Setup options

VoIP setup options compared

Six common ways to run voice over IP, from a single home line to a full contact centre, compared on cost, control, features and effort.

At a glance

More dots means more of that quality. Scroll sideways on mobile.

	Hosted cloud PBX	Teams Phone	Own PBX + SIP trunk	NBN home phone	Mobile-first	Cloud contact centre
Ease of setup	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●
Control & customisation	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●
Business features	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●	●●●●●
Maintenance burden	Low	Low	High	None	Low	Medium
Typical cost model	Per user / month	Licence per user + calling	Hardware/licences + per channel	Included or small add-on	Per user / month	Per agent / month + usage
Best for	Most SMBs	Microsoft 365 organisations	IT-led orgs, larger sites	Households	Field and sales teams	Support & sales centres

Option 1

Hosted cloud PBX

Also called hosted VoIP, cloud phone system or UCaaS. The provider runs the phone system in their data centres. You get phone numbers, desk phones or apps, and a web portal to set up users, ring groups, auto attendants, voicemail and call recording.

Strengths

No servers to run or patch
Works anywhere: office, home, mobile app
Predictable per-user pricing
Fast to add or remove users

Watch for

Contract lengths and exit terms
Features locked to higher tiers
Quality still depends on your network
Where recordings and data are stored

Choose this if: you want a capable business phone system without managing infrastructure. It's the right default for most small and medium businesses.

Option 2

Microsoft Teams Phone

Calling built into Microsoft Teams. Numbers come from Microsoft Calling Plans, an Operator Connect carrier, or your own SIP trunk through Direct Routing.

Strengths

One app for chat, meetings and calls
Managed alongside Microsoft 365
Accurate presence from calendars and meetings

Watch for

Everyone needs a suitable Microsoft licence
Reception and call-centre features are lighter than specialists'
Narrower range of hardware

Choose this if: your organisation already lives in Teams and needs straightforward calling. Teams Phone vs cloud PBX in detail →

Option 3

Your own PBX + SIP trunk

You run the phone system yourself (3CX, FreePBX/Asterisk, or a vendor appliance) on-site, on a virtual machine or in the cloud, and connect it to the phone network with a SIP trunk.

Strengths

Full control over features and integrations
Cost-effective at scale (pay per channel)
Choose your own hosting and carrier

Watch for

You own security, patching and backups
Toll fraud risk if poorly secured
Needs in-house or partner expertise

Choose this if: you have IT capability and specific requirements a hosted platform can't meet. SIP trunking explained →

Option 4

Home phone on your NBN modem

The phone port on the router your internet provider supplies. Plug in an ordinary handset and it works like a landline, though it's VoIP underneath.

Strengths

Simplest possible setup
Often bundled at little or no cost
Use any standard cordless phone

Watch for

Stops in a power cut without a battery backup
Tied to that provider's router
Few features

Choose this if: you want a home landline number and nothing more. If you need a priority assistance or medical alarm service, check compatibility with your provider first.

Option 5

Mobile-first and app calling

Staff make and receive calls on the business number from their mobile, either through a cloud phone app or a carrier service that links mobiles into the phone system.

Strengths

No desk phones needed
Business and personal numbers kept separate
Calls follow people anywhere

Watch for

App reliability depends on phone settings
Mobile data use and coverage
Fewer reception features

Choose this if: your team is mostly on the road: trades, field sales, consultants.

Option 6

Cloud contact centre

A platform built around queues of agents: skills-based and AI routing, call-backs, wallboards, recording, quality scoring, CRM integration, and increasingly AI voice agents and agent assist.

Strengths

Designed for high call volumes
Detailed reporting and quality tools
Omnichannel: voice, chat, email, SMS

Watch for

Higher per-agent cost
More set-up and ongoing tuning
Recording, privacy and AI governance

Choose this if: calls are a core part of how you serve or sell to customers. AI voice agents in 2026 →

Before you sign anything

Questions worth asking any provider, whichever option you pick.

Numbers & contract

Can you port all our existing numbers, including 1300/1800?
What's the minimum term, and what does leaving cost?
Can we take our numbers with us if we leave?

Quality & resilience

Which codecs are supported, and is HD voice end to end?
What happens to inbound calls if our internet goes down?
Where are your servers, and do you have more than one Australian site?

Safety & compliance

How does 000 work, and how is the emergency address recorded?
Where are recordings and transcripts stored?
Are spending caps and fraud alerts available?

Support

Is support local, and what are the hours?
Who configures the system initially?
What are the uptime commitments and service credits?