Moving overseas should not make it difficult for people at home to call you. A UK VoIP number gives friends and family a familiar UK number to dial while SIP carries the call over the internet to your registered phone abroad.
They dial a UK number. Your phone rings overseas.
Imagine you live in Portugal while your parents live in Kent. Instead of asking them to dial a Portuguese mobile number, you give them your UKDDI UK number.
They call the UK number, the call reaches UKDDI and the SIP service delivers it across the internet to your registered VoIP telephone in Portugal.
Why this can avoid an international call for the caller
Your friends and family are calling a UK number rather than directly dialling an overseas telephone number. Their own telephone provider decides what they pay for that UK call.
UKDDI then routes the call to your SIP device over the internet. This means the caller does not have to make a conventional international call simply because your physical phone is abroad.
This does not mean every call is free. The caller should check the UK call allowance and rates provided by their own phone company.
Useful for relatives who do not want smartphone apps
Messaging and video applications are useful, but not everybody wants to use them. Some people simply want to pick up a telephone, dial a number and talk.
A UK SIP number keeps that familiar experience. The internet and SIP routing happen behind the scenes.
You can still have a normal-looking telephone
Receiving calls over the internet does not mean sitting in front of a computer. A standalone SIP telephone can sit in your home like a traditional desk phone.
When somebody calls your UK number, the handset rings and you answer it in the normal way.
Give everyone one consistent number
A UK number can provide a consistent contact point when families are spread across several countries or when you travel frequently.
Instead of friends and relatives keeping track of where you are living, they can keep the same UK number and let the SIP routing deliver the call to the authorised device.
Stay connected to home
The purpose is simple: make it easier for people in the UK to keep in touch without forcing them to learn a new international number every time your location changes.
With a UKDDI number, suitable SIP service and compatible VoIP phone, one familiar UK number can follow you to many locations around the world.
Choose your UK number and how you want to answer it
Search UKDDI number availability, then choose SIP trunk or hosted SIP-phone delivery. If you need a physical handset, compatible VoIP hardware can be added separately or alongside the service.
Service availability can depend on the local internet connection, firewall or router, local telecommunications rules and the UKDDI service configuration. Emergency calling should be handled according to the arrangements applicable where you are physically located.