Should You Switch Your Landline to VoIP?

If you’ve heard about VoIP, digital landlines or changes to the UK phone network, you may be wondering whether it’s time to switch your landline to VoIP — and what doing so would actually mean for your home phone.

The good news is that moving to VoIP doesn’t necessarily mean giving up your landline number or changing the way you use your phone.

Instead of your calls travelling over a traditional copper phone line, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) sends them over your internet connection. With the right service and equipment, you can often keep your existing phone number and continue using familiar home phones, including cordless handsets.

So, if you still like having a home phone, the decision isn’t necessarily landline or no landline. It’s whether an internet-based home phone service is now a better fit than a traditional landline.

Quick answer: Is switching to VoIP worth it?

For many UK households, switching a landline to VoIP is worth considering, particularly as the UK moves away from the traditional copper-based phone network and towards internet-based phone services.

If you’ve heard this described as the landline switch-off or PSTN switch-off, it doesn’t mean home phone numbers or landline-style phones are disappearing. Instead, traditional phone services are being replaced by digital alternatives, with calls increasingly carried over an internet connection.

VoIP lets you make that transition while potentially keeping your existing landline number and familiar home phones. It can also give you more choice over who provides your phone service, rather than having your home number tied to your broadband provider.

However, VoIP isn’t right for every household. It relies on an internet connection and usually mains power, while some alarms, telecare systems and other equipment may need checking before you switch.

For most households that still want a home phone but no longer need — or can no longer get — a traditional phone line, VoIP can be a practical replacement as the UK’s old landline network is phased out.

What actually changes when you switch a landline to VoIP?

The biggest change is how your calls are carried. With a traditional landline, calls travel over the old telephone network. With VoIP, your voice is converted into digital data and the call travels over your broadband connection instead.

For everyday use, however, surprisingly little needs to change.

You can usually keep your existing landline number by transferring, or “porting”, it to your new VoIP provider. Once the transfer is complete, people can continue calling the same number they’ve always used.

You may also be able to keep your existing phone. Traditional analogue and many DECT cordless phones can often be connected to a VoIP service using an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter). The adapter sits between your phone and internet connection, allowing an ordinary home telephone to work with VoIP.

Once everything is set up, making and receiving calls can feel much the same as before. You pick up the handset, dial a number and answer incoming calls in the usual way.

The important difference is happening behind the scenes: your home phone is now using your internet connection rather than relying on the traditional phone network. That also means factors such as your broadband connection and power supply become important to the reliability of your phone service.

Why are people switching their landlines to VoIP?

One of the main reasons is the UK landline switch-off. The traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is being retired, with phone services moving towards digital, internet-based technology. For households that still want a home phone, VoIP provides a way to keep that familiar service without depending on the old telephone network.

The move to full fibre broadband is another factor. Full fibre connections don’t rely on the traditional copper phone line into the home in the same way, so households moving to these services may find that a conventional landline is no longer part of their broadband package.

Broadband providers are also increasingly offering their own digital phone services instead of traditional landlines. While these can be convenient, you don’t necessarily have to take your home phone service from the same company that supplies your broadband.

An independent VoIP service can separate the two. You can have broadband from one provider and your home phone number and calling service from another. This can be particularly useful if you regularly switch broadband providers for better prices or faster speeds but want to keep your home phone service consistent.

Other households switch because they want more flexibility or potentially lower calling costs, particularly for international calls.

Ultimately, many people aren’t switching because they want to stop using a landline-style phone. They’re switching because the technology behind the home phone is changing, and VoIP allows them to keep many of the things they value — including their number and familiar handsets — while moving away from the traditional phone network.

The advantages of switching your home phone to VoIP

For people who still value having a home phone, VoIP can offer many of the benefits of a traditional landline while providing more flexibility over how the service is set up.

One of the biggest advantages is the ability to keep your existing landline number. In many cases, your number can be ported to a VoIP provider, so friends, relatives and other contacts don’t need to learn a new one.

You can often keep your existing phones too. Many analogue and DECT cordless phones can be connected to a VoIP service using a suitable adapter, meaning there may be no need to replace handsets you’re already comfortable using.

Another benefit is greater independence from your broadband provider. With an independent VoIP service, your home phone doesn’t necessarily have to be bundled with your broadband. If you later change broadband supplier, you can potentially leave your VoIP service and phone number exactly as they are.

VoIP can also offer competitive call charges, particularly if you regularly make international calls. Depending on the provider and plan, you may also get useful features such as voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding and the ability to manage aspects of your service online.

There’s greater portability as well. Because a VoIP number isn’t tied to a traditional copper line at a particular property in quite the same way, moving home doesn’t necessarily mean changing your phone number or arranging an entirely new phone service.

For many households, that flexibility is the main attraction. You can keep the familiar experience of having a home phone while gaining more control over the provider, number and service behind it.

The disadvantages you should know about

VoIP has plenty of advantages, but there are some important differences from a traditional landline that you should understand before switching.

The biggest is that VoIP depends on your internet connection. If your broadband goes down, your VoIP phone will normally stop working until the connection is restored. Call quality can also be affected by a slow or unreliable broadband connection, although a stable connection should generally be sufficient for ordinary voice calls.

VoIP equipment also usually needs mains electricity. During a power cut, your broadband router, VoIP adapter and cordless phone base station may stop working. This is different from some traditional corded landlines, which could continue operating during a local power failure because they received power from the telephone network. A battery backup or another means of communication, such as a charged mobile phone, may therefore be important for some households.

You should also consider 999 and other emergency calls. VoIP services can support emergency calling, but they don’t work in exactly the same way as a traditional copper landline. Your provider may need an up-to-date address associated with your number, and your phone may be unavailable during a broadband or power outage. Check how emergency calling works with your chosen provider before switching.

Particular care is needed if your landline is connected to an alarm, telecare system, medical alert device or other specialist equipment. Older equipment designed for an analogue telephone line may not work correctly over VoIP. Don’t assume it will be compatible — check with the equipment or service provider before moving your number or disconnecting the existing line.

There may also be some initial setup involved. Depending on the service, you might need a VoIP adapter, compatible handset or changes to your home phone wiring.

None of these issues automatically makes VoIP a poor choice. They simply mean that switching should be planned properly, particularly if someone in the household relies on the home phone for emergency contact or essential services.

Can you keep your existing landline number?

In most cases, yes — you can keep your existing landline number when switching to VoIP. The process is known as number porting, where your existing telephone number is transferred from your current provider to your new VoIP provider.

This can be particularly important if you’ve had the same home number for many years. Rather than telling friends, relatives, businesses and other contacts that your number has changed, they can continue calling you as normal after the port has completed.

The most important thing is to check that your number can be ported before cancelling your existing landline service. If you cancel the old service first, you could make the number more difficult — or in some circumstances impossible — to recover and transfer.

Your new VoIP provider should explain the information they need and how the transfer will be handled. There may also be a short period while the number is being moved, so it’s worth understanding what to expect before starting the process.

If keeping your existing number is a priority, arrange the port as part of the switch rather than treating it as something to sort out afterwards. Don’t cancel your existing landline until you know how and when your number will be transferred.

Can you keep your existing landline phone?

In many cases, yes — you can continue using your existing landline phone after switching to VoIP.

Traditional analogue phones don’t usually connect directly to a VoIP service, but they can often be used with an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter). This small device connects your existing telephone to your internet connection and converts the calls so they can be made and received over VoIP.

This means you may be able to keep a familiar corded phone or your existing DECT cordless phone system, including multiple handsets around the house, rather than replacing everything with specialist VoIP phones.

Compatibility does vary, however. Very old telephones, certain specialist equipment and some features that relied on the traditional analogue line may not work in exactly the same way.

If keeping your current phones is important, check their compatibility with your chosen VoIP provider and adapter before switching. For many households, though, moving to VoIP changes the technology behind the phone rather than the phone they actually use each day.

Do you need to change broadband provider?

Usually, no — switching your landline to VoIP doesn’t mean you need to change your broadband provider.

VoIP works over an internet connection, so an independent VoIP service can generally be used with broadband from a different company. For example, you could have your broadband with one provider while another provider looks after your home phone number and calls.

This is an important difference between independent VoIP and the digital phone services bundled with some broadband packages. A broadband provider’s digital voice service will typically form part of its own package, whereas an independent VoIP service isn’t tied as closely to whoever supplies your internet connection.

That can give you more freedom when it’s time to change broadband deals. Instead of worrying about what will happen to your home phone every time you switch broadband provider, you can potentially keep the same VoIP service and number while changing the internet connection underneath it.

You don’t normally need full fibre either. VoIP can work over many types of broadband connection, provided the connection is stable enough for voice calls.

So, if you want to keep a home phone without having your phone service bundled with your broadband, choosing a separate VoIP provider can be a useful option.

Who should consider switching to VoIP?

VoIP can make sense for a wide range of households, but it’s particularly useful if you still want the benefits of a home phone while moving away from a traditional landline.

If you’re moving to full fibre broadband, for example, VoIP can provide a straightforward way to continue having a home phone even when your new broadband connection doesn’t include a traditional telephone line.

It’s also worth considering if you have a long-held landline number that you don’t want to lose. Provided the number can be ported, you can move it to a VoIP service and continue receiving calls on the number that friends and family already know.

VoIP may also suit older people who prefer using a familiar home phone, particularly if mobile phones aren’t their preferred way to make and receive calls. Existing handsets can often continue to be used with a suitable adapter, although any telecare or alarm equipment should be checked separately for compatibility.

Another good use case is households that change broadband providers regularly. Keeping your VoIP service separate means you may be able to shop around for broadband deals without moving your home phone service each time.

It can also suit anyone who wants a landline number without bundling it with broadband, as well as households that make regular international calls and could benefit from a VoIP provider’s calling rates.

In short, VoIP is particularly worth considering if you want to keep the idea of a landline — your number, your handsets and the convenience of a home phone — without keeping the traditional phone line behind it.

Who might not want to switch?

VoIP won’t be the best option for every household. If your internet connection is unreliable, frequent broadband outages could also leave your home phone unavailable, making an internet-based service less suitable.

You should be particularly careful if your current landline is used by an alarm, telecare system, medical alert device or other specialist equipment. Some older systems were designed specifically for analogue phone lines and may not work reliably with VoIP. Check with the equipment or service provider before making any changes.

VoIP may also be less suitable if you need a home phone that will continue working during a local power cut or broadband outage and you don’t have suitable backup arrangements. Most VoIP setups rely on mains-powered broadband equipment, so losing electricity can also mean losing your phone service.

These issues don’t necessarily rule out VoIP, but they may require additional equipment or planning. If your home phone is essential for safety or emergency communication, make sure you understand how your replacement service will work during an outage before switching.

How to switch your landline to VoIP

Switching a landline to VoIP is usually straightforward, but it’s important to do things in the right order — particularly if you want to keep your existing phone number.

Start by choosing a VoIP provider and checking that the service meets your needs. Consider call charges, monthly costs, emergency calling, equipment requirements and whether you can use your existing home phones.

Next, check that your current landline number can be ported. If keeping your number is important, don’t cancel your existing phone service before arranging the transfer. Your new VoIP provider should guide you through the porting process and tell you what information is required.

You can then set up your VoIP service and equipment. If you’re keeping an analogue or DECT phone, this may involve connecting it to an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter), which in turn connects to your broadband router.

Once your number has been transferred, test both incoming and outgoing calls and check that your phones, voicemail and any other required features work correctly.

Your old phone service can then cease at the appropriate point as part of the switch. If it forms part of a broadband package, check with the relevant providers first so you understand whether transferring or cancelling the phone service could affect anything else.

For the complete process, follow our How to Switch Your Landline to VoIP guide, which covers each stage in more detail.

Should you switch your landline to VoIP?

For most people who still value having a home phone, switching from a traditional landline to VoIP is a sensible option.

It allows you to keep many of the things you already like about your landline — including, in many cases, your existing number and familiar handsets — while moving to the internet-based technology that is replacing the UK’s traditional phone network.

An independent VoIP service can also give you more control. Your home phone doesn’t have to be tied to your broadband provider, making it easier to change broadband deals while potentially keeping the same phone number and VoIP service.

There are important exceptions. If you have unreliable broadband, rely on a landline during power cuts, or use alarms, telecare or other specialist equipment, you should check that VoIP is suitable and put any necessary backup arrangements in place before switching.

If those issues don’t apply, there’s little reason why moving away from the old copper phone network should mean giving up your home phone altogether.

Plexatalk is one option for households that want to move their existing landline number to an independent VoIP service, allowing you to keep a home phone without having the service tied to your broadband provider.

FAQ – Switch Your Landline to VoIP