Closure of ADSL exchanges pushes Spanish companies towards VoIP

Telefónica will shut down its copper exchanges tomorrow, 19 April, which means that its customers will have to migrate their internet connection to fibre or 4G or 5G mobile networks. In addition, their fixed lines will also need to migrate to professional VoIP-based telephony services such as IP telephony, virtual switchboard and SIP trunking.

Although the telecom giant has announced that it will no longer use its ADSL exchanges, some of them will remain open for alternative operators to continue migrating their customers before the complete shutdown of copper, estimated for early 2026.

This year will undoubtedly be the busiest, with a total of 4,903 exchanges shutting down over the months, with tomorrow being the busiest day in 2024, with 3,304 closures in 24 hours.

Far from being a problem for businesses, the closure of ADSL exchanges represents a technological advance for the laggards, allowing them to benefit from improvements in the speed and stability of their connections.

This change allows businesses to access telephony based on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, which brings significant cost savings and performance improvements. In fact, many have already decided to migrate their switchboards to specialist cloud technology providers.

VoIP is telephony over the Internet connection and has been replacing traditional fixed-line telephony for years, just as fibre and ADSL are doing now.

In the past, companies that needed one line per employee had only one option, which was to rent ISDN lines, but now with VoIP telephony they can rent as many lines as they need at greatly reduced prices and with the same or better quality.

To promote the digital transformation of SMEs and the self-employed in Spain with fewer than 50 employees, the government has been promoting the Kit Digital programme for three years.

This initiative contributes to the adoption of digital solutions with grants of up to €12,000 for the creation of virtual offices, including the migration of traditional telephone systems to VoIP telephone solutions, among others.

Following the extension of the deadline, companies that meet the requirements can apply for their grant before 31 December.

Still haven’t migrated your ADSL services to fibre? Contact our team of experts to find an Internet and telephone connectivity solution for your business.