Business connectivity
Business Phone Lines
A business phone line is the connection that carries your company's calls and holds your business number. New lines in the UK are digital, which means they run over your internet connection instead of a copper line.
The UK analogue network closes on 31 January 2027, so every remaining analogue line is moving across. You keep your existing number when you switch, and you can add or remove lines without waiting for an engineer.
Check what your address can get
A new business phone line runs over your internet connection, so the first thing to check is what your address can take. Enter your postcode to see the broadband packages available there.
- Trading since 2014
- Trusted by UK businesses
- UK based support
- Keep your existing number
Business phone lines at a glance
- What it is
- The connection that carries your company's calls and holds your business number
- How it is delivered
- Over your internet connection, not a copper line
- What you need
- A broadband connection. No engineer visit and no new cable
- Analogue lines cease
- 31 January 2027
- Keep your existing number
- Yes, numbers port across from your current provider
- Line rental
- None. There is no separate line rental on a digital line
- Lead time
- Set by number porting, confirmed for your address on your quote call
- Price
- From £13.95 per line per month, excluding VAT, phone system included
Types of business phone line
The three types of business phone line in the UK are a digital line, also called VoIP, a virtual landline, and a traditional analogue line. Only the first two can be ordered today.
What separates them is how the call travels. A digital line carries it over your internet connection, an analogue line carries it over a copper cable to one fixed address, and a virtual landline routes it straight to a mobile.
New analogue lines have not been available to order since the nationwide stop sell in September 2023, and the analogue network closes on 31 January 2027. A new business phone line ordered today is a digital one.
| Type of line | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Digital line, also called VoIP | Calls run over your internet connection. Works on a desk phone, a computer or a mobile app. | Any business ordering a line today |
| Virtual landline | Gives you a business number that routes to your mobile. No desk phone needed. | Sole traders and teams who work out of the office |
| Traditional analogue line | Copper cable to one fixed address. Closes on 31 January 2027. | Not available to order, stop sell since September 2023 |
Which one do most businesses choose
Most businesses move to a digital line, because it is the direct replacement for what they had and it keeps the same number. A digital line is not tied to one handset either, so the same number can ring a desk phone, a computer and a mobile at once.
If you want a business number that rings your mobile and nothing else, that is a virtual landline. We cover that separately on our virtual phone system page.
Can I get a business phone line only
Yes. Our lines run over the internet connection you already have, so you do not have to buy broadband from us to take a line and a number.
One thing to be clear about. The phone system comes with the line, it is not a separate purchase. At £13.95 per line you get the number, unlimited UK calls, the mobile and desktop apps and the full set of call handling features. We do not sell a bare line with nothing attached to it, because on a digital service there is nothing to separate.
How to get a business phone line
Getting a business phone line takes five steps: check what your address can take, tell us how many people need a line, keep your number or choose a new one, let us arrange the port, then sign in and start taking calls. There is no engineer visit and no new cable, so the only thing that sets the timetable is moving your number across, which your current provider has to release. We confirm the timescale for your address on your quote call.
- Check your address Put your postcode into the address checker to see what broadband is available there, because that is what your line will run over. If you already have business broadband you can skip this step.
- Tell us how many people need a line You are buying per user, not per cable, so the number is simply how many people need to make and take calls.
- Keep your number or pick a new one We can move your existing number across, or give you a new local 01 or 02 number, an 03 number or an 0800 freephone number.
- We handle the port If you are keeping your number we arrange the transfer with your current provider and schedule it so you do not lose calls. Keep your existing service active until the port completes.
- Go live You sign in to the app on a laptop or a mobile and you are taking calls. If you have ordered desk phones, we will confirm on your quote call when they arrive.
How much does a business phone line cost
Our business phone lines start at £13.95 per line per month, excluding VAT. That price includes the phone system, so there is nothing else to add to make the line usable.
There is no separate line rental on a digital line. Line rental was a charge for maintaining a physical copper circuit. Your line now runs over your internet connection, so that charge does not exist.
What is included at £13.95
- Your business number, kept or newly issued
- Unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles
- Mobile and desktop apps, so the line works away from the desk
- Over 40 phone system features, including call transfer, hold, voicemail to email and call queues
- UK based support and maintenance, included at every tier
What changes the price
- How many people need a line
- Whether you want AI call transcription and summaries, which is our Premium plan at £16.95
- Whether you want CRM integration, which is our Ultimate plan at £23.99
- Whether you need desk phone handsets or just the apps
- International calling, which is an optional add-on at £25 a month
Prices elsewhere are quoted differently, so compare what is in them. A line advertised at under £10 is usually the line on its own, with the phone system, the apps and the call features charged separately on top.
How many phone lines does my business need
You need one business phone line for every person who makes or takes calls. On a digital line you are counting people, not cables.
That is the change from analogue. A copper line could carry one call at a time, so a five-person office needed several lines to avoid an engaged tone. A digital line has no such limit, so every person can be on a call at once.
| Business size | What you usually need | Worth adding |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | One line, often used through the mobile app | Voicemail to email so nothing is missed on site |
| 2 to 10 people | One line per person who takes calls | A main number with a simple menu, so callers reach the right person |
| 10 to 50 people | One line per person, plus a shared main number | Call queues and ring groups, so calls overflow to a colleague |
| Multiple sites | One line per person across all sites on one system | Routing between sites, so one office covers another when it is busy |
If you are not sure, you do not have to get it right at the start. Lines are added and removed from your account, so you can change the number as you take people on.
Business phone lines and broadband together
Yes, you can take your business phone line and your broadband from us together, on one bill and one contract. Your digital line runs over your internet connection, so the quality of that connection is what decides the quality of your calls.
Taking both from one supplier also means one number to ring when something needs looking at, rather than two providers pointing at each other.
Full fibre with business phone included starts at £48.95 per month, excluding VAT. Speeds run from 80Mbps at the entry tier up to 1Gbps at the top, and every plan comes with a free static IP.
If you already have business broadband you are fine as you are. We will check it is suitable before you order.
See fibre broadband with phoneThe 2027 switch off and your phone line
The UK analogue telephone network is being retired. From 31 January 2027 all remaining analogue phone lines stop working, along with the devices that use them, and any business still on one loses the ability to make and take calls.
You may see earlier dates quoted elsewhere. The deadline was originally December 2025 and was moved back to 31 January 2027, so anything still saying 2025 is out of date.
- 31 January 2027 Analogue voice lines cease across the UK
- ISDN2 and ISDN30 Close on the same date as analogue lines
- Full fibre is not affected FTTP broadband continues as normal
- Broadband on copper ADSL and FTTC depend on the PSTN line, so they move to SoGEA or full fibre
It is not only the phones
Anything that dials out over a phone line is affected, not just the handsets on desks.
- Alarms
- Lift emergency phones
- Door entry systems
- Card payment terminals
Those need checking before the date, not after it.
You can read the full timeline on our PSTN switch off guide. If you want to know what you have on an analogue line right now, we can go through it with you on a quote call.
Customer story
Seths Estate Agents moved off an analogue system
Seths are a family run estate and letting agency in Leicester, with a main office on Loughborough Road and a team of 12 staff. They were running a legacy analogue phone system where calls were charged individually, which made the monthly bill unpredictable.
- 19 users Moved onto one cloud system across their sites
- All numbers kept Every existing number ported, no change for customers
- Fixed monthly cost Per call billing replaced with one predictable bill
They moved to one cloud phone system with full fibre broadband and a fully managed router at every site. A caller menu was added, and calls now overflow between offices so one branch covers another when it cannot answer.
Since moving to The VoIP Shop, we've had a much more reliable phone system across our sites. It's reassuring to know our costs are fixed each month. Anish Popat, Director, Seths Estate Agents
Can I keep my business phone number
Yes. Your existing number moves across to the new line, whoever your current provider is. Customers calling you will not notice anything.
The process is called porting. We arrange it with your current provider and agree a date with you, so there is no gap where calls go unanswered. You do not need to tell anyone your number has moved, because it has not changed.
To start it we need a recent bill from your current provider, a signed Letter of Authorisation and a list of the numbers you want to move. Your account number and installation address are sometimes asked for too. There is more detail on our number porting documents and Letter of Authorisation pages.
Do not cancel your existing service first. Keep it active until the port completes. Cancelling early can mean losing the number altogether, because a number tied to a ceased service cannot be moved.
If you would rather start fresh, we can issue a new local 01 or 02 number for your area, an 03 number that costs callers the same as a landline, or an 0800 freephone number.
Business phone lines for small businesses
A small business phone line is the same line a larger company takes. You just take fewer of them, and you can add more later without changing anything. People still call it a landline, and the number behaves exactly like one, it simply does not run over copper any more.
Most small businesses want three things on top of the line itself. A main number that rings more than one person. Voicemail that arrives as an email. And the ability to answer the office number from a mobile. All three come with the line at £13.95.
If you are looking for the system rather than the line, our phone systems for small business page covers the features side in more detail.
Why choose The VoIP Shop for your business phone lines
- Trading since 2014 Over ten years supplying business phone lines and systems across the UK, with more than 1,000 customers.
- UK based support You speak to our own engineers in the UK, so the person who picks up can usually fix the problem on that call.
- We handle the port Moving your number is our job, not yours. We deal with your old provider and schedule it so you do not lose calls.
- Setup and training included We configure the system and train your team at no extra cost, so nobody is left working it out on their own.
Business phone line FAQs
How can I get a landline number for my business?
You order a digital business line and we issue the number with it. You can have a local 01 or 02 number for your area, an 03 number that costs callers the same as a landline, or an 0800 freephone number. There is no engineer visit and no new cable, because the line runs over your internet connection.
How do I get a business line on my phone?
Your business line works through an app on your mobile, alongside your personal number. You take and make business calls from your business number, and your personal number stays private. It works on the office wifi or on mobile data, so you can answer the office number anywhere.
Can I get a business phone line as a sole trader?
Yes. A single line works exactly the same way as fifty. Most sole traders take one line and use it through the mobile app, which gives them a business number without carrying a second phone. Voicemail arrives as an email, so a missed call while you are with a customer does not get lost.
Can I keep my existing business phone number?
Yes. Your number transfers across from your current provider through a process called porting. We arrange it and agree the date with you, so no calls are missed, and your number does not change. Keep your existing service active until the port completes, because cancelling early can mean losing the number.
How much does a business phone line cost in the UK?
Our lines start at £13.95 per line per month, excluding VAT, with the phone system included. That covers the number, unlimited UK landline and mobile calls, the apps and the call handling features. Compare carefully, because a cheaper advertised line often charges separately for the system and the features.
Do I still need line rental with a VoIP line?
No. Line rental was the charge for maintaining a physical copper circuit to your building. A digital line runs over your existing internet connection, so there is no copper circuit and no line rental. You pay one monthly price per line.
What is the difference between a business phone line and a home landline?
A home landline is one number for one household, with no call handling behind it. A business line adds the call handling an office needs: transferring calls between people, a menu for callers, queues when everyone is busy, call recording and voicemail to email. It is also supported on business terms, with UK support and a service level attached.
Can I use my mobile number as my business phone line?
You can, but it causes problems as you grow. Your number is tied to one handset, so nobody can cover for you, calls cannot be transferred, and the number leaves with the phone. A business line gives you a separate number that rings on your mobile through the app, so you get the convenience without giving out a personal number.
Do I need broadband to get a business phone line?
You need an internet connection, but it does not have to come from us. If you already have business broadband, your line runs over it and we will check it is suitable before you order. If you want both from one supplier, full fibre with business phone included starts at £48.95 per month excluding VAT. See our fibre broadband page.
What is the benefit of an 03 or 08 number for my business?
An 03 number is not tied to a town, so it works for a business trading across the UK or one that may move offices. Calls to 03 numbers cost the caller the same as calling a landline and come out of inclusive minutes. An 0800 number is free for the caller, which suits a sales or enquiry line where you want to remove any reason not to ring.
What happens to my business phone line in 2027?
If your line is analogue it stops working on 31 January 2027, when the UK analogue network is retired. ISDN2 and ISDN30 close on the same date. Full fibre broadband is not affected. Anything else that dials out over a phone line, such as alarms, lifts and card terminals, also needs moving before then. Our PSTN switch off guide has the full timeline.
Get your business phone line sorted
Tell us how many people need a line and whether you are keeping your number. We will come back with a price and tell you how long the switch will take.