BT Wholesale says its customers want to upgrade their telephony systems, and many are happy to work with their existing channel partners to make it happen.
The company said that the end of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) happening in December 2025, companies are questioning their telephony strategy.
In a report, BT Wholesale wanted to find out what that meant for channel partners and went out to ask customers how they were feeling. It found that 70 percent of businesses are looking to invest in mobile connectivity this year – and many are also likely to do that with their existing partner relationships, with 88 per cent of those quizzed satisfied with their technology provider.
There is still some education for the channel to do, with 29 percent of customers admitting they still don’t understand the benefits of choosing an all-IP strategy.
BT is encouraging its channel to start talking to customers about spending now, because the research has made it clear there’s an appetite for investment, despite cost-cutting and budget pressures.
Mobile connectivity was the top area where investment was being considered, but security, digital phone lines and broadband were also high on the agenda for users.
The channel was starting to ramp up messaging around the PSTN switch-off and the need for customers to have an answer to that inevitable development. The BT research indicated there’s still an effort to be made on that front. A third of customers have prioritised a move to digital, IP options.
Gavin Jones, channel partners director at BT Wholesale, said it was reassuring to see how many customers were feeling positive about their IT provider, because that relationship would be important in helping users move forward.
