Business phone numbers, SIP trunks and carrier suppliers
Need a national number, toll-free line or SIP trunks for your phone system? Compare providers of national and toll-free numbers, SIP trunks and business internet.
Each supplier shows what they specialise in and where they operate, so you can shortlist carriers for your market quickly.
Choosing business numbers or a carrier? What to know before you sign
Overview
What do business telecommunications suppliers provide?
Telecommunications are the foundation of every contact centre: the numbers customers dial, the lines that carry the calls and the internet connection your cloud systems depend on.
National and toll-free numbers with smart routing behind them.
SIP trunks that connect your phone system or contact centre platform to the phone network over the internet. See SIP trunk in the ACXPA glossary.
Business internet with the speed, reliability and support that cloud contact centres need.
Call tracking and number management to see which numbers and campaigns drive calls.
1300 and 1800 numbers: which suits your business in Australia?
1300 and 1800 numbers are Australia-wide numbers with no area code, so they work the same whether a customer calls from Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth. Both can be routed anywhere: a landline, a mobile, a contact centre queue or a mix, based on time of day, caller location or call volume.
1300 numbers: the caller pays the cost of a local call and the business pays the rest. A good fit for a professional, national number that keeps your call costs moderate.
1800 numbers: free for the caller, with the business paying for the call. Best when you want to remove every barrier to customers calling, such as sales and support lines.
13 numbers: shorter, six-digit versions of 1300 numbers that are easier to remember and usually cost more to secure.
All three are portable, so you can keep the number if you move offices or change provider, and they make a small business look national.
Numbers
Toll-free or national number: which suits your business?
A toll-free number is free for the caller, with the business paying for the call. Best when you want to remove every barrier to customers calling, such as sales and support lines.
A national number has no area code, so it works the same wherever in the country a customer calls from. Both can be routed anywhere: a landline, a mobile or a contact centre queue.
If you serve customers in several countries, ask providers whether they can supply and manage local numbers in each market from one account.
SIP and internet
SIP trunks and business internet: what do you need for a cloud contact centre?
SIP trunks replace traditional phone lines with voice carried over the internet. They usually cost less, scale up or down quickly and let you keep your numbers when you change phone systems.
Cloud contact centres depend on the internet connection behind them. Look for business-grade service with guaranteed support response times, and consider a backup connection so calls keep flowing if the main link fails.
How many concurrent calls does your peak need?
Which phone system or contact centre platform must the trunk work with?
What call quality and uptime does the provider commit to?
Is a backup link included, or can it be added?
How to choose
How do you choose a business numbers or SIP provider?
List your numbers and markets
Which national, toll-free and local numbers you need, and in which countries.
Plan the routing
Where calls should go by time of day, location and volume, including after hours and overflow.
Compare the full call cost
Number rental, per-minute rates for different call types, setup fees and minimum terms.
Check compatibility
Confirm the service works with your phone system or contact centre platform.
Ask about porting and support
How existing numbers move across, how long it takes and how outages are handled.
Learn more
Want an independent view? Free ACXPA resources
ACXPA's independent resources help you plan the technology behind your contact centre.
What is the difference between a 1300 and an 1800 number?
With a 1300 number the caller pays the cost of a local call and the business pays the rest. With an 1800 number the call is free for the caller and the business pays for it.
Can I keep my 1300 number if I change provider?
Yes. 1300, 1800 and 13 numbers are portable, so you can move them to a new provider or office.
What is a SIP trunk?
A SIP trunk carries phone calls over the internet between your phone system and the phone network, replacing traditional lines. See SIP trunk in the ACXPA glossary.
What do toll-free numbers look like in each country?
In Australia, 1800 numbers are free to call and 1300 numbers cost the caller a local call. In New Zealand, freephone numbers start 0800 or 0508; in the UK, 0800 or 0808; and in the US and Canada, 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833.
How are suppliers ordered on this page?
Suppliers with a paid listing appear first, followed by everyone else. Our page on how suppliers are ordered explains the detail.
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