2025: Reflections on a critical year for All-IP

Time to read

5 minutes

Author

Martin White,
All-IP & Inbound Product Manager

Date published

January 2026

Giacom’s All-IP & Inbound Product Manager, Martin White, reflects on a pivotal year for the channel as we accelerate legacy migration in preparation for the PSTN Switch Off.

As we bid farewell to 2025, I’m reflecting on the significant developments in the transition to All-IP services over the past year and considering the steps we need to take as an industry during the final countdown to January 2027.

Over the past year, the industry has experienced a number of significant changes that have set the stage for a fully digital future.

WLR Ordering Discontinued & Exchange Exits

The first big change was the discontinuation of WLR (Wholesale Line Rental) ordering which came into effect in March 2025. This development marked the end of new installations on legacy copper infrastructure, requiring full adoption of single order connectivity solutions. The list of exception uses has continued to decrease, further emphasising the readiness to fully embrace All-IP technologies.

The withdrawal of WLR orders was part of the ongoing Exchange Exits programme. Following successful trials in Salisbury and Mildenhall in 2023, we used what we learned to close the Deddington exchange in March and proceeded with further exits at Kenton Road and Ballyclare in November. I’m particularly proud of Giacom and our partners for upgrading all affected lines to All-IP, enabling us to exit the exchanges ahead of the industry deadline.

Introducing Giacom Easy Switching

In April this year, we launched a new game-changing proposition to the channel. We partnered with Sky Business Wholesale to be the first to bring their SOGEA and FTTP products to the wholesale channel. But what made the launch really special was Giacom Easy Switching.

An industry-first proposition, Giacom Easy Switching makes upgrading copper-based broadband to All-IP simpler than ever before. With no engineer resource, no router replacement and minimal customer downtime, you can save up to £250 per migration.

We’ve received fantastic feedback from partners and were delighted to win the Comms National Award for Best Supplier Innovation, in partnership with Sky Business Wholesale, in September.

V-IP Essentials: Streamlined PSTN Replacement

Our Voice portfolio also got some upgrades this year with the introduction of pre-configured handsets and a bundled licence on V-IP Essentials.

V-IP Essentials serves as an effective replacement for PSTN, requiring minimal training and supporting analogue devices. Its versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, from residential and small businesses to specific edge case uses such as lifts, alarms, intercoms, and CCTV.

Pre-Configured Broadband Routers Are Back

V-IP Essentials also integrates with Giacom’s Connectivity portfolio, thanks to the recent launch of our new TP-Link routers. Now available in Cloud Market, the TP-Link VX230v is a pre-configured device with plug-and-play functionality, helping you enhance operational efficiency and simplify the order process.

AIMS: Expert Support For A Smooth Transition

During this year of change, our AIMS (All-IP Managed Service) team remains a valuable resource for partners. This dedicated team has been supporting partners to accelerate their base migrations. The incredible team help with everything from base washing and identifying upgrade opportunities to placing orders and managing them through to completion, all while keeping you up to date in real-time with a dedicated Teams Channel. And they provide all this free of charge to Giacom partners.

The Time To Act Is Now

With just over 12 months to go until the PSTN is permanently switched off, timely action is crucial. At Giacom, we’re advising partners to aim to migrate all legacy WLR and broadband estated by September 2026, rather than waiting to the last minute. This will help you avoid service delays and protect your customers form loss of service. We know that Openreach have finite engineering resources and we want to avoid contributing to any bottlenecks that could further delay service migration in the final months.

Looking Ahead

Openreach will be implementing quarterly price increases on WLR-based services, encouraging providers to migrate services sooner rather than later to avoid the rising costs; by November 2026, these services will cost twice the amount they do today.

There are multiple incentives already available for our partners to consume today but we will be looking at working alongside our vendors to unlock incentives championed by Openreach early in 2026.

As the final phase for WLR approaches, the Channel is ideally placed to transition legacy services to futureproof solutions. I would advise that partners book their slots with our AIMS team and focus on upgrading to All-IP solutions as soon as they are able to minimise the impact of continual price increases.

If you don’t migrate your assets in time, you’re putting your customers at risk of losing service. While Openreach plans to roll out a basic voice service called EVAc (Emergency Voice Access) to keep phones and PSTN devices operational, this service won’t support broadband connections or be used for new service installations. It also doesn’t support ISDN, classic, multi-line, or exchange-based services, which means that on 1^st February 2027, all of these services will be terminated. Currently, there is no pricing information available for EVAc, but it’s expected to cost more than WLR pricing as of November 2026.

Expanding The Giacom Portfolio

We’re always working to give partners the products they need to support their customers in the long term. We’ve recently launched CompleteConnect, our Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) proposition, which can be used to future-proof customers in remote areas, where fibre isn’t yet available.

Stay Informed

We’ll be keeping you up to date with all things All-IP over the next 12 months, starting with Comms Connect Live on 26^th January 2026. Register to attend now, and don’t forget about our monthly webinars and newsletter, designed to provide you with everything you need to know as we navigate the final countdown to an All-IP world.