What equipment does a cloud phone system need?

A phone or a laptop with the Line app and an internet connection. That's it. No PBX box, no desk handsets, no wiring.

Can I keep my number when I move to the cloud?

Yes, if it's an eligible UK number. Port it to Line and keep your old service running until the port completes.

Do calls work in a power cut?

Your broadband router will go down, but your mobile won't. The Line app on a charged phone with mobile data keeps taking calls.

How secure is a cloud phone system?

Every person gets their own login, so you can see who did what and remove access the moment someone leaves. Calls and messages are encrypted in transit.

What is the difference between cloud PBX and hosted PBX?

Nothing, in practice. Both mean the switchboard lives with the provider. Compare what the system actually does rather than the label.

Is a cloud phone system worth it for a sole trader?

Yes. You get a business number, hours, voicemail, and a missed-call text for less than the cost of a second SIM, with nothing to maintain.

Cloud phone system

A cloud phone system you can run from your phone

No cabinet in the cupboard, no engineer visits, no desk phones. Your numbers, routing, voicemail, and messages live in Line, and you change them from the app.

Get your business number See pricing

From £4 a month. Pay only for the calls and texts you use. No minimum term.

BDBramley Dental020 0000 0789 · Cloud phone system

Changed by Priya · 1 min
Opening hours updated: closed Wednesday afternoon.
Incoming call at 13:10 on WednesdayAfter-hours rule applied
Bramley Dental is closed this afternoon. Would you like to book for tomorrow, or leave a message?
Molly, AI receptionist
Tomorrow morning if you've got anything.
Appointment
Molly booked 9:15 tomorrow and sent a text confirmation.

What is a cloud phone system?: A business phone system hosted by a provider and managed online. Your team connects through an app instead of hardware in the office.
Is a cloud phone system the same as VoIP?: Nearly. Cloud is where the system lives. VoIP is how the call travels. Almost every cloud phone system, including Line, uses VoIP.
Does it replace a PBX?: Yes. Routing, groups, hours, voicemail, and transfers all run in the cloud. Nothing on site.

Change the phone system as fast as the business changes

New starter, new branch, new opening hours. Update it yourself in a minute, not in a support ticket.

Nothing to install

Use the Line app on the phones and laptops you already own. We run the system. You run the business.

Works wherever the team is

Office, van, home, or another city. The same number rings everyone who should answer.

Routing you control

Change hours, ring groups, greetings, and fallbacks from the app. No codes to punch into a handset.

Set up in an afternoon

No engineer, no hardware, no contract. Three steps from sign-up to your first call.

1
Map what you have
List your numbers, who answers them, and what happens out of hours.
2
Rebuild it in Line
Set up the same hours, groups, and fallbacks, plus the things your old system couldn't do, like a missed-call text or Molly.
3
Port and switch
Move your number when you're happy. Test inbound, outbound, and out-of-hours calls before you cancel the old service.

The moving checklist

A good switch tests the awkward moments, not just the first call.

When this happens	Line does this	So you get
A normal daytime call	Rings the right people on their apps.	Same service as before, without the hardware.
Nobody's phone is online	Falls through to your fallback: voicemail, a text back, or Molly.	The caller gets a proper response, never silence.
A call outside hours	Applies your schedule automatically.	Your promised response time survives the move.

Worth knowing

The old landline network switches off in January 2027

Openreach is retiring the analogue phone network on 31 January 2027. A business still on a traditional landline needs a digital replacement before then. Moving early means you choose the timing, not your provider.

Source: Ofcom, Your landline is going digital

Most UK phone lines are already internet-based

Ofcom counted 1.9 million lines moving from the old network to VoIP in the twelve months to July 2025. Internet calling is now the normal way a business phone works, not the new one.

Source: Ofcom, Connected Nations UK 2025

Questions people ask

Straight answers on setup, limits, and what it costs.

VoIP phone system

How internet calling works.

Virtual PBX

Ring groups, schedules, and transfers in the cloud.

PSTN switch-off guide

Plan the move off an old UK landline.

Last reviewed 6 September 2026. Sources: Ofcom, Your landline is going digital, Ofcom, Connected Nations UK 2025.

Never miss another customer

Pick a UK number, add your team, and choose what happens when you can't answer. Live in minutes, on the phone already in your pocket.

Get your business number Talk to us