If you’re thinking about upgrading to a VoIP phone system, it’s important to know how reliable VoIP is.
VoIP is the modern, digital standard for business communication. It is set to replace traditional analogue systems (such as ISDN) by 2025. VoIP helps your business reduce costs and work smarter by moving your communications to the cloud.
How Reliable is VoIP?
VoIP is a very reliable form of communication. As long as you have a stable internet connection (which most businesses do), VoIP will deliver high quality voice calls very reliably.
It is a common misconception that VoIP is unreliable. Because VoIP uses your broadband connection (rather than traditional telephone lines), many people assume that it requires an expensive, ultra-high speed, all-singing all-dancing internet connection—but this is not the case.
A standard small business can run a multi-user VoIP telephone system with as little as 20Mbps download speed. However, the better the internet speed, the more reliable the connection and therefore the more robust your VoIP system will be.
Why is VoIP So Reliable?
Back in the early 2000s, when VoIP was only just taking off, it was fairly unreliable. This is because dialup internet didn’t have the speeds required to maintain a stable VoIP call. Nowadays, VoIP is as reliable as any ISDN or analogue connection.
The main reason why VoIP is more reliable today than it ever has been is thanks to broadband prioritisation.
Modern voice over IP telephone systems make use of VoIP prioritisation, which means that your businesses broadband connection prioritises VoIP calls over regular internet traffic. This means that your voice calls aren’t interrupted by sudden increases in broadband traffic.
The second reason why VoIP is reliable is down to modern internet speeds. Modern fibre broadband can see speeds of 70+mbps download—a far cry from the 8-12mbps of traditional copper internet.
These fibre optic connections are not rare. In fact, over 90% of the UK has access to fibre broadband; allowing business to utilise VoIP and cloud PBX telephone systems without having to upgrade their internet connection.
How can I ensure my VoIP system is reliable?
Communications are one of a businesses most vital assets. It is therefore of upmost importance that your VoIP telephone system is as reliable as possible. There are a few extra things you can do if you’re looking for that extra inch of reliability when upgrading to VoIP.
1. Double your broadband
It sounds odd, but you could increase the reliability of your VoIP telephone system by investing in a dual broadband connection—with one broadband connection for data traffic such as browsing and emails, and one other connection for VoIP.
This helps free up bandwidth for browsing, and is particularly helpful if you have broadband speeds around the 15-20mbps mark.
2. Upgrade your internet speeds
Naturally, if you’re looking for extra reliability from your VoIP system, then upgrading your broadband is a great way to do that. Run speed tests, find out what is available in your area, talk to providers (like us), and find a better speed at a good price for your business.
3. Utilise 4G WiFi backups
The biggest chokepoint of a VoIP phone system is its reliance on internet. We all know that sometimes, there are outages. These outages are normally brief and fixed within minutes, but it is still something to consider when upgrading to VoIP.
We can provide your business with a 4G WiFi router as a backup. This means that, in the unlikely event that you lose internet connectivity, your VoIP telephone system will still allow you to make and receive calls.
4. Invest in PoE
Power over ethernet is a great way to provide all of your desk phones with power, without using individual sockets for each. This means that, in the event of a power outage, your phones will continue to have power.
The main issue with PoE is the cost. PoE can be expensive, and often requires additional wiring and hardware—which is often not worth it when you consider the infrequency of power cuts.
5. Upgrade to a leased line
The final way you can increase your VoIp reliability is to upgrade to a leased line. A leased line is a truly dedicated, ultra-fast broadband connection. Leased lines can provide speeds up to 1Gbps to your business.
They also have 99.99% uptime, and are the most reliable broadband solution in the UK. However, the cost of a leased line does reflect their superiority. To soften the blow, you can get up to £1,200 off of your leased line installation cost with our Government-backed voucher scheme. Give us a call for more info.
If you're thinking about upgrading to VoIP, but are concerned about how reliable VoIP is, get in touch with a member of our technical team today.
