FAQs

These five questions will help you find a cheap IP phone if you live in the UK.

1. What is an IP phone, and how does it help people in the UK save money?

Instead of a regular copper phone line, a VoIP phone or IP phone uses your broadband internet connection to make and receive calls. The best way to save money is to not have to pay for “line rental,” which costs UK providers between £15 and £25 a month. Calls are also usually much cheaper, especially calls to UK cell phones and calls to other countries, because they only send data over the internet.

2. Can I keep my UK phone number, like my 020 or 0161 number?

Yes, most of the time. This process is called “number porting.” You can move your landline number from BT, Virgin Media, Sky, or another UK VoIP provider you trust, like Sipgate, VoIP Fone, A&A, or others. Before you stop using your old service, you should ask for this. You have to pay a little bit to port, but you can keep your old business or home phone number.

3. Do I need to buy a new “IP phone,” or can I keep using the one I have?

You have two main cheap options:

To start, buy a “ATA” (Analogue Telephone Adapter) for the least amount of money. This is a small box that fits inside your router. Then, you plug your regular phone into the ATA. You use this phone all the time. This gadget turns an analog signal into a digital one, which lets you use your old phone with a new VoIP service.

Get a phone with its own IP address. Other companies that sell cheap IP phones are Yealink, Grand stream, and Giga set. You can use Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable to connect these to your router. They usually have more features and better call quality (HD Voice) than an old phone with an ATA.

4. Will any cheap IP phone I buy online work with any VoIP provider in the UK?

Please remember this; it is very important. “SIP” is the open standard that most VoIP companies in the UK use. A “unlocked SIP phone” is a good choice if you want a cheap phone.

Watch out for phones that only work with one carrier. A BT Digital Voice phone, for instance, might not work with a phone from a different company. Most independent UK VoIP services will work with a phone that has “unlocked SIP.”

5. What are the most important costs or issues you need to be aware of?

The main issue is that it doesn’t always work. Your phone line will also go down if your power and internet go out.

Your broadband isn’t working.

You lose power.

For IP phones to work, your home needs both power and the internet. The line itself gave old copper-wire phones power. Look over the provider’s call plan to make sure there aren’t any extra costs. Make sure to read the tariff details carefully so you don’t get bills you weren’t expecting. A low monthly fee might not cover calls to UK cell phones or other numbers that cost a lot.