
Whats Next
Customers will be moved to one of the following:
- landline over fibre
- landline over copper broadband
- landline over copper (using Chorus’s “Baseband IP” technology)
- landline over wireless
Future blogs will cover the features and limitations of these technologies.
When
Friday 18th December 2020 saw the PSTN shutdown begin in two suburbs: Devonport and Miramar. Its unclear when the country will be fully migrated, but its expected that the bulk will be completed by the end of 2022.
Whats the difference between the “PSTN Shutdown” and the “Copper Withdrawal”
The “PSTN shutdown” is about the old electronic telephone exchanges. For historical reasons, Spark owns the old electronic telephone exchanges. (Even if you are a 2Degrees customer, you could still be using a Spark telephone exchange.)
“Copper Withdrawal” is about the copper cable going to your house from the exchanges and roadside cabinets. Chorus owns the copper telephone cables.
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