RESOURCES / COMPARISONS
This vs that,
trade-offs included.
Six honest side-by-sides. Where the old option is genuinely better, we say so.
VS/01VoIP vs landlineThe 2027 switch-off makes this one a deadline, not a debate.
VoIP (cloud voice)
Analogue landline
Future
The replacement standard
Retired by January 2027
Typical monthly cost
Per user, calls usually included
Line rental + per-minute calls
Moving office
Take the number anywhere
Engineer visits, possible number change
Features
Queues, recording, apps, analytics
Voicemail, if you're lucky
Honest caveat
Needs decent broadband or 4G/5G backup
Worked in power cuts — plan for that
VS/02Cloud PBX vs on-premise PBXOwning the box vs renting the outcome.
Cloud (hosted) PBX
On-premise PBX
Upfront cost
Minimal — handsets only
Hardware, licences, installation
Maintenance
Provider's problem, in the SLA
Your problem, or a support contract
Scaling
Add a user in minutes
Capacity cards, engineer visits
Remote work
Native — apps anywhere
VPNs and workarounds
Honest caveat
Monthly cost never reaches zero
Can be cheaper over 10+ years if nothing changes — but things change
VS/03Single-network vs multi-network SIMFor IoT and anything that moves, this is the decision.
Multi-network
Single network
Coverage
Best available of all four UK networks
One operator's map, gaps included
Network outage
Re-registers on another network
Offline until fixed
Price per MB
Slightly higher
Lower, at high volumes
Right choice when
Devices move, or sit anywhere marginal
Fixed site with verified strong coverage
VS/04Teams Phone vs cloud PBXOr the third option: both, integrated.
Cloud PBX (+ Teams integration)
Teams Phone alone
Call handling
Full IVR, queues, wallboards, recording
Basic auto-attendant and queues
Non-desk users
Handsets, DECT, door phones, apps
Teams-certified devices only
Cost model
Per user, SIP trunks pooled
Per-user Calling Plans add up fast
Right choice when
Customer-facing calls matter
Internal-heavy, light external calling
VS/05eSIM vs physical SIMFor staff phones and modern IoT hardware.
eSIM
Physical SIM
Deployment
QR code, live in minutes
Envelope in the post
Swapping provider
Remote re-provision
Physical visit per device
Hardware support
Modern phones, newer IoT modules
Effectively everything
Right choice when
Distributed teams, frequent changes
Legacy devices, extreme environments
VS/064G vs 5G for business backupNewer isn't automatically righter.
4G
5G
Coverage today
Near-universal
Cities strong, patchier elsewhere
Speed
Plenty for voice + payments + apps
Fibre-like when available
Router cost
Lower
Higher
Right choice when
Failover for a typical office or shop
Primary connectivity, heavy CCTV uplink
Still weighing it up?
Twenty minutes with an engineer beats twenty tabs of research.