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Get Prices → 📞 0121 268 0121With BT's PSTN switch-off arriving in January 2027, every UK business will be forced off traditional phone lines. But which is actually better — and is there any reason to stick with traditional lines until then? Here's the definitive comparison.
For almost every UK business, VoIP is better than traditional phone systems. It's cheaper, more feature-rich, more flexible and — critically — the only option that works after January 2027 when BT permanently switches off all ISDN and PSTN lines.
The biggest difference between VoIP and traditional phone systems is cost. Here's a real-world comparison for a 10-person business:
For almost every UK business, VoIP is better than traditional phone systems. It's cheaper, more feature-rich, more flexible and — critically — the only option that works after January 2027 when BT permanently switches off all ISDN and PSTN lines.
The biggest difference between VoIP and traditional phone systems is cost. Here's a real-world comparison for a 10-person business:
This is the most common concern when switching to VoIP. Traditional phone lines have a reputation for reliability because they work even when the power is out. VoIP needs internet connectivity.
In practice, for businesses with a decent broadband connection, VoIP reliability is excellent. Our Cloud X platform maintains 99.99% uptime. The key is having a failover arrangement — a 4G/5G backup connection that activates automatically if your main broadband drops. With failover in place, VoIP is more reliable in practice than traditional lines for most businesses.
If you have an existing phone system (PBX hardware) that you're not ready to replace, SIP trunks are a middle ground. SIP trunks replace your ISDN lines while keeping your existing PBX hardware. You get the cost savings of VoIP without changing your phones or internal setup. It's the lowest-disruption route to PSTN compliance.
| VoIP | Traditional ISDN | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly line rental (10 lines) | £99.90–£150 | £200–£400 |
| Setup & hardware | £0 (phones provided) | £500–£3,000 |
| UK calls | Unlimited included | Per-minute charges |
| International calls | Low-cost per minute | High per-minute rates |
| Adding a new line | 5 minutes, no engineer | Engineer visit + cost |
| Works after Jan 2027 | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Feature | VoIP | Traditional |
|---|---|---|
| Call recording | ✅ Included | ❌ Expensive add-on |
| Mobile app | ✅ Included | ❌ Not available |
| Call queuing | ✅ Included | ❌ Expensive add-on |
| Auto-attendant (IVR) | ✅ Included | ❌ Expensive add-on |
| Voicemail to email | ✅ Included | ❌ Not typically available |
| Multi-site single system | ✅ Easy | ❌ Complex & expensive |
| Work from anywhere | ✅ Any device, any location | ❌ Desk-bound |
| MS Teams integration | ✅ Native | ❌ Not possible |
| AI receptionist | ✅ Available | ❌ Not possible |
Click your area for local pricing and case studies.
"Switched our entire office phone system and broadband. The team handled everything, zero downtime. Saving over £200 a month compared to our old BT contract."
"Had failover installed after losing internet for a whole day. Assure X kicks in within seconds. Our team didn't even notice when the main line dropped last week."
"Our dental practice needed reliable phones and fast broadband. Telexico sorted everything in one visit. The AI receptionist handles after-hours calls brilliantly."
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