The traditional landline has been essential for communications for a very long time. It’s provided homes and businesses across the country with the ability to make and receive telephone calls and use their broadband.
From keeping in touch with loved ones to allowing you to successfully run a business, we genuinely don’t know where we would have been without it.
So, when BT Openreach announced that they were switching off all those traditional landlines in 2025, there was understandably a lot of nervousness around what takes its place. We’ve relied on traditional landlines for so long but, as technology has improved, so have the alternatives – specifically, Voice over Internet Protocol technology.
What is Voice over Internet Protocol technology?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is a type of phone system that allows users to make and receive voice calls using an internet connection, rather than the traditional copper telephone lines. It will allow the UK to make cheaper and clearer telephone calls.
VoIP is not tied to a physical location, unlike traditional landline phones, and also allows users to turn their laptop or mobile device into their work phone via a simple app.
For quite some time, VoIP has been considered the alternative to landlines but is now viewed as the future of telephony as BT Openreach continue with The Big Switch Off.
All you need to get started is an internet connection!
What makes it better than traditional landlines?
- More flexibility - As we’ve mentioned above, VoIP is not tied to a physical location which gives users the freedom to make and receive calls to their work phone number wherever they may be working from. This may sound really technical but actually it all works using an app from your VoIP provider. This is a massive plus in the post-pandemic world of remote or blended working!
- It’s cheaper – VoIP is a lot cheaper to set-up, run and maintain than traditional telephone lines. Businesses who have already made the switch are reporting a massive reduction in their telephone bills which is very useful during the current economic challenges we are facing. If your business needs to grow, you can add additional telephones with great ease at very little cost.
- Better sound quality – We’ve all had those challenging phone calls where the connection has been so poor we’ve basically been guessing at what we’re being told. They are so frustrating! Thankfully, VoIP brings users a big improvement in sound quality.
- Additional communication features – Unlike traditional landlines, you can do way more than just make and receive audio calls. VoIP gives you the opportunity to bring all your communications under one platform through the following features:
- Video calls
- Screen sharing
- Instant messaging
- Team chats
- Conference calls
- Great security – As a business owner, you’ll be pleased to know that VoIP products have built in security and call encryption. This gives you the protection that you need to share sensitive information over the phone, such as bank details and confidential conversations.
Is it reliable?
The biggest concern that businesses have about moving to VoIP is the reliability of using the internet to make all calls.
As much of the UK now has reliable high-speed internet, this shouldn’t be a concern. After all, we rely on the internet for many other essential tasks, so it’s no different.
It’s also important to note is that VoIP is not actually a brand-new alternative. It’s been around for some time now and many businesses are already using it for their telephone systems. As with any new technologies, VoIP has evolved and improved since its conception and is perfectly placed to pick up where traditional telephone lines have left off.
