Going Global? Here’s What VoIP Can (And Can’t) Do For You

Running a business is one thing, but running one across different time zones is a whole different ballgame. Calling a client in Dubai from a UK landline costs a small fortune and asking them to call your UK number at 4pm their time is just a no-go. And if you’re trying to expand globally into more markets, that phone bill will rack up quite quickly.

The good news is that Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of the technologies that makes international business – and calling – less of a headache than it used to be. At first glance, it may sound like some complicated terminology, but it’s just a bit of a fancy way of saying that calls travel over the internet, a replacement for copper wiring phone systems.

If you’ve ever had a Zoom call for a meeting or phoned your mum on WhatsApp, you’ve used VoIP, even if you didn’t realise it. The technology itself has been around since the late 90’s (yes, that was some time ago as much as we’d all like to think otherwise) but its grown in popularity in recent years.

There’s a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, broadband has finally caught up. Secondly, remote work has forced a solution to the costly challenge of global collaboration. And lastly, businesses have come to the realisation that they were paying a premium for old infrastructure that their competitors left behind a long time ago.

The global VoIP market is expected to hit $180.5 billion this year, and Gartner reckons that VoIP will handle up to 90% of all business communication by 2030. Meanwhile, 77% of enterprises already consider it as the central system for operating their phones. It went from being a futuristic concept to what business communication looks like now.

Why Your Phone Bill Doesn’t Have To Cost The Earth For International Calling

Businesses that are swapping their legacy landlines for VoIP can typically shave between 30% and 50% off their communication costs. If you’re currently paying £1,500 a month in phone and line rental, you’re potentially looking at £5,400 to £9,000 back in your pocket. What business owner would say no to that?

International calling is where it gets really daft. Traditional carriers are continuing with billing international calls per minute as if the internet doesn’t exist. Calling a supplier in Vietnam on a standard UK line would cost you a truly eye-watering amount. And if you have to do it regularly, it just stops making financial sense altogether.

Fortunately, most VoIP providers include unlimited calls to a list of countries as standard. Everything else is pence rather than pounds. If you’ve recently winced at your international phone bill, that bit is worth noting.

To top it all off, there’s a productivity dividend on top of those cash savings. Unified-Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) platforms can save employees up to thirty minutes a day just by keeping communication all in one place and up to 75% of users report an increase in productivity.

The 2027 Elephant In The Room For UK Businesses

It felt like 2026 just started, but here we are approaching the end of the year and one wouldn’t be shocked to see Christmas decorations hitting the shelves in a couple of weeks. For UK businesses, there’s something a bit more serious to take into consideration.

On 31 January 2027, Openreach will permanently turn off the Public Switched Telephone Network. Every service that runs over an analogue phone line will need to move to a digital alternative, VoIP being the obvious choice, before that date.

It wouldn’t be advised to leave the preparation to the last minute, given that it’s not just phones being affected. Fire and alarm systems, card machines, door entry systems and fax machines are all being pulled into the same migration. Getting this and your phone system sorted out now ahead of time will reduce the likelihood of headaches and panic come 2027.

Here’s Where VoIP Really Earns Its Keep Across Borders

If you’re expanding into multiple countries, you can buy local phone numbers in each location with VoIP so to your customers, you appear local. But you’re still paying a fraction of the old international rates. It’s a win-win.

Thanks to AI-powered call routing, you don’t need to worry about a call from Australia coming to you at 3am UK time. Instead, the call goes to someone in your team in that time zone. If you don’t have a team member out there, out-of-hours voicemails can be auto-transcribed and forwarded on to you to get to when you’re awake.

Not to mention the other features of video, chat, file transfer and screen-sharing all exist within the same platform. It removes the need for multiple other platforms where you’re constantly trying to keep track of all the access logins while juggling all the time zones.

A Couple Things To Keep In Mind

VoIP is a fantastic piece of technology, nobody is disputing that. But there are, of course, some things to be mindful of. The biggest factor to take into consideration is that VoIP needs an internet connection to work. If your broadband goes out, so does your phone system. There are ways to get around it, but don’t let it catch you by surprise.

The next thing is security. Last year, the global average cost of a data breach was $4.4 million and VoIP systems are an attractive target because they carry sensitive information. Here, it all comes down to choosing a reputable VoIP provider that offers end-to-end encryption and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. Before you commit, read the fine print to make sure security is accounted for.

So, is VoIP worth it for UK businesses making international calls? It is, with a touch of urgency given the impending 2027 switch-off. The infrastructure has proven itself, businesses that have made the switch have seen the results themselves and the cost savings are there.