VoIP vs Traditional Telco – The Showdown Nobody Talks About

If your phone bill still arrives in an envelope, we need to talk.

Because in one corner, we have Old School Telco — landlines, clunky switchboards, and surprise bills.

And in the other corner?
VoIP — internet-based calling with features so slick, even your Gen Z intern might be impressed.

Let’s break it down — no fluff, no fax machines.

☎️ Traditional Telco: The “We’ve Always Done It This Way” Club

Ah yes, copper wires and contract lock-ins. It’s like Blockbuster, but for phone calls.

Here’s what you’re usually stuck with:

• 📦 Expensive hardware
• 🧾 Fixed line rental fees
• 💸 Pay-per-minute call charges
• 🚫 Zero flexibility if your team moves or grows
• 🤷♂️ Features like call recording or routing? Not a chance

Old telco is like trying to stream Netflix through a toaster.

📶 VoIP: The Call That Grew a Brain

With VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), you ditch the wires and run your business calls over your internet connection. That’s it.

Why it’s better:

• ✅ No line rental
• ✅ Flat monthly rates or per-user pricing
• ✅ HD call quality
• ✅ Access your work number anywhere (even the beach, if you dare)
• ✅ Auto attendants, call queues, voicemails to email, whisper coaching… all included

And the best part?
You’re not stuck with a 2-year contract you can’t pronounce.

💰 Let’s Talk Money

Here’s a basic example:

Feature	Traditional Telco	VoIP with 3CX
Line rental	R150+ per line	R0
Call rates	R0.90–R1.50/min	R0.25–R0.45/min (often less)
Remote access	❌	✅
Call recording	❌	✅
Scalability	Painful	Effortless

Winner: VoIP. Every time.

💼 But What About Reliability?

We hear this one a lot: “What if the internet goes down?”
Fair question.

With failover routing, mobile apps, and LTE backup options, your calls don’t have to go silent just because your fibre throws a tantrum.

Also — no more Telkom technicians ghosting your install for six weeks. Just saying.

So… Why Are People Still Using Traditional Telco?

Mostly habit.
Some fear.
And a dash of “But I don’t want to deal with change.”

We get it — which is why Syntelo makes switching effortless.
We handle the porting, the setup, the training, and the “please explain what PBX means” calls.

Ditch the Dinosaur. Join the Oh Moment.

 

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