Unified Communications: What It Is and Why It Matters

Understanding VoIP for Business

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) replaces traditional phone lines by routing calls over the internet. For businesses, this means lower costs, more features and the flexibility to make and receive calls from any device — desk phone, computer or mobile app.

How VoIP Works

When you make a VoIP call, your voice is converted into digital data packets that travel over your internet connection to the recipient. The technology behind this is called SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), which handles setting up, maintaining and ending calls.

Key Benefits for Business

• Cost savings — VoIP typically costs 30–50% less than traditional phone systems. No line rental, free internal calls and competitive call rates.
• Enterprise features included — auto attendant, call recording, call queues, voicemail-to-email, conference calling and AI transcription come as standard.
• Work from anywhere — softphone apps let staff make business calls from their mobile or laptop, using their office number.
• Scalable — add or remove users in minutes without hardware changes.
• Future-proof — with the UK PSTN switch-off in 2027, VoIP is the replacement for traditional phone lines.

What You Need

• A stable broadband connection (minimum 100 Kbps per concurrent call)
• IP desk phones, softphone apps or a combination of both
• A hosted VoIP provider to manage the platform

Getting Started

Most businesses are fully up and running with VoIP within 1–2 weeks. Your provider handles number porting, phone configuration and training. There is usually no upfront cost for the system itself — just a monthly per-user fee starting from around £5.