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PANEL
What has 2022 got in store? The PSI Panel returns this month with a look ahead to the New Year and beyond. Here the experts give us their thoughts on the trends and times to come
T
he events of 2020 taught us that predicting the future is a tricky thing to do especially as we appear to be living in unprecendentedly unpredictable times. However, given what we know about the increasingly connected, AIdriven, mobile and cloud stored consumer tech market can this give us a guide as to the picture for the electronic security market in 2022? What will be the impact of the pandemic and will being an installer appeal to the tech savvy generation of students coming through? For the first time in a while, the PSI Panel is in session...
John Coleman – CSL
The biggest challenge that the fire and security industry will face in 2022 is the move from traditional phone lines (PSTN) to the new digital voice service (All IP). The first part of this challenge is the end date – December 2025. In many cases, people think this is how long they have to upgrade their systems when the reality is that this is happening now and the clock is ticking. There are over 450 exchanges that have either entered the ‘Stop Sell’ phase of PSTN services or have been declared as an upcoming area for 2022. ‘Stop Sell’ impacts not only new supply but also the ability to make any changes on that line – for example, you cannot move to a different provider without upgrading to an IP service. Once your exchange moves into ‘Stop Sell’ you can be moved to digital voice at any time. You could have restrictions on PSTN supply at the start of a month and be moved to the digital voice service within that same month. This is a massive concern for Installers, especially for single-path signalling devices that are reliant on PSTN. Once your digital voice service is enabled, your old phone line will stop working and if this happens in an area with legacy signalling
systems installed, will a security company have the time and resources to get around these sites to ensure they are upgraded? It is very unlikely. What we will see is the momentum on these migrations ramping up as the Communication Providers look to roll out these enhanced broadband features. With all the leading industry bodies stressing the importance of taking action now to avoid issues later, proper planning could see companies carrying out these upgrades in the calm of 2022 as opposed to the chaos of the years to come.
“The biggest challenge that the fire and security industry will face in 2022 is the move from traditional phone lines (PSTN) to the new digital voice service (All IP)”
David Scott – Skills for Security
Looking ahead I believe the sector will continue its growth over the next year and beyond. This growth will be further driven in the construction sector with changes to fire legislations affecting not only fire alarms and fire protection systems but also accompanying systems like intruder alarm systems, VSS and access control systems. Other predicted areas of growth and interest will be in new and advancing changes with CCTV and AI technology, which will see the sector move into new areas and be responsible for supplying more compliant systems as this sector becomes more regulated as governments clamp down on it’s use and controlling behaviour. (continued over)
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