Telephony
VoIP vs traditional phone systems
One runs your calls over the internet, the other over the copper network that's being switched off by 2027. Here's the real difference and what it means for your choice.
A traditional phone system makes calls over the old physical phone network (PSTN/ISDN) using a box of hardware on your premises. VoIP — voice over internet protocol — sends your calls as data over your internet connection instead. That single change underpins most of the differences below, and it's why the move matters: the traditional network is being retired by the end of 2027.
Flexibility
A traditional system ties phones to physical lines and desks. VoIP ties them to people. Your team takes calls on a desk phone, a laptop or a mobile — same number, same features, wherever they are. For hybrid and multi-site working, that's a genuine practical difference, not a gimmick.
Cost and scaling
Traditional systems carry hardware, line rental and maintenance, and adding lines often means an engineer visit. VoIP is typically a predictable per-user monthly fee, and adding or removing users is a setting, not a site visit. You pay for the people who need a phone, not a fixed bank of lines.
Features
Things that were expensive add-ons on old systems — call recording, voicemail-to-email, call queues, integration with your CRM, one number across devices — tend to come built in with a good VoIP platform. Cobalt Cloud, for example, brings voice, chat, SMS and WhatsApp into one screen with records opening automatically.
What VoIP depends on
VoIP is only as good as your internet connection. On a solid business line it's clear and reliable; on a weak or overloaded one, call quality suffers. That's solvable — a connection tuned for voice traffic, and 4G failover so an outage doesn't take your phones down — but it's the real trade-off to plan for.
FAQs
Common questions
Is VoIP reliable enough for business?
On a decent business connection, yes — it's what the vast majority of businesses now run on. The key is a connection that prioritises voice traffic and a failover so you stay online if the main line drops. We set both up where they matter.
Do I have to switch to VoIP?
Eventually, yes — the traditional network is being switched off by the end of 2027, so all calls move to the internet. The choice is really when and how, not whether. Moving in good time means doing it calmly rather than under pressure.
Will VoIP call quality be as good as a landline?
On a good connection it's as good or better. Poor quality almost always traces back to the internet line, not VoIP itself — which is why we check and, if needed, tune the connection before going live.
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