For many years, the conventional wisdom was that organisations needed a PBX system for their internal and external telephone calls. However, times have changed. In the UK, the copper landline system will be turned off by 2027. Since PBX systems rely on landlines, consumers will soon have no choice but to find PBX system alternatives to switch to.
What PBX alternatives are available? There are several options out there, as this post will discuss.
What does a PBX system do?
PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange, indicating that a PBX is a private branch of the public landline telephone system.
A key aspect of a PBX was that internal phone calls could be routed internally rather than being sent to a public switchboard and then back into the company. So, the organisation saved money by paying for fewer external phone lines.
In later years, PBX systems also gained business telecommunications functions like conference calling and call holding. Typically, PBX users would have specialised phones with buttons for these functionalities. But this specialised equipment was an expense for the organisation, as it required maintenance, storage and often dedicated IT staff to set it up.
PBX system alternatives
When the copper landline system is switched off, how will PBX alternatives work?
They usually rely on VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. The core idea of VoIP is that it sends audio communications over a broadband internet connection. In other words, you don’t need a phone line at all. When you speak, the audio data of your voice gets sent to someone else over the internet, and the same works in reverse when they reply.
When you’re looking for telecommunications options to use instead of a PBX, there are two major options – an externally managed VoIP system and SIP trunking.
Externally managed VoIP system
As we’ve mentioned, a major drawback of a PBX system is that it’s heavily reliant on physical equipment and hardware. So, if an organisation grows or shrinks in size, they’ll find themselves either short of phones – or paying for phone lines and equipment they don’t need. Similarly, all that equipment requires IT specialists to manage it.
In contrast, an externally managed VoIP system is far more flexible and requires no specialised equipment and fewer IT staff. Organisations simply pay month-to-month on a subscription basis. If they need more lines or fewer, all they need to do is adjust their subscriptions the very next month. Moreover, there’s far less need for tech support, as nobody needs to connect or manage specialised handsets.
For all these reasons, an externally managed VoIP system is a great option for smaller organisations and companies that have never had a PBX before.
SIP trunking
Another great option is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking. If you already have a PBX system in place, SIP trunking builds on it with VoIP to give you an even better experience that doesn’t rely on landlines. In short, you can still use the headsets your teams are used to. However, the termination of the UK’s copper landline system won’t be a problem anymore, plus you’ll get multimedia communications like video calling.
Try two great PBX system alternatives from VS Group
VS Group offers both VoIP systems and SIP trunking to help your organisation upgrade its telecoms and stay current as PBX systems fade into history. If you’d like to learn more, give our expert team a call on 0330 094 0170 or email us at customerservice@vsgcomms.com.
