Is the fax dead? (2/2) UPDATE
End of 2017, Mixvoip alerted on the fax issues that would arise with the adoption of the All-IP technologies by most European countries (read: Is the fax dead ? (1/2)). Today, the historic operator POST confirms it, too (read here).
No end-to-end interoperability guaranteed
Using fax machines in a VoIP environment remains possible (fax via email). However, its use is very limited. No operator can guarantee end-to-end interoperability (Règlement ILR dated 9th August 2017). Here are the main reasons:
• Technology switch: from analog to All-IP
• Interoperability: Even if one operator guarantees the transmission in its network, he cannot guarantee it for the frequent inter-operator transmissions
• End-user resources: fax transmission also depends on both end-to-end users’ equipment and internet connection
Some major players are transparent and specify that they cannot guarantee the success of fax transmissions such as POST, Proximus, Swisscom:
Thus, they are not legally obliged to support fax transmissions in SIP/VoIP issues. At Mixvoip, we do not guarantee interoperability. Nevertheless, if you encounter fax transmission problems, our support team will do its best to help you.
A European trend
Luxembourg’s neighbors engaged in the transition to the ALL-IP networks:
• Germany: Deutsche Telekom stopped providing ISDN & PSTN lines in 2017 (1)
• France: Orange hasn’t been supplying ISDN & PSTN lines since 2017 and plans the transition to be done by 2023 (2)
• Belgium: Proximus ceased to supply ISDN & PSTN lines in 2017 unless no alternative existed. (3)
• UK: British Telecom will stop supplying ISDN & PSTN lines by 2020 and migrate to full IP by 2025. (4)
This is why we advise you to switch to a new solution.
So what are the alternative solutions?
In many cases, you can email a PDF: it’s easier and quicker. The e-signature has been legally recognized in Luxembourg since 2000 (The Law on E-commerce). A solution we recommend is Rsign by Rcarré.
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