How VoIP works
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) turns your voice into small data packets and sends them across the internet. A provider connects those calls to the normal phone network, so you can still call and be called by any landline or mobile.
With a hosted or cloud VoIP system, the phone system itself lives in the provider's data centre. Your users sign in from desk phones, computer apps or mobile apps, wherever they are.
What you need
- A reliable internet connection: about 100 kbps each way per call with the G.711 codec
- A business router, ideally with voice prioritisation (QoS)
- Devices: desk phones, headsets, or just the apps
- A provider to host your numbers and system
Why businesses switch
- One system for office, home and mobile working
- Add or remove users in minutes
- Features like call recording, queues and reporting included
- Keep your numbers wherever you move
- No copper lines to lose in the PSTN switch-off
Questions to ask a provider
- Where are your data centres and support team?
- What is included per user, and what costs extra?
- How long is the contract, and what happens at renewal?
- How do you handle number porting?
- What happens to calls if our internet fails?