BT Cloud Voice is a hosted business calling platform. Before choosing it or an alternative, compare the features your staff actually need, your existing handsets and numbers, service resilience, porting eligibility, the contract term and the total price. A standalone SIP trunk is not equivalent to a complete hosted phone system.
What to compare against BT Cloud Voice
BT Cloud Voice has documented call transfer, voicemail and optional call recording features. Confirm the specific features available under your proposed BT plan; service and feature availability can differ between packages.
UKDDI offers business numbers, SIP trunking, hosted voice options and call divert. Compare like for like: a new DDI with mobile divert, a SIP trunk for your existing PBX and a fully hosted phone system are different product types.
- User seats, extensions, ring groups, call queues and business-hours menus.
- Call recording, retention, reporting and any data protection requirements.
- Desk phones, mobile applications and supported integrations.
- Monthly rental, channels, UK/international call packs and one-off hardware charges.
- Support contact, setup responsibility and internet/power resilience.
Keeping your existing telephone number
Ask both the losing and gaining provider whether your number range can be ported. Gather the current invoice, authorised account details, number list and any linked services before requesting a port.
Do not cancel an existing voice service until number porting is confirmed. Some number migrations have product-specific restrictions; BT’s official Digital Voice for Business number-transfer guidance explicitly discusses limitations involving Cloud Voice products, so check the exact origin and destination rather than relying on a generic promise.
Compare the full contract, not just the monthly headline
A valid comparison should include seat or channel counts, minimum term, setup fees, handset costs, call charges, fair usage, number rental, offboarding and any early-termination exposure.
Request a written quote with a clear number mapping and service specification. For ten new DDIs, the quote should list the price of every number, any bespoke call bundles, and all recurring charges so the future invoice matches the accepted pricing.
Which option is a better fit?
An organisation with a supported existing PBX may prefer a SIP trunk to retain control of its extensions and dial plan. A business without a PBX may prefer managed hosted voice, including a provider like BT or a suitable UKDDI hosted option. A sole trader receiving occasional inbound calls may need only a virtual number with divert.
There is no universal winner. Test the required call flows and obtain written coverage, compatibility, pricing and porting confirmation before switching.
UKDDI is an independent provider. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by BT. All BT functionality should be verified against the customer’s actual quotation.
Business phone systems and custom quotations
Compare UKDDI’s hosted voice, DDI and SIP options with a written quote that sets out setup costs, terms and monthly service charges.
Request a comparison quote