VoIP for business in South Africa: phones, costs and how to switch
Hosted Yeastar P-Series Cloud PBX, Enterprise plan, set up and supported by Outsource Digital.
VoIP sends your business calls over the internet instead of copper telephone lines. Outsource Digital sets up VoIP for businesses across South Africa on a hosted cloud phone system: desk phones, cordless phones and an app on cellphones and computers, and you can keep your existing number.
Nothing gets installed or maintained in your building: calls run on the hosted system, so staff can take them in any office, at home or on a cellphone. Below we explain what VoIP needs, what sets the monthly cost, and how the switch works without losing your number.
Last updated November 2026
What is VoIP, in plain English?
VoIP (voice over internet protocol) turns your voice into small packets of data and sends them across the internet, over the same connection that carries your email. At the other end the packets become sound again, so a call to a cellphone or a landline sounds like any other call.
For a business, the practical change is that your number lives on a phone system instead of on a copper line into one building. Each person gets an extension on that system, and the number can ring wherever your people are.
What does VoIP cost for a small business?
We do not publish VoIP prices, because each quote is built around your office. The monthly amount comes down to a few things:
- How many people need an extension.
- Whether each person uses a desk phone, a cordless phone or only the app.
- The term of the agreement: month to month or a longer-term rental.
- Your internet line, if you also need fibre or a backup connection from us.
When you compare VoIP providers, ask each one to show these separately: the handsets, the network cabling, moving your number across, and what the support agreement covers. Then you are comparing like with like.
What do I need for VoIP to work well?
The main thing is a stable internet connection, because every call travels over it. We recommend business fibre, with a backup connection that takes over if the main line goes down.
Inside the office, the checklist is short:
- A network point for each desk phone.
- A router and Wi-Fi that cover the whole office, for the app on cellphones and laptops.
- Backup power for the router and the desk phones, which we can advise on.
If the power does go and the desk phones are off, staff can still answer the office number on the app on their cellphones. We install the fibre, cabling, routers and Wi-Fi as well, so one team looks after both the line and the phones.
Can I keep my Telkom or existing number?
Yes. Outsource Digital can port all landline numbers to its system, so customers keep their existing numbers. A new customer gets a VoIP number and can port the existing landline across. The old lines stay on until the move is confirmed. After that, the number your customers already know rings on your new desk phones and on the app.
VoIP, cloud PBX or on-site PABX: which do I need?
VoIP is how the calls travel. The PBX is the switchboard that decides where each call rings. VoIP calls can run through a box in your office (an on-site PABX) or through a switchboard hosted online (a cloud PBX).
| Compared | On-site PABX | Hosted cloud PBX (our offer) |
|---|---|---|
| Where the switchboard sits | In a cabinet or on a wall in your office | Online, hosted for you |
| Staff working from home | Needs extra equipment and set-up | The app rings on cellphones and computers wherever there is data or Wi-Fi |
| Several branches | Depends on the box and how the sites are linked | Branches and home workers share one system |
| Power cut at the office | The box and the phones stop without backup power | The system stays up online, and staff answer on the app |
| Adding people | Limited by the size of the box | Extensions are added on the system as you grow |
| Upkeep | The box is yours to maintain | Outsource Digital supports it, with nothing to maintain on site |
What we install is the hosted Yeastar P-Series Cloud PBX on the Enterprise plan. It serves everyone from small businesses to enterprise customers, including multi-branch enterprises, on one system.
Depending on your plan, the Yeastar P-Series adds an auto attendant, call queues, call recording, and WhatsApp and website chat in one inbox. An AI receptionist that answers the calls your team cannot get to is available as an add-on.
- Cloud PBX for South African businesses
- Replacing an old PABX in Johannesburg and Gauteng
- AI receptionist for business calls
WhatsApp us to compare your options (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
Which phones work with VoIP?
We supply Yealink desk phones, touchscreen desk phones and cordless phones. The phone app runs on Android and iPhone, on Windows and Mac computers and in a web browser. Some teams put desk phones at reception and give everyone else the app; others need no handsets at all.
Already have IP phones? Yeastar states that the P-Series works with more than 500 IP phone models and sets them up automatically, so we check whether yours can stay.
Who installs and supports it?
Outsource Digital supports phone systems throughout South Africa and into Namibia and Eswatini, from the Midrand head office in Gauteng and the Nelspruit branch in Mpumalanga. Our own people do the work: in-house PBX, network, field and on-site support technicians, with telephonic and online support behind them and service partners in all the major cities. We have looked after office technology for South African businesses since 2004.
When a fault needs a visit, a technician attends within 4 to 6 business hours. The video follows one installation day, setting up office phones and Wi-Fi at a client.
Google ratings: Midrand head office, 4.8 on Google from 215 reviews, November 2026; Nelspruit branch, 4.3 on Google from 10 reviews, November 2026.
WhatsApp us about installation (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
How do I get a VoIP quote?
WhatsApp the Midrand head office on 011 466 8510 or the Nelspruit branch on 013 752 2871, and tell us:
- How many people need to make and take calls.
- Who needs a desk phone or a cordless phone, and who will use only the app.
- The number or numbers you want to keep.
- Which internet line the office has now.
We put the quote together around those answers. If you would also like customers to WhatsApp your landline number, or an AI receptionist to answer the calls you miss, ask us to add it.
Questions about VoIP for business
Is VoIP reliable enough for a business?
On a stable internet line, yes. The phone system itself is hosted online and keeps running even when your office power is off. The weak point is usually the office internet, which is why we recommend business fibre with a backup connection, and we install both.
Does VoIP work during load-shedding?
The hosted system keeps running when your office power is off, and staff can answer the office number on the app on their cellphones. Desk phones and the router need backup power to keep working, which we can advise on.
Can I use VoIP without a desk phone?
Yes. Desk phones are optional. The phone app turns a cellphone or a computer into an extension on your office number, on Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac and in a web browser.
Can VoIP work across more than one office?
Yes. Branches, home workers and staff on the road can all be on one system, with extensions that call each other and calls transferred between them.
Do I need fibre for VoIP?
You need a stable internet connection, and we recommend business fibre. If you do not have fibre yet, we install business fibre and backup internet as well.
Can VoIP calls be recorded?
Yes. Call recording is included in the Enterprise plan, and we set it up for the extensions you choose. Call transcription is available as an add-on.
What happens to my old phone lines when I move to VoIP?
Your old lines stay on until the move is confirmed, so calls keep reaching you while your number is ported across to the new system.
Can I add people to my VoIP system later?
Yes. New extensions are added on the system as your team grows, without new equipment in the office. A new person can start on the app, a desk phone or both.
Do you support VoIP outside Gauteng?
Yes. We support phone systems throughout South Africa and into Namibia and Eswatini, from our Midrand head office and our Nelspruit branch in Mpumalanga, with service partners in all the major cities.
Where we work
- VoIP for business in Midrand and across South Africa
11 Monza Close, Kyalami Business Park, Midrand, Gauteng, 1684
- VoIP for business in Nelspruit and Mpumalanga
Shop 6G, Riverside Auto Centre, 7 Mystic River Crescent, Riverside, Mbombela, 1200
Talk to us about VoIP for business
WhatsApp us and we will reply with the information or a quote.
Or phone 011 466 8510 (WhatsApp, opens in a new tab)
Monday to Thursday, 08:00 to 16:30; Friday, 08:00 to 15:30