The phone line just went digital.
A digital phone line looks like the phone on your desk. It behaves like software — which means you can finally tell it what to do.
For a hundred years, a phone line was a pair of copper wires nailed to your wall. It did one thing: ring.
A digital phone line is different. Your calls travel over your broadband, and the “line” itself lives in the cloud — so it can be shaped, routed, diverted and managed like any other piece of software.
Same number. Better phones. And a phone system your business actually controls — this is what that looks like.
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Analogue vs digital — what actually changes
An analogue line is a pair of copper wires from your socket to the local exchange: one call, one place, and an engineer for every change. It is also being retired — the copper network, along with the ISDN lines many phone systems run on, switches off in January 2027.
A digital phone line carries calls over your broadband instead. You’ll also hear it called a VoIP business phone line, digital voice for business or cloud telephony — different labels, same thing. Your number lives in the digital exchange, not a socket, which is exactly why it can be rerouted in minutes rather than weeks.
| Analogue line | Digital line | |
|---|---|---|
| What carries the call | A copper pair to the exchange | Your broadband connection |
| The January 2027 switch off | Being retired | Is the replacement |
| Where your number lives | In the wall socket | In the cloud — it moves with you |
| Where it rings | One phone, one place | Desk phone, laptop and mobile app |
| Changing the setup | An engineer visit | One call to us — live in minutes |
| Adding a line | New copper, new wait | A configuration change |
| Call audio | Narrowband | HD voice |
| If the office is unreachable | Calls ring unanswered | Reroutes to mobiles |
Not ready to leave copper? You don’t have to be pushed — we can keep analogue lines running until 2030 while you decide (more below), or compare the full business phone lines range.
Meet the desk phone, reimagined
HD speakerphone · colour touchscreen · powers over the network cable · no wall socket, no engineer
Answer it anywhere.
A digital line isn’t tied to a socket in the wall. Your business number rings every device you choose — and only the ones you choose.
The business app lives alongside your personal phone — its own dial pad, its own call list, its own voicemail. Call a customer and they see your business number, never your personal mobile. Clock off, and the business line stops ringing your pocket.
Included with every digital line — iPhone and Android.
Know who’s calling before you pick up
The screen shows the caller, the number they dialled and who else is already on the line — so the right person answers, first time. Your company directory, call history and voicemail sit one tap away.
- See which number they rang. Sales line or accounts line — answer accordingly.
- Transfer with a tap. To a colleague, another office or a mobile — the caller just hears a click.
- Voicemail you can see. Messages listed on screen — play the one that matters first.
See who’s free — without leaving your chair
Every programmable key can watch a colleague’s line. The little lights tell you the whole office’s status at a glance — before you transfer a caller into thin air.
- Steady green — free to take the call
- Red — already on a call, don’t transfer
- Flashing — their phone is ringing; press to scoop the call to your desk
Digital means managed
An analogue line could only be changed by sending an engineer up a pole. A digital line is managed from a web page — by us, on your behalf, usually while you’re still on the phone telling us what you want.
Divert the main number to a mobile. Change your opening hours for a bank holiday. Add the new starter’s phone to the sales group. Small changes, done in minutes — not ticket queues.
One call to us and it’s done — no ticket ping-pong, no engineer visit.
Where does a call go? Anywhere you want.
The same number you’ve always had — nothing changes for them.
Checks the time, the day and your rules — in a fraction of a second.
Change the rules whenever you like — one call to us, live in minutes.
Everything your old line couldn’t do
One number rings three desks — or thirty. First to answer takes the call; nobody hears an engaged tone.
“Press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts” — a professional front door, recorded once, working around the clock.
Every message arrives in your inbox as an audio file — listen on any device, forward it, keep it forever.
Record calls on demand or as standard — for training, disputes and peace of mind.
Callers on hold hear your choice of music or messages — not silence and doubt.
Open, closed, lunchtime, bank holiday — calls follow your diary automatically.
See who’s free before you transfer — and scoop a ringing phone from across the room.
A new starter needs a phone? It’s a configuration change, not an engineer visit — add lines in minutes.
Keep the number your customers know
Your existing numbers port onto the digital line and stay yours — single lines or whole ranges. The port runs alongside your existing lines, nothing switches until it’s tested, and the paperwork with your current provider is our job, not yours. And because the number then lives in the exchange rather than a socket, moving premises stops being a telecoms problem: it simply comes with you, whatever the postcode.
Your desk phone, your laptop and your pocket — all the same line
The desk phone is only one face of a digital line. The same number rings an app on your mobile and softphone on your laptop — so working from home, from a van or from the beach café looks identical to your callers. Answer at your desk, carry on from your car.
The phone that can’t really go down
Clearer than the line you’re on now
Digital lines carry HD voice — roughly twice the audio range of an analogue call. The difference is obvious the first time you hear it: less “sorry, can you repeat that?”, more getting on with it.
Audio bandwidth of a standard analogue call vs a wideband HD digital call. Bars indicative, not to scale.
Quality lives and dies on the connection underneath, which is why we supply that too — FTTP full fibre, SoGEA or a dedicated leased line, engineered to carry your calls first.
What you actually need
- A broadband connection. A digital call takes only a small slice of a modern connection — steadiness matters more than headline speed. FTTP full fibre (up to 1Gbps) is the natural pairing; SoGEA gives you broadband without line rental at FTTC speeds.
- Handsets — or just an app. Pre-configured Yealink desk phones that plug straight into your router, a softphone on the laptop, an app on the mobile — any mix.
- Your existing numbers. They port across and stay yours — nothing changes for your callers.
- Nothing else. No wall sockets, no new wiring, no engineer standing in reception — and we’ll check your current connection can carry calls comfortably before anything is ordered.
Not ready to go digital? You don’t have to be.
Most providers are using the January 2027 switch off to push businesses onto VoIP on their timetable. We’re different: if your alarms, lifts or card machines still need copper — or you’d simply rather wait — we can keep your analogue line running until 2030. Go digital because it’s better, not because you were pushed.
Businesses that made the move with us
“We have just moved to new business premises. Rebecca and the rest of the team have been exceptionally helpful and patient, making the process much less stressful.”
“I’ve been with this company for many years and they never fail to impress me… phone is always answered immediately and they quickly sort issues out and keep me informed. Prices are unbeatable too, highly recommend.”
Going digital, without the drama
How many lines, which numbers, who answers what. Ten minutes on the phone is usually plenty.
Numbers ported, routing configured, everything tested alongside your existing lines — before anything switches.
Yealink handsets, pre-configured. Plug each one into your router and your number is on it.
We flip over on your timetable. Your callers never notice — except the line sounds better.
Wondering what switching involves day-to-day? Here’s what changes — and what doesn’t. Pair the new lines with wholesale call charges and the saving compounds on every bill.
Digital phone line FAQs
What is a digital phone line?
A digital phone line carries your calls over your broadband connection instead of a copper pair to the exchange. The number lives in the digital exchange, not a wall socket, so it can ring a desk phone, a laptop and a mobile app at once. You’ll also hear it called VoIP, digital voice or cloud telephony — they’re the same thing.
Do I have to switch before January 2027?
January 2027 is the industry deadline for switching off the analogue copper network, and most providers are using it to move customers onto VoIP on their timetable. We’re different: we can keep your analogue line running until 2030 — same line, same number, same kit — so you switch when it suits you.
Can I keep my existing phone number?
Yes. Your existing numbers port onto the digital line and stay yours. We run the new service alongside your old lines and only switch over once everything is tested, so callers never hit a dead number — they just dial what they’ve always dialled.
What equipment do I need?
A broadband connection and something to answer on. We supply Yealink desk phones pre-configured — plug one into your router and your number is live on it. Prefer no new hardware? An app on your mobile or a softphone on your laptop does the same job.
Does a digital line need fast broadband?
A digital call uses only a small slice of a modern connection — a steady, reliable line matters more than headline speed. We supply the connection too, from FTTC and SoGEA up to FTTP full fibre and dedicated leased lines, set up to carry your calls first.
What happens if my broadband or power goes down?
Your number lives in the digital exchange, not in your building, so it keeps working even when the office doesn’t. Calls reroute to mobiles or another site automatically — callers hear a ring, not a dead line.
Will the call quality be as good as my old line?
Better. Digital lines carry HD voice — roughly twice the audio range of an analogue call — so voices sound closer and clearer. Quality depends on the connection underneath, which is why we engineer that too.
What about alarms, card machines and lifts?
Some older alarms, lifts and card machines still expect an analogue line. If yours do, we can keep that copper line running until 2030 while you upgrade the kit on your own schedule — and move the phones to digital whenever it suits.
Get a digital phone line quote — and an honest read on timing
Tell us how many lines you run today and who supplies them. We’ll price the digital equivalent at wholesale rates — and if you’d honestly be better keeping copper a while longer, we’ll tell you that too.