Your phone system will need some type of connection; a phone line. A phone line needs to give your hospital, doctor surgery, or dental practice:
Flexibility with your phone numbers– High-quality calls – Business Continuity – Capacity to grow with your plans
There isn’t one size, fits all, so please do get in touch to discuss your requirements!
BT ISDN Switch-off
ISDN lines are still quite common in the Healthcare industry however, like most industries you need to start looking at alternative solutions because of the BT ISDN Switch-off.
ISDN Phone lines are being phased out; BT announced that from September 2023 they will withdraw the ability to purchase any additional ISDN lines. Between April and December 2025, there will be a forced migration period before they switch them off.
This means you can still use ISDN phone lines until September 2023 but since it is out-dated technology, it is worth looking at alternatives, now, especially if you have plans to grow.
Alternative Phone Line Options
PhoneLine+
Phone Line + has been designed to replace traditional landlines using VoIP technology to deliver voice calls over the broadband network. Phone Line+ is ideal for small care homes, doctor surgeries and, dental practies. For large care homes and Hospitals we recommend SIP Trunks.
Phone Line + is an easy-to-use software-based solution which is updated and maintained remotely. As an Administrator of your PhoneLine+ account, you’d have complete control over users; easily adding/removing users, allocating your phone numbers and changing privacy settings such as including any numbers that you want to block.
With Phone Line +, you’ll be able to:
- Access from any Device
- Manage more than one number
- Use Key Features such as Voicemail, Call Divert, Call Hold, Contact Directory, Call Transfer, Call Forwarding and Number Withholding.
- Set an Out of Hours profile
- Store business essential phone numbers such as hospital departments or labs
- Receive email notifications of missed calls and voicemails
- Access Call Analytics
SIP Trunks (SIP Lines)
SIP and SIP trunks are virtual phone lines rather than physical wires that connect to your phone system.
The SIP trunk connects your site directly into the chosen network (the ITSP), via an IP connection which will carry out and terminate your inbound and outbound voice calls across your PBX.
SIP Trunking is cheaper on a per-line basis compared to ISDN and it offers flexibility and control over your phone numbers and it’s quicker to install.
Any healthcare organisation with a compatible PBX can switch to SIP trunking service and immediately benefit from more flexible, less expensive, and more resilient phone service.
Our top five benefits for upgrading your phone system to SIP:- Save Money on call costs and line rental – IP connectivity costs less than ISDN so you’ll benefit from lower call costs; free internal calls between sites and free calls to UK local/national and mobiles. Typically, you are looking for saving of up to 50% on line rental and 25% or more on call costs.
- Flexibility with phone numbers – SIP trunking enables you to reduce the number of PBX’s you need to maintain whilst maintaining your existing phone number(s).
- Scalability –You are always in control because you can add lines, remove lines, and split calls at any time.
- High Quality – We can proactively monitor and manage the quality of service across the entire network – it’s the underlying network quality that makes a real difference to SIP trunking.
- Business Continuity – Should your site need to be relocated, SIP trunking allows you to take your phone lines with you quickly and cost-effectively.
Hybrid Phone System
A Hybrid Phone System combines the different types of connection technology (ISDN, Analogue, Digital and IP) into a single modern and flexible phone system.
This is an ideal solution for those who already have ISDN, Analogue or Digital infrastructure but want the advantages that IP brings to the table.
Hosted Phone System
The Hosted Phone system is cloud-based which means you connect to it using an internet connection (IP technology) but effectively you are renting the system rather than purchasing your own dedicated system.
A Hosted Phone system usually works on a pay-per-seat model with no significant upfront capital costs.
IP Phone System
An IP Phone System uses Internet Protocol (IP) technology and the handsets are connected via an Ethernet connection either on a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN.)
You purchase the phone system for your own use and you choose where to host it and maintenance is your responsibility.