The old copper phone network is being switched off. If you have not moved to internet-based phones yet, here is what you need to know.
The clock is already ticking
Australia has been retiring its legacy copper phone services as the NBN rollout completes, and traditional ISDN and PSTN lines have been progressively withdrawn. For most businesses this is no longer optional — the question is not whether to move to internet phones, but when and how. Leaving it to the last minute is how businesses end up with a rushed, expensive switch and avoidable downtime.
What VoIP actually is
VoIP — Voice over IP — simply means your calls travel over your internet connection instead of a dedicated phone line. You can keep familiar desk handsets, or run a softphone app on a computer and mobile, or both. The conversation is the same; the plumbing underneath is cheaper and far more flexible.
The features copper never had
This is where the upgrade pays off. VoIP gives you intelligent call routing, voicemail delivered to email, hunt groups, auto-attendants, and the ability to take your business number anywhere — a staff member working from home rings exactly as if they were at their desk. Adding a new user is a few clicks rather than a technician and a new physical line, which makes scaling up genuinely painless.
The catch you must plan for
Voice is sensitive to internet quality in a way that email is not. A connection that feels fine for browsing can still produce choppy calls if it is congested or poorly configured. This is the step cheap providers skip. Before recommending a switch we assess your connection, then prioritise voice traffic on your network using quality-of-service rules so calls stay clear even when the line is busy.
How we approach it
At Elevate we treat phones as part of your wider technology, not a bolt-on. We assess the connection, design the number plan and call flows, configure the network properly, and port your existing numbers so customers never notice. Done well, the switch lowers your monthly bill, modernises how your team communicates, and gets you off the copper before the deadline forces your hand.
The cost side of the switch
Beyond necessity, the economics usually favour the move. Businesses switching from traditional lines to VoIP commonly report ongoing call and line-rental savings of 30 to 50%, because internet calling strips out the cost of dedicated copper and bundles features that used to be paid extras. Line rental for a dozen analogue lines adds up fast; a VoIP plan typically replaces it with a lower per-user fee and no separate charges for voicemail, transfers, or hunt groups. The upfront work is configuration, not new cabling. At Elevate we size the plan to your actual call patterns rather than overselling seats, port your existing numbers so nothing changes for your customers, and get you off copper before the network deadlines force a rushed, costlier switch. Done properly, it modernises your phones and lowers the bill at the same time.