VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones are the newest type of phone for homes and businesses in the UK. A VoIP phone lets you make and receive calls over your broadband internet connection instead of an old copper line.
This is important because the UK’s PSTN is going to stop working. The old copper phone network will be turned off in January 2027, so people will have to use the internet to make calls. You can be sure that the VoIP phone you buy now will work with this new digital network in the future.
You should think about the following when choosing a VoIP service provider –
- To work, a VoIP phone needs a phone line. You need to sign up for a service like BT’s Digital Voice, RingCentral, 8×8, or Voipfone to use VoIP. They will connect you to the phone network and set up your phone number.
- Keep Your Number: Ofcom says that if you switch to a new VoIP service, you can keep your current landline number. You don’t have to change your contact information, though.
There are a lot of different kinds of VoIP phones –
- Desk Phones: The phone you used to have at work. Look for phones that support Power over Ethernet (PoE). This means that the phone gets power from the same cable that it uses to send and receive data. You don’t need to plug in any extra wires.
- DECT Phones That Don’t Need Wires: These phones don’t need wires to connect to a base station, so you can move around more. Your base station can be connected to your router.
- Conference phones are special phones with more than one microphone that make the sound better in meeting rooms.
Yealink, Poly (formerly Polycom), and Cisco are some of the most well-known brands in the UK. In the UK, VoIP service providers often sell phones directly to customers, either as part of a monthly plan or through online stores.
