TDM communication systems are steadily being phased out of services provided by telecommunication providers and technicians, but for those who are not familiar with what a TDM telephone system is, we’re here to explain what TDM is and why you should consider switching over to a digital IP-based phone system like Hosted VoIP.
TDM, short for time-division multiplexing, are telecommunication systems that rely on electrical circuits that are connected to the public switched telephone network or PTSN. Through TDM systems, phones will transmit signals to a switch; the switch will then interpret the signal, break them into packets, and then direct the signal to the right end user. Although these systems offer reliable voice quality, they lack certain calling features that digital phone systems can offer. Additionally, these TDM phone systems have peaked in innovations and will not continue to see any updates moving forward.
The legacy voice service PRI (via TDM) is being retired across all telecom platforms. This has been an initiative that has been going on for some time now, but has come to the point where all carriers throughout the industry are no longer supporting the technology. This is not only happening to TDM voice services such as PRI, but any TDM related products you may have in place today. For example, 1.5M DIA and Point to Point services (Or stacked T1’s/DS1’s), are also being eliminated across all platforms that you may utilize for a backup/diverse connection at your location. This will not only impact companies in major metro areas, but will cause a significant disruption to companies in rural communities that have been using this as their primary technology for decades.
