FAQs: VoIP & Hosted Phone Systems for Manchester Businesses
1. What is a hosted VoIP phone system?
A hosted VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system is a modern business phone solution that runs entirely over your internet connection.
- VoIP: This is the technology that converts your voice into a digital signal, allowing calls to be made via the internet instead of old copper phone lines.
- Hosted: This means your business doesn’t need to buy, install, or maintain a physical phone (PBX) box in your office. Instead, a specialist provider “hosts” all the hardware and software in their secure data centre, managing all the updates and maintenance for you. You simply connect your IP desk phones or software-based “softphones” to it via the internet.
2. Why are so many Manchester businesses switching to hosted VoIP?
Manchester has a dynamic and fast-growing economy, from tech startups in the Northern Quarter to established professional services in Spinningfields. Hosted VoIP directly supports this by offering:
- Flexibility: It’s perfect for the rise in hybrid working. An employee can have their (0161) office number on an app on their laptop or mobile, allowing them to make and receive office calls from home, a co-working space, or even on the train.
- Scalability: For growing businesses, adding a new user is as simple as a few clicks in a web portal. You are no longer limited by the number of physical phone lines to your building.
- Cost Savings: It eliminates the need for expensive ISDN line rentals and reduces call costs, especially for international calls.
- Professional Features: It gives small businesses access to enterprise-level features (like auto-attendants, call recording, and video conferencing) for a simple per-user, per-month fee.
3. I’ve heard about the “PSTN Switch-Off.” How does this affect my business?
This is the single most important reason to be looking at VoIP. Openreach is switching off the old copper PSTN and ISDN networks—the lines that have powered traditional phone calls for decades—across the entire UK.
The deadline for this switch-off is December 2025.
This means any business in Manchester still using an old analogue or ISDN phone system must migrate to a digital solution (like VoIP) before this date to avoid losing their phone service. This is not optional; it is a full, nationwide upgrade.
4. Can I keep my existing Manchester (0161) phone number?
Yes, absolutely. This is a major concern for established businesses, and the process is seamless. Your new VoIP provider will “port” your existing 0161 numbers over to their network. This means you keep your well-known business number, and your customers will notice no difference—except for better call quality.
5. Is the internet in Manchester good enough for high-quality VoIP calls?
Yes. Manchester has excellent and widespread access to high-speed fibre broadband (FTTP – Fibre to the Premises). For a VoIP system to work well, you need a stable, high-quality internet connection, not just a fast one.
Any good provider will test your existing internet connection for “jitter” and “packet loss” to ensure it’s suitable for high-definition voice calls. If it’s not, they will recommend a dedicated business-grade broadband connection to guarantee call quality.
6. What happens if the internet in my office goes down?
This is a key benefit of a hosted system. Because the “brain” of your phone system is in the cloud (a secure data centre), it never goes down.
If your local office internet fails, the system automatically knows. It can instantly reroute all incoming calls to other destinations, such as:
- Your mobile phone(s)
- An employee’s home office “softphone”
- A pre-recorded “we are experiencing an issue” announcement
- A different office or branch (e.g., in Salford or Stockport)
Your customers will always get through, meaning you never miss an important call.
7. Should I choose a local Manchester-based VoIP provider or a big national one?
This depends on your needs, but there are distinct advantages to using a local provider:
- Local Support: If you ever need hands-on help, a Manchester-based provider can send an engineer to your office (e.g., in Trafford Park or the city centre) much faster.
- Local Knowledge: They understand the specific connectivity and infrastructure challenges and opportunities in the Greater Manchester area.
- Personal Service: You are often a much more valued client to a local provider and can build a stronger business relationship, rather than being just an account number in a national call centre.
