Telkom Landline Replacements – Guide to Business Virtual Landlines in South Africa

Virtual business and office landlines are the replacements for traditional Telkom landlines typically offered via Copper these landlines were traditionally sold and marketed by Telkom as the primary methos of business telecoms over the past 50 years. Telkom, the South African incumbent telecoms provider, was the sole supplier of office telephone lines to the South African business sector for decades. Telkom typically supplied traditional analogue PBX devices with three variants of business lines:

Telkom Business Landline Variants

• Single Analogue Telkom Office Landline – R 450.00 per line per month
• BRI or ISDN Telkom Office Landline – R 950.00 per line per month
• PRI Telkom Office Landline – R 4 500.00 per PRI per month

Alternative Options for Telkom Business Landlines

With the advent of IP and Voice over Internet technology in the early 2000’s closely followed by the opening up of the Telecommunication sector to private suppliers in South Africa,  traditional Telkom copper analogue lines have for the past 20 years slowly been replaced by a new, cheaper voice technology known as VoIP which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP, as the name suggests, is a software technology that allows business voice calls to be routed via an Internet broadband connection. View our VoIP Packages.

Today, most businesses are running their office landlines via a VoIP Virtual Landline connection on either a hosted or on-premise PABX Switchboard system.

Advantages of VoIP Virtual Office Landlines

• Save up to 40%  – Virtual landlines are digital, run through existing broadband connections and can be expanded to add additional landlines as your business grows. No copper lines need to be installed on the premises, it is not vulnerable to theft, and outgoing calls are billed at more competitive rates and on pure per-second charges. This ensures businesses are able to save up to 40% on their current telecom bills when switching to virtual office telephone lines.
• Unlimited incoming and outgoing landlines – Virtual landlines are only limited by the speed and quality of broadband connection they are running over. Modern broadband internet connections can typically have many more virtual landlines than are required by the business.
• Take your Business number anywhere anytime – VoIP and ICASA regulations allows companies the ability to port their office telephone number to any virtual landline ensuring that even if your business moves premises, you will never lose that advertised number.
• Get a virtual office landline in 48 hours – With the advent of 4G (LTE) and shortly 5G wireless broadband, South African businesses are able to have up to 16 business telephone lines up and running in approximately 48 hours, while keeping your existing number.

United Business Virtual Landline Offerings

United Telecoms offers Virtual Landline replacements to traditional analogue business telephone lines, view some of our voice line offerings.

View Voice Line packages Contact Sales

Virtual Landline FAQs

Can a Virtual Landline replace my existing Telkom business lines?
Yes, with the arrival of VoIP technology, your business no longer needs to rely on Telkom’s copper landlines and acts as a suitable, if not more reliable replacement.

What is the duration of your Virtual Landline Contracts?
There is no contract duration for a virtual landline only, the services are offered on a month-to-month basis however if the hardware is supplied the minimum contract duration is 24 months.

Can I use a Virtual Landline on an old or existing PBX Switchboard System?
Yes, virtual landlines can be used on both old and existing office phone systems. We can integrate current virtual landline technology with your old or existing PBX.

How long does a Virtual Office Landline take to install?
For virtual landlines that do not require any hardware, installation takes place within 48 hours. For virtual landlines which require hardware, installation takes place within 72 hours.

Can I keep my existing Telkom Number with Virtual Landlines?
Yes, any business in South Africa can keep their Telkom number when switching to a virtual landline service.

Do I lose any features or benefits by switching from traditional analogue hunting lines to a virtual landline?
No, you will not lose any features or benefits that you are accustomed to, the virtual landline service will hunt across multiple lines using your main number.

Speak to one of our specialists about a VoIP Virtual Landline now on 086 001 8101 or info@unitedtelecoms.net