It is no exaggeration that telecommunications operators worldwide retain an abundance of ‘legacy’ networks: those using decades-old technologies for which support and maintenance contracts, software updates and hardware parts have already ceased to be available. Legacy networks become increasingly expensive to maintain as they age: a dwindling source of parts requires pricey refurbishment of the old, a situation exacerbated by accelerating failure rates causing network and service outages, and even liquidated damages to be paid. These networks should have been retired long ago. However, that they still garner significant revenue, directly and indirectly from the millions of services and other networks they transport – business voice, data, mobile access and core, emergency services, control and signalling – such that continuing worth demands some sort of technology transformation. After all, proprietary and dated tools, and manual processes associated with them, can be transformed alongside, to technologies such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and virtualised networks that are highly automated. So, what stands in the way of that transformation? The cost of maintaining the legacy network should outweigh the cost of transforming them, but it is not that straightforward unfortunately. Cost, risk and feasibility prove to be a very complex and circular interaction, and that is what has held back such investment, even by the most resourceful of operators. 3 Problems Three factors dominate their dilemma: Employees familiar with legacy technologies and their arcane proprietary management tools, are a diminishing proportion of the workforce. As they retire year on year, that undermines confidence, to the extent that the problem is thought best left alone Service and billing records and the actual network configuration - the so-called back-office - is data generally only in partial agreement with each other, incomplete, and not always an accurate reflection of reality. Sometimes this data is not available – older nodes can fail management communications – or are in difficult-to-consume formats. Without a reconciled and complete view, no one really knows if transformation is feasible, let alone how to conduct it reliably. Selecting the starting point is critical to success, but even with a clear big-picture strategy, so many detailed considerations and constraints contrive to make this far from obvious. Evaluating many, occasionally opposing, tactics and a myriad of interplays (customer, control, in-building services, physical distributions and virtual protections), must be confected – almost magically – into an effort, spend and recovery efficient roll-out that also mitigates all risks. The Challenge A large NA telecom local and long-distance operator had an established business case and strategy for transformation, but no longer had a planning team with the modelling capability to do so. Their scheduled goal was behind by years, so they sought to source an outside ‘Planning Tool and Service’ and select parts of their network to which it should be applied to meet their priorities. LightRiver, a well-established services supplier with advanced monitoring and management tools already deployed in their network, were awarded the contract. “Despite our accurate inventory of circuits and assets, we needed a partner that could process tens of millions of lines of data, and build a system to manipulate, sequence, and display the data in a way that was consumable and actionable. Cambridge MC was the perfect partner for us. Their tools and dashboards allow us to change the project sequence depending on the customer’s specific needs in each different area of the network.” – Matt Briley, SVP Global Sales & Solutions, LightRiver The Approach Our first step was to dispense with the original piecemeal focus on parts of the network, and analyse the whole: big data for deep insights. That revealed ‘simple’ transformations: those without ramifications for other regions, services or networks, and thereby avoid creating a large backlog of implementation work. That simplicity had to be quantified, to be credible and satisfy the operator’s priorities. We invented a novel ranked evaluation methodology to combine circa 25 complex and often diametrically opposing metrics. This yielded stepwise transformations that were well (but not critically) sequenced, such that dismantling the network became progressively simpler. Our Data Science and ML were also used to combine back-office records with actual network configuration data from LightRiver’s netFlex platform, reconciling information and filling in blanks, to provide for the first time an accurate and complete view to direct implementation and mitigate risks. Our automated ‘planning’ process could be conducted in whatever scope, scale and sequence of priorities the operator needed. Outcomes The plans produced enabled the operator to: Discover empty resources that could be powered down without any procurement. Determine the value of recoverable parts, that turned out 5x greater than anticipated, including previously untrackable inventory. Determine opportunity clusters like whole-site transformations, avoiding repeat site visits boosting field engineering efficiency. Recover their schedule to the extent that legacy products earmarked for 2025 could be conducted in 2024.

BT has recently announced an extension to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switch-off in the UK. The previous deadline of December 2025 has been postponed to 31 January 2027. Given the lack of a national plan or central funding for the necessary infrastructure upgrades, responsibilities for welfare and safety will impact at a local level on councils, the NHS and healthcare services, social housing, fire services, and third sector organisations (charities and community groups). If these upgrades do not get funded and planned in detail (and if alternative digital solutions are not adequately tested under real scenarios) then emergency services could fail at a critical moment, putting vulnerable people at risk. The PSTN switch-off will impact five key areas; read below for more information on these. Vulnerable Citizens & Healthcare Communications technology has become vital in care home settings, which rely on technology such as fall alarms to ensure the wellbeing of their residents. Currently, in the UK, there are around 25,000 sheltered housing schemes, and an estimated 90% of them are reliant on analogue connections – for both admin and security – that will need to be transitioned onto an IP solution for continuity. This speaks to concerns across the healthcare industry more widely, which is currently characterised as a ‘Frankenstein estate’ of different telephony systems and technologies, suffering from inefficiencies, security vulnerability, and fragmented communication as a result. Across 56 NHS Trusts which took part in a Freedom of Information request by Maintel, they uncovered up to 10,315 PSTN/ISDN lines installed. Not only this, but 44% of these Trusts have admitted that they have no strategy in place for the PSTN switch-off This poses several risks and dangers following the switch-off if these Trusts do not plan accordingly. Disruptions to operations may seem resolvable to a smaller, private entity, but the impact on the healthcare industry to essential mechanisms which rely on traditional phone lines such as the emergency services will be critical. This will be compounded by a litany of administrative burdens which will divert time and resources away from patient care. Building Alarms & Security Unless fitted with an IP-based signalling solution, the majority of alarms and security systems – including intruder alarms, fire alarms, personal alarms, and CCTV – rely on signal transmission to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) via the legacy PSTN network. This means that, once the switch-off takes effect, older and outdated alarm systems which have not been upgraded will no longer be able to transmit vital signals. This makes the PSTN switch-off, and planning for a proper transition, a matter of public safety. In 2019, there were nearly three million PSTN-connected intruder alarms across the UK, meaning that a lot of national infrastructure will be at risk after the switch off – both to intrusion, and fire. Transport Infrastructure On a day-to-day basis, the PSTN switch off has the potential to create severe disruption throughout public spaces due to its monopoly on transport infrastructure. A spokesman for Transport for London explained that of their nearly 6.5k sets of traffic lights, 1k still use remote monitors relying on PSTN technology. This issue isn’t just contained to London, nor traffic lights. Throughout the UK, a lack of migration plan past the switch-off could mean inadequate replacement of bus stops, EV charging hubs, travel card technology, and roadside telephones, all of which utilise PSTN technology to a certain extent. Facility Monitoring It is not just transport infrastructure that threatens to cause disruption if not properly transitioned, as the same monitoring technology leveraged for traffic lights and security systems is also used to monitor facilities and their utilities. As of 2022, the water industry relied on around 25,000 PSTN lines to complete critical services such as monitoring water levels, managing flood and stormwater, and treatment works. Furthermore, 43,000 lines were utilised to monitor gas pressure and electricity supply. Office & Depot Telephony Although the effect to analogue and landline phone lines introduced by the PSTN switch-off may be obvious (if not, read another of our articles on the stop sell), its impact on other telephony technology present throughout the public sector may be unconsidered. For example, though their use has been declining since its introduction in the 1980s, fax machines are still utilised by certain organisations for their apparent heightened security and reliability compared to digital alternatives. Furthermore, until recently two of the UK’s telephony providers were duty bound to support fax on their networks within the Universal Service Obligation (USO). This was changed with the announcement of the PSTN switch-off. Local businesses and other organisations comprise a key demographic of the public sector, however all entities regardless of industry or sector may still be utilising fax or landline phones, which need to be replaced before the switch-off in order to maintain key operations. How the Public Sector Should Respond Given the lack of a national plan or central funding for the necessary infrastructure upgrades, responsibilities for welfare and safety will impact at a local level on councils, the NHS and healthcare services, social housing, fire services, and third sector organisations. If these upgrades do not get funded and planned in detail, then the technology and services detailed in this article could fail at a critical moment, putting vulnerable people at risk. Funding & Planning: Councils will need to work with hospitals, schools, and other public bodies, alongside Communication Providers (CPs), to share resources, overcome common problems, and model future costs. Protecting the Vulnerable: Ofcom has ruled the following: ‘If you are dependent on your landline phone – for example, if you don’t have a mobile phone or don’t have mobile signal at your home – your provider must offer you a solution to make sure you can contact the emergency services when a power cut occurs. For example, a mobile phone (if you have signal), or a battery back-up unit for your landline phone. This solution should be provided free of charge to people who are dependent on their landline.’ Continuity of Public Services: Understand how the PSTN supports the services offered in the local community, and work with local groups and advisory boards to ensure there are communication strategies and ways to share resources. Also, make it clear that migrated services must be tested and comply with current regulations. Infrastructure Development: Ensuring adequate internet infrastructure is a key responsibility of local councils. They need to work with internet service providers (ISPs) to enhance connectivity, particularly in rural and underserved areas, to support new IP-based communication systems. Awareness: Unlike the shift to digital TV, which was government-initiated, the phase-out of the PSTN is industry-driven because the network is privately owned. Consequently, it is unlikely that there will be a government-sponsored national campaign to spread awareness of these changes and the risks involved. It therefore falls to local authorities, in conjunction with CPs and local groups, to try and disseminate this information to their communities, and in particular to vulnerable people. How We Can Help Our Public Sector and PSTN teams can help local councils and other public bodies by providing strategy, financial planning, procurement, and project management services as and when you need them. Get in touch with Craig Cheney, Managing Partner and lead for Public & Education, to discuss a range of services which might suit your needs: ccheney@cambridgemc.com . Terminology PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network - a complex network of copper wires, switching centres, and other infrastructure that has been the backbone of the UK's telephony network since Victorian times. VoIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol - a technology that allows people to make voice calls using an internet-based communications technology. By converting voice signals into digital data packets, VoIP can transmit conversations over broadband connections and across the internet. Digital Voice: refers to BT's specific VoIP service or more generally to any service that transmits voice over your broadband connection. Confusingly, VoIP, IP and Digital Voice are often used interchangeably. CP: Communication Provider - an organisation, either private or public, that offers telecommunications services or a mix of information, media, content, entertainment, and application services over networks. ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network - a set of communication standards that allow for the digital transmission of voice, video, data and other services over the PSTN network. ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - allows for high-speed data transmission over existing copper lines. ADSL is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology that is typically provided from a telephone exchange enabling broadband internet access, video-on-demand, and LAN services. The service is asymmetric in that the broadband speed profile to the premise is higher than that from the premise. Maximum download speeds are in the order of 20Mbit/s (Megabits per second). VDSL: Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line - a form of DSL technology primarily delivered from street side cabinets delivering very high-speed data rates over existing copper lines. Often referred to as Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC). VDSL is an asymmetric service, with superior performance when compared to ADSL technologies. Maximum download speeds are in the order of 80Mbit/s. FTTP: Fibre To The Premises - a fibre connection from a premises to a fibre exchange. Offers superior performance when compared to DSL technologies. Services can be symmetric or asymmetric. Maximum speeds are in the order of multiple Gbit/s (Gigabits per second). Useful Links A Councillors Guide to Project Gigabit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/a-councillors-guide-to-project-gigabit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gigabit-broadband-voucher-scheme-information Gigabit Voucher Scheme Eligibility Checker: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gigabit-broadband-voucher-scheme-information Project Gigabit government webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/project-gigabit-uk-gigabit-programme Virgin O2 guide to the Switchover: https://www.damianhinds.com/sites/www.damianhinds.com/files/2023-10/23%2010%2030%20Virgin%20Digital%20Voice%20Switchover%20MP%20Guide.pdf Ofcom guide to moving your landline to digital: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls#:~:text=If%20you%20don%27t%20have%20a%20broadband%20connection%2C%20your%20provider,take%20up%20a%20broadband%20service BT Guide: How the PSTN Switch Off will Affect my Business: https://business.bt.com/insights/what-is-ip-telephony-pstn-switch-off/ A guide to digital voice: https://www.damianhinds.com/sites/www.damianhinds.com/files/2023-10/23%2010%2030%20A%20guide%20to%20Digital%20Voice%20BT%27s%20new%20home%20phone%20service.pdf Telecare stakeholder action plan: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/telecare-stakeholder-action-plan-analogue-to-digital-switchover Shared Rural Network: https://srn.org.uk/about/ Digital Poverty Alliance: https://digitalpovertyalliance.org/

The Urgency for Efficiency in Local Government The financial challenges facing Local Governments in the UK over the past few years have been impossible to ignore. In 2023 alone, Birmingham City, Nottingham City, and Woking Borough councils were all reported ‘bankrupt’. Clearly, the realities of growing and aging populations, increasing poverty, and strained funding are putting greater pressures than previously realised. Specifically, this is challenging social care, and housing and accommodation, which are both suffering from an increased need in funding which is not available. At the recent ‘Future of Britain: Governing in the Age of AI’ conference (July 2024), organised by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, speakers suggested that the only opportunity presenting itself currently is the recent steps forward in Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Generative AI and Large Language Models. Needless to say, it will require more than poems on ChatGPT or images on Midjourney to drive improvements in local services provisions. However, in the last year we have seen an AI development that shows promise, albeit with translation into reliable operations with secure environments. This new development is being referred to as Agentic AI, or multi-AI agent teams. But what does this new technology offer for Local Governments? What is Agentic AI? Agentic AI represents a shift from traditional centralised AI models to a distributed system comprising multiple specialised Agents working collaboratively. This approach allows for the division and specialisation of tasks among trained AI agents, which can efficiently solve complex problems by leveraging the strengths of each individual Agent within their specialised domain. Agentic AI offers several distinct advantages over a traditional Large Language Models (LLMs), which are particularly relevant for environments where accuracy, transparency and security are paramount. Imagine you are a council leader, with the power to bring the best people, with the best knowledge and information at hand, into a room to solve every problem statement that you are currently facing. Now, imagine that you can quickly create AI Agents with that same knowledge and information at hand, and the ability to effectively collaborate to solve those problems. It probably sounds farfetched, and yet there are already examples of this technology working effectively in secure organisations within the UK. In this article, we explore the implications of Agentic AI for Local Government spending, procurement, delivery, and HR functions. Budgeting & Spend Management: Enhancing Precision & Reducing Costs What have you got planned over the next few years? What do you have to do vs what do you want to do? What variables play into those decisions? These questions may cover capital projects, provision of housing, technology products, or services reform—such as social care, operations, pensions, and more. Imagine this use case: you are able to do a budgetary cost estimate of everything in minutes, with multiple scenarios and risk analysis for each to a degree of confidence in the execution of the project or service within the price given, as well as proactive recommended interventions to de-risk. This can all be done with Agentic AI, which has already delivered time savings in central government by a factor in excess of 100x, with massive cost decreases too. This technology can provide completely calculated cost estimated and full referenceability in less than half an hour. This doesn’t work entirely by magic. It can be preconfigured to apply your estimate methodologies and local policies and understand what has been done before, but it learns over time, and will continue to verify from other sources, including talking to your employees. However, you would be amazed at the results observed in only weeks. Also, ask yourself this question: How do you find the most accurate budget estimate? Is it better to have a team follow a process to get one answer over time, or to apply a distribution curve to 100-1000 automatically generated estimates for multiple scenarios to determine what is statistically most likely? Agentic AI will give you a customisable set of accurate estimates, with as many parameters as you require, in a fraction of the time and cost. We help you build an Agentic AI team configured to support your project managers, service managers, and operational leaders in everything that they do. This can include accelerating onboarding, gaining excess to deep expertise, making informed recommendations, and working in conjunction with your teams. People have long worried about AI replacing humans, but what if it could be harnessed effectively to help superpower your teams? Agentic AI is a paradigm shift in budget planning and prioritisation, as well as reducing the risks of delay and cost slippage through provision of reliable budgetary estimates for everything Local Governments want to execute. Procurement: Accelerating Processes and Reducing Acquisition Costs Agentic AI can also be harnessed to improve the entire set of processes in the procurement cycle, with a focus on reducing risk and reducing elapsed time to next-step outcomes. There are already established Generative AI solutions that write bid responses, and soon they are likely to generate requirements documents such as ITTs, RFPs, and even contracts. There are AI solutions that enable global search for any widget in any geography, producing Gartner-style sophisticated reports, in hours, on recommended options—enabling procurement teams to source suppliers far more quickly. In addition, Agentic AI will provide effective decision-making solutions that assist with the review of responses to determine risks, costs, and gaps. There are now two approaches to accelerating the procurement process. The first is traditional, mapping out the end-to-end process, determining the areas of delay or pain, and focussing on improving or automating those elements. The second is more novel, and perhaps completely new with Agentic AI: if we can identify the capabilities, tools, and knowledge that are needed in that end-to-end process, then your team of AI Agents can be trained to determine approaches to accelerate these outcomes in your organisation. In truth, there is a strong argument to try both where possible. Delivery: Streamlining PMO Functions & Managing Risks Estimating costs faster is one essential function, but the challenge is also to ensure that these services, projects, or operational needs, are still being delivered for the cost envisaged. Agentic AI can also be applied to act as an enhanced Project Management Office (PMO) function by taking progress input from a variety of sources, interpreting against all that is known, and making proactive intervention recommendations to help keep the team on track. Imagine this use case: an Agent Team that has specific agents focused on aggregating data, perhaps supplied from existing Excel reports or through interfaces to the financial systems; some agents are specialised at determining and evaluating risks, while others are trained to have a deep understanding of the contract terms, operating model, resourcing, or anything that can be provided as a set of data or interface. There are, of course, numerous regulations (GDPR as a minimum), policies, and ethical AI frameworks that must be adhered to, but we have already seen robust solutions designed for highly secure environments. That being said, do not compromise here: it is critical that organisational data is protected from a security perspective, requiring a full transparent, auditable solution. Agentic AI in HR & Finance: Driving Productivity Improvement In a wider context, Agentic AI can impact the entire Operating Model of a local authority or council, improving productivity and enabling existing teams to achieve more, and faster, through the assistance of AI Team Members. There are numerous use cases for these applications across HR, campaign recruitment, performance appraisals, apprenticeships, and more. This technology is also beginning to ask questions of regulations; for example, for many years we have pushed job descriptions through tools that ensure gender neutrality, yet if we can easily create and promote a multiplicity of job descriptions and adverts that are targeted on broadly diverse groups, then there may be a more effective engagement across these demographics. We are also seeing Agentic AI applied to finance functions, bringing a meld of machine learning tools with Generative AI to help automate process flows such as invoice processing, forecasting, accounting, financial reporting, and auditing. Summary: Harnessing Agentic AI for Local Government Transformation If your perspective on Generative AI is driven by playing with ChatGPT or Dall-E, and you have dismissed it as being irrelevant to your work in Local Government, then my plea is to look further. If you have worried about hallucination, or the security/privacy issues of applying it to the public sector, or the impact it may have on jobs, then look at the emergence of Agentic AI as helping to resolve some of these genuine concerns. Regarding the impact on jobs, though it is undoubtedly true that the employment landscape is constantly evolving, there are some wider, incontrovertible megatrends that are making it increasingly difficult to recruit the necessary people to deliver the required services—for example, aging populations, or shrinking populations (in some geographies). As a strong voice in the world’s CDR (Digital Responsibility) movement, I have been talking about the necessity to think of these consequential impacts for nearly a decade. Yet, I have seen the reaction to public sector employees finding themselves better able to perform the actions required for their departments or citizens without the reliance on consultants in the supply chain. Think of Agentic AI as enabling you to do far more with your existing teams; to onboard new employees faster; and to condense elapsed times to respond to requests or deliver services. Think of it as a way of making your employees’ lives easier, by providing them with the information to help make their decisions, or complete activities faster. It is true that there are risks and dangers regarding AI, but these can be understood and mitigated in the context of specific use cases. Let its innovative potential drive your engagement with it, over fear of the unknown. In an environment in which taxation is unlikely to significantly increase to provide greater funding and the costs of delivering public services continues to increase, we must find some transformative ways to keep going. Agentic AI presents this opportunity, we just need to understand how to harness it most effectively in harmony with human teams who need that help. In short, Agentic AI can be instrumental in future-proofing your operations and delivering better public services for less cost. Agentic AI from Futuria Combined with Cambridge MC’s Public Sector Expertise Cambridge Management Consulting and Futuria have formed a strategic partnership to offer Agentic AI solutions tailored to the needs of UK local authorities. This collaboration brings together Cambridge MC’s extensive expertise in public sector transformation and Futuria’s cutting-edge AI technology, creating a powerful proposition for councils facing budgetary constraints and operational challenges. Craig Cheney, Managing Partner for the Public Sector at Cambridge Management Consulting, highlights the potential impact of this collaboration: "Our partnership with Futuria presents a transformative opportunity for local authorities across the UK. By combining our deep expertise in public sector transformation with Futuria's advanced Agentic AI technology, we are empowering councils to navigate their financial challenges while improving service delivery. This is not just about cost-cutting; it's about enabling local governments to do more with less—delivering better outcomes for their communities in a sustainable way." Cambridge MC has a long-standing commitment to supporting the public sector through economic challenges. With decades of experience working with councils and educational institutions, Cambridge MC has helped organisations save over £2 billion through cost reduction initiatives and business transformation. This expertise is now amplified by the integration of Futuria’s Agentic AI solutions, offering local governments a powerful toolset to future-proof their operations and superpower their leadership and teams. About Rob Price Rob is a co-founder of Futuria, an Agentic AI company enhancing organisational productivity with multi-agent teams. He hosts the Futurise podcast, interviewing CEOs and AI business founders about the start-up and scale-up world of AI and Generative AI in the UK, Europe and US. Rob has held various senior leadership roles, from Sales Director to CDO, COO, and Deputy CEO at Worldline UK&CEE, demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving, and effective execution. Link to Podcast on Spotify Rob co-founded the Corporate Digital Responsibility movement and helped launch the International CDR Manifesto in October 2021. He manages corporatedigitalresponsibility.net and hosts the 'A New Digital Responsibility' podcast, now in its fifth season. A frequent speaker at European events, he is also a trustee of Inspire+, a charity promoting healthy lives for primary school children. About Futuria At Futuria, we’re passionate about reshaping the future of enterprise operations with our advanced AI Agent Teams and pioneering Agentic AI solutions. Our mission is to empower businesses by integrating modular, explainable, and responsible AI that fits seamlessly into complex environments. By enhancing human expertise, we help organisations gain full control, transparency, and scalability—delivering impactful solutions that drive efficiency, reduce costs, improve decision-making, foster innovation, and empower users. Fine out more at: www.futuria.ai