What does it cost to call and receive UK business calls?

The six parts of a typical business-voice bill

Business telephony is rarely one single charge. A provider may separate the public number, delivery method, simultaneous-call capacity, inclusive minutes, usage and equipment.

Build a monthly model using your own call records. Include VAT treatment, minimum term, porting charges and any support or change fees shown in the provider's terms.

• Number setup or activation.
• Monthly telephone-number rental.
• SIP trunk, hosted extension or divert service.
• Handsets, applications or licences.
• Inclusive call package or PAYG usage.
• Forwarded, international, premium or Freephone inbound calls.

What the caller pays

The caller's price depends on their own provider and the number range. Ofcom states that calls to 03 numbers must cost no more than calls to 01 and 02 numbers and count towards relevant inclusive allowances. 0800 and 0808 are free for consumers to call from UK landlines and mobiles.

Do not describe all business numbers as free or local-rate numbers. Use the recognised number range and direct customers to their provider for exact charges.

What the receiving business pays

Receiving calls to many 01, 02 and 03 services may be covered by number and platform rental, but provider tariffs differ. Freephone services commonly charge the receiving organisation for inbound minutes.

A mobile divert creates an onward call from the provider to the mobile, so the business normally pays that forwarded leg. A SIP trunk may instead charge for capacity and outbound calls while inbound delivery is included or separately rated.

Inclusive package or PAYG?

Choose an inclusive package when the destinations and call volume are predictable and the allowance is genuinely usable. PAYG can be better for low-volume services or where the package excludes many required destinations.

Check whether the allowance is per user, trunk or account; whether mobile calls are included; whether unused minutes roll over; and what happens after the allowance is exhausted.

Compare tariffs using a real month

Export or estimate one representative month of calls. Separate UK geographic, 03, mobile, international and special-rate destinations, then apply each supplier's billing units and minimum call charges.

Also price the operational differences: support, resilience, fraud controls, reporting, number ownership and the effort required to manage the platform.

• Monthly calls and total minutes by destination.
• Average and longest call duration.
• Peak simultaneous calls.
• Forwarded-call minutes.
• International and special-rate destinations.
• Expected growth and seasonal campaigns.