In our day-to-day working lives we make calls, send e-mails and messages as well as make video calls, often unaware of the technology behind these forms of communication. At POST Luxembourg, our mission is to guarantee fluid, quality exchanges. To achieve this, we continuously invest in technology, our networks and new solutions to support the collaboration needs of companies.

Technology has evolved significantly in recent years, providing companies with new opportunities. One of the major changes currently occurring is that the copper telephone network is gradually being replaced by a single exchange protocol for all communications, over IP (Internet Protocol).

We call this the migration to All-IP.

Migration to All-IP: challenges and opportunities

What are the implications of this transformation to All-IP for companies?

First of all, like private users, companies that still use traditional technologies such as a PBX must ensure that their installation is compatible with the new exchange protocol and, if necessary, upgrade it so that they can continue to use it.

This transformation is inevitable and is taking place at the European level. Regardless of the telephone operator, this change – if it has not yet taken place – will be effective in the coming months. So, we need to be prepared.

New possibilities with All-IP

IP opens up new possibilities for companies, improving the quality of communications, facilitating exchanges and supporting team-wide collaboration. It is an opportunity to rethink telephony by integrating the most advanced solutions and technologies in this field.

For example, migrating your telephone exchange to the cloud, instead of an on-site installation, helps you save on maintenance and limit costs while greatly facilitating line management.

Above all, this kind of virtual solution provides for better integration of communication and collaboration solutions.

Towards more integrated solution systems

The pandemic saw the very rapid adaptation of new communication and collaboration solutions, with widespread use of videoconferencing tools to maintain and facilitate company-wide exchanges. This transformation has been extremely positive, contributing to greater flexibility in organisation in the service of greater productivity.

However, these new collaboration technologies were rapidly adopted on a mass scale, without necessarily taking the time to properly integrate the communication tools with existing elements: landline and mobile telephony, switchboards, contact centre, reception, etc.

Today, as we move towards an All-IP world, there is a real opportunity to rethink and better integrate all communication and collaboration solutions at the company level. This means looking at what is already in place, revisiting our needs and looking at the new possibilities offered by the available technology.

Fixed-mobile convergence: For remote working that's just like being in the office

Fixed-mobile convergence, for example, should allow each employee to work remotely just as if they were at the office, i.e. with access to the same tools and interacting in the same way with the other parts of the company. They no longer have to change how they do things. And their colleagues no longer have to worry whether the person they want to contact is in the office, working remotely, at the client's premises, or in a remote office.

Today, 5G technology – another major development in the mobile world – allows people to interact seamlessly from anywhere, using all collaboration features and even business tools from a smartphone or tablet.

The challenge is to integrate landline and mobile telephony, as well as collaboration tools such as videoconferencing and messaging, to ensure that everyone has the smoothest possible experience.

Facilitating exchanges in meeting rooms

We also need to rethink meeting-room equipment to allow everyone to easily attend meetings – whether planned or improvised, and no matter where people are located. We need to guarantee the best possible interoperability between proposed solutions to facilitate interaction and guarantee quality communication. Proper integration of all communication solutions is a key issue for companies. It needs to provide optimal flexibility for everyone while improving team efficiency.