If your business still runs on a traditional landline, the clock is ticking. Openreach is retiring the copper-based phone network, with the current deadline set for January 2027, and analogue lines, ISDN circuits and services that depend on them are affected. Some providers have also set earlier dates for individual customers or areas, so it is worth asking yours. 

The good news is that replacing a landline is simpler than most people expect. For a small business, it is often a matter of choosing a service, moving your number and testing. This guide walks through what to check first, what you need and how to avoid the common mistakes.

What a Cloud Phone System Is, in Plain Terms

Best cloud phone system, sometimes called hosted telephony or a cloud PBX, delivers your business calls over the internet instead of a copper phone line. The phone system itself lives with your provider rather than in a cupboard at your premises.

You make and answer calls through a desk phone, a computer app or a mobile app, all using your business number. Features that once needed expensive equipment, such as voicemail to email, call forwarding and a greeting menu, are usually included.

For a sole trader or small team, the practical gains are flexibility and continuity. You can take business calls on your mobile without handing out your personal number, and calls can follow you if you move premises.

Start With an Audit: What Is Connected to Your Line?

This is the step people skip, and the one that causes the most trouble. A landline often carries more than phone calls.

Check each of these:

• Broadband. If your internet runs over the same copper line, cancelling the line may affect it. Ask your provider what your broadband depends on before you cancel anything.
• Card machines. Some terminals dial out over a phone line. Check with your payment provider about connecting by broadband or mobile data instead.
• Alarms and CCTV monitoring. Intruder and fire alarms may use the line to contact a monitoring centre. Ask your alarm company about digital alternatives.
• Lift phones and door entry systems. These often use a dedicated line.
• Fax machines. Fax over IP exists but needs checking and testing.
• Franking machines and older equipment. Look at labels and manuals, or ask the supplier.

Make a simple list, then contact each supplier. A few emails now avoid nasty surprises later.

Check Your Internet Connection

A cloud phone system works through your broadband, so its quality matters. Voice does not need a huge amount of bandwidth, but it needs a stable connection.

Run a speed test at different times of day and note the upload speed, because calls travel in both directions. A single user needs very little, but several simultaneous calls on a busy connection, shared with video calls and cloud backups, can run into trouble.

If your connection is slow or unreliable, ask your provider about voice prioritisation on your router, or consider an upgrade. Where your connection is poor, a 4G or 5G backup can help.

Choosing How You Will Answer Calls

You have three main options, and many businesses mix them.

A softphone app. Install an app on your computer or mobile and use a headset. This needs no new desk equipment, and it suits sole traders and people who move around.

An IP desk phone. A handset that connects through your network. It feels familiar, and suits reception desks and shared offices.

An adapter for your existing phone. A small device called an analogue telephone adapter lets some traditional handsets connect to a cloud system. Compatibility varies, and the cost of an adapter can approach the cost of a basic new handset, so compare before deciding.

Ask your provider which options they support, and whether they can supply or recommend equipment.

The Step-by-Step Move

1. Audit your line and list everything that depends on it.
2. Check your broadband and decide whether it needs upgrading or backing up.
3. Choose a provider and plan. Compare itemised quotes, contract length, support hours and exit terms.
4. Request number porting. Your new provider arranges this. Provide the account details they ask for, exactly as they appear on your current bill.
5. Set up your system. Create users, greetings, voicemail and call routing, including what happens out of hours.
6. Test before the number moves. Make test calls on a temporary number if one is offered, and check voicemail, forwarding and audio quality.
7. Keep the old line until the port is complete. Cancelling it too early can risk losing the number, so confirm timings with both providers.
8. Cancel the old line only when your number works on the new system and you have checked what else depended on it.

Number porting is often the slowest step, so start early rather than leaving it until the deadline approaches.

Keeping Your Number

In most cases you can keep your existing geographic number, because UK number porting is well established. Timelines depend on the number type and how smoothly the process goes, so ask for expected dates in writing.

It also helps to review your numbers before you move. If you have old or unused numbers, now is a good moment to drop them rather than carry them over.

Resilience and Emergency Calls

A landline kept working through a power cut because it drew power from the exchange. A cloud phone system relies on your router and internet, so it needs a different kind of planning.

Redirect calls automatically. Because the system is managed in the cloud, your provider can usually forward calls to mobiles if your internet goes down. Set this up and test it.

Use the mobile app as a fallback. Staff can answer business calls on mobile data and still show your business number.

Consider power backup. A small uninterruptible power supply for your router can cover short power cuts.

Keep a charged mobile for emergencies. Calls to 999 and 112 over a cloud system depend on internet and power, and your address details need to be accurate. Ask your provider how emergency calls and location information are handled.

A Realistic Example

Consider a three-person physiotherapy clinic with a single landline, a card machine and an intruder alarm. The owner has heard the landline will stop working soon, but is unsure what to do.

She starts with the audit. The card machine uses the phone line, so she contacts her payment provider and arranges a broadband-connected terminal. The alarm company confirms that her system can move to a mobile signalling option. She checks that her broadband is separate from the phone line.

She then chooses a cloud phone system with a softphone app for the reception computer and a cordless handset. Her number is ported over a few weeks. Calls are routed to the receptionist first, then to the owner’s mobile, and out-of-hours callers hear a short message with opening times. She keeps the old line until she has made test calls and confirmed that her number works.

The move was undramatic. Success came from checking what the line did before cancelling it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Cancelling the old line before the number has been ported
• Forgetting that broadband, alarms or card machines use the same line
• Leaving it too late, when installers and porting teams are busiest
• Skipping a test of call forwarding and voicemail
• Choosing on price alone, without checking support hours and contract length
• Assuming old handsets will work without checking compatibility

Providers such as Wavetel Business, which works with UK organisations on VoIP and business communications, should be willing to talk through your setup and explain the options before you commit. A clear, written answer on porting, equipment and support is a good sign.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep my landline number if I switch to a cloud phone system?

Usually, yes. Your new provider arranges the transfer, known as number porting. Ask for expected timelines and any fees in writing, and do not cancel the old line until the port is complete.

Do I need new phones?

Not always. You can use a softphone app with a headset, buy an IP handset, or in some cases connect an existing phone using an adapter. Check compatibility before buying.

What happens to my broadband if I cancel my landline?

It depends on how your broadband is delivered. If it runs over the same copper line, cancelling may affect it. Ask your broadband provider before making changes.

Will a cloud phone system work in a power cut?

Not unless your router and equipment have backup power. Calls can be forwarded to mobiles, and keeping a charged mobile is a sensible fallback.

How long does it take to replace a landline?

Simple cases can be quick, but number porting often sets the pace. Start early, and ask your provider for realistic dates.

Conclusion

Replacing a landline with a cloud phone system is a manageable job, and the deadline gives a good reason to do it now rather than later. The main risks come from what else is attached to your line, so audit first, check your broadband, plan your number transfer and test everything before cancelling.

Your practical next step: this week, list every device and service connected to your phone line, check your upload speed, and ask one or two providers for an itemised quote that includes number porting. Setting up call forwarding to mobiles at the same time gives you protection from day one.