Last Updated on January 31, 2025
Cloud phone numbers, often referred to as Non-Geographic Numbers (NGNs), are an essential tool for businesses looking to enhance their communication systems.
Unlike traditional landlines, NGNs are not tied to a specific geographic location, offering flexibility and advanced features for businesses of all sizes.
One of the primary advantages of virtual numbers is their versatility. Calls to these numbers can be routed to any destination – whether it’s a landline, mobile, or even an international number – ensuring your team stays connected regardless of location.
This flexibility is perfect for businesses with remote or hybrid work setups.
Virtual numbers also come with advanced features like call recording, personalised voicemail, and interactive menu systems, enhancing the caller experience.
Additionally, they provide scalability, allowing businesses to handle high call volumes without investing in expensive infrastructure.
From a cost perspective, NGNs are often more affordable than traditional phone systems, as they are hosted in the cloud and managed by your provider. This eliminates the need for costly on-site equipment and ensures easy updates and maintenance.
Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, NGNs offer a professional, efficient, and scalable solution to meet your communication needs.
What is a cloud number for business?
Businesses, more often than not, find it much easier to operate a virtual number or non-geographical number (NGN) than having static traditional phone systems either in their office or as a sole trader.
Cloud numbers or Virtual numbers for businesses mean that they can easily and quickly set up, manage and divert their phone numbers to anybody in their business rather than having one single traditional phone number.
For many smaller businesses, they often start out using their personal mobile number but then require something more professional, scalable and with more features than a traditional phone.
How do Cloud numbers work?
A cloud phone number is hosted in the cloud, meaning they use internet connections to transmit voice data instead of physical phone lines.
Calls are converted into digital signals and transmitted over IP networks.
For most clients, they are then forwarded either to a mobile, a landline, or multiple numbers, meaning that your business can select an area code from all over the UK.
Because these numbers aren’t physically located anywhere specifically, it means that clients can have business representation wherever they need it.
Virtual numbers are cost-effective, scalable, and professional and provide a large range of features such as voicemail, a personalised greeting and hold music.
How much do cloud numbers cost?
At Air Landline, we offer a free 7-day trial where you can get up and running in just 3 easy steps that take around 3 minutes to complete.
After that, it’s just £9.99 + VAT per month with Air Landline.
It’s generally accepted that virtual numbers for business are an extremely cost-effective way to operate your communications with clients, suppliers and more.
Compared to a traditional phone line where you may have to pay line rental, call forwarding fees and have a static number, with Air Landline, you get unlimited free call forwarding and you get access to a wide variety of advanced call features.
How to get a virtual cloud phone number online for free?
With Air Landline, it’s incredibly easy to sign up for a free virtual virtual phone number.
It’s just three simple steps that take no longer than three minutes to complete.
Get a landline number from any UK area code
Because your virtual number is held in the cloud it means you can choose any UK area code you like.
For example, if you’re based in London but need a number for clients in Manchester to get in touch with you, then you can select a 0161 area code.
We’ll then generate the rest of your number for you.
Decide where you’d like your calls diverted to
With a virtual phone number, you can forward your calls to any mobile or static number you like, alternatively, you can have it forwarded to devices with an internet connection.
Many of our clients choose to have them forwarded to their mobile phone number because they can have a personalised welcome message and call recording and can also have the number forwarded to multiple mobiles.
That’s it! You’re all set to start using your virtual cloud phone number!
Once you’ve been through our simple and easy sign-up process for our 7-day free trial you’ll receive an email with your new number and instructions of how to log in.
Feel free to test your phone number by calling it. From there, you can then take a look through all the fantastic features, such as recording your own welcome message, unlimited call forwarding, call recording and much more!
List of different advanced call features Air Landline offers
Virtual numbers come with lots of extra features that you can’t get with traditional phone numbers, mobiles or landlines.
With Air Landline, you get all of these incredible features:
- Choose Your Area Code -With Air Landline, you have the freedom to select any local area code from across the UK. Whether you want a London, Manchester, or Edinburgh number, the choice is yours. Once you’ve picked your area code, we’ll quickly generate your number, making the process simple and hassle-free.
- Link Your Number – Easily divert your new VoIP number to any existing phone line you choose. Whether it’s a mobile or landline, just let us know, and we’ll set up call forwarding instantly. Plus, you can manage your call forwarding settings in your user panel, along with other options like setting a welcome message, hold music, or even enabling call recording.
- Professional Advertising – Elevate your business image with a professional number. Use it on your business cards, advertisements, and online platforms to create a polished impression. You can also integrate your number with tools like Google Ads, enabling a ‘click-to-call’ feature so clients can reach you easily from any device, whether it’s a phone or laptop.
- Make a Lasting Impression – Project professionalism and credibility with a flexible number. Ditch the reliance on personal mobile numbers, which can sometimes appear less professional, and let Air Landline help you create the right impression.
- Custom Welcome Message – Personalise your clients’ experience by creating a welcome message they hear when they call. You can record your own voice for a personal touch or use our AI voice generator to craft a professional message.
- Caller Insights – Know exactly who’s calling and which number they’ve dialled before you even pick up. This feature allows you to differentiate between work and personal calls, giving you the flexibility to handle calls accordingly, divert them to voicemail, or call back when it’s more convenient.
- Professional Hold Music – Choose from our library of hold music to provide a polished experience for your clients. Instead of endless ringing, callers will hear professional hold music while they wait for you to answer.
- Call Logging and Recording – Keep a complete record of your calls with our call recording feature. Never miss key details during customer interactions—simply revisit recorded calls whenever you need.
- Missed Call Notifications – Missed a call? Don’t worry—Air Landline sends you instant email alerts with details of the missed call, allowing you to respond promptly.
- Personalised Voicemail – Create a voicemail message that reflects your business’s tone and assures clients you’ll get back to them. Whether recorded in your voice or generated using our AI tools, this feature keeps things professional.
- Voicemail Logging – Whenever a voicemail is left, you’ll receive an email with the recording attached. This makes it easy to organise and refer back to important messages at your convenience.
- WhatsApp Business Integration – Communicate professionally through WhatsApp using your Air Landline number. This integration lets you connect with clients more effectively, maintaining a professional image while offering superior service.
- Detailed Call History – Access your call history at any time through your user panel. Whether you need to track who called or follow up with past interactions, the information is always at your fingertips.
Benefits of using Cloud Telephony numbers
Virtual telephony numbers are revolutionising communication by providing businesses with flexible, scalable, and efficient telecommunication solutions.
Here’s why businesses are increasingly adopting cloud telephony numbers:
Cost Efficiency
- Eliminates the need for expensive hardware or on-premises systems.
- Eliminates call forwarding charges by routing calls through the virtual.
- Offers cheap monthly subscription (£9.99 + VAT per month with Air Landline) rather than line rental and call packages.
- There are no contracts with Air Landline
Scalability and Flexibility
- Easily scale up or down based on work needs.
- Supports remote work by enabling access to numbers from anywhere.
- Allows businesses to manage multiple numbers or lines seamlessly.
Enhanced Features and Integrations
Access to advanced functionalities like call recording, analytics, and reporting.
- Welcome message – You can set a personalised welcome message for your clients to hear as soon as they reach your number. If you’d prefer the personal touch, then you’re able to record your own voice, which will play automatically. If you’d rather, you can use our AI voice generator to send your message directly to your clients.
- Hold music – You can select hold music from our library so that if you’re not able to get to your clients straight away, they get a professional experience rather than simply hearing the phone ring and ring until the call ends.
- Log your calls – You can select call recording so that you never miss anything in your customer interactions, with the ability to go back and listen to calls that might be important or have details you need to go back to and log.
Difference between cloud and virtual phone numbers
There is no specific difference between a cloud phone number and a virtual phone number, and they’re just different names.
Both virtual and cloud numbers operate over the internet using VOIP (Voice Over IP) technology.
Are virtual phone numbers free?
With most providers they’re not free as such. With Air Landline, we have a flat fee of £9.99 + VAT per month per number, and we provide a variety of advanced call features.
We also offer a totally free 7-day trial so that you can see how easy it is to operate a virtual work number.
You have access to unlimited forwarded calls. Some providers charge more than this and even charge a per-minute fee for calls forwarded to you through your virtual phone number.
Why do businesses use virtual cloud telephone numbers?
Businesses are increasingly adopting virtual cloud telephone numbers to enhance their communication strategies.
Here are three key reasons why:
Enhanced Professionalism and Credibility
Utilising a virtual phone number allows businesses to project a professional image, even when operating from a mobile device.
Services like Air Landline enable companies to have a dedicated work number that forwards calls to their mobile phones, ensuring seamless communication without the need for a physical landline.
This setup not only enhances credibility but also helps in distinguishing personal calls from work ones, maintaining professionalism in all client interactions.
Flexibility and Mobility
Virtual cloud telephone numbers offer unparalleled flexibility, allowing owners and employees to take calls from anywhere without being tethered to a specific location.
This mobility ensures that important work calls are never missed, whether you’re in the office, travelling, or working remotely.
Features such as call forwarding, voicemail transcription, and custom greetings further enhance this flexibility, enabling efficient call management on the go.
Cost-Effectiveness and Scalability
A lot of our customers need to be able to forward their calls to multiple numbers of employees at a time in order to ensure that customers are always answered in a timely fashion.
Without paying for expensive infrastructure at an office, this wouldn’t be possible to do physically in a fixed location.
With cloud and virtual numbers, you can forward your calls to multiple numbers depending on your work needs.
Different types of cloud telephone numbers
There are different types of cloud telephone numbers, and we’ll give you some examples below:
Virtual Geographic Numbers
Virtual geographic numbers are tied to specific area codes, providing businesses with a local presence even if they are not physically located in that region.
These numbers are particularly useful for businesses targeting local customers, as they create trust and familiarity.
For example, a company in Manchester can use a “0161” area code to appeal to local clients, even if their team is working remotely or based elsewhere.
Non-Geographic Numbers
Non-geographic numbers, such as 0800 (toll-free) or 0300, are not tied to any specific location.
These are often used by businesses wanting to provide a nationwide presence or offer free customer service lines.
Non-geographic numbers are ideal for creating a professional image and encouraging customer inquiries, as they are seen as customer-friendly and easy to remember.
Toll-free numbers are extremely expensive to run as the customer isn’t paying for the call, you are.
Business Cloud Numbers
company cloud numbers are designed to provide businesses with a professional, centralised communication system that can be managed entirely in the cloud.
These numbers work seamlessly across multiple devices and locations, offering features like call routing, voicemail transcription, and integrations with CRM systems.
company cloud numbers are ideal for companies of all sizes, enabling them to maintain a consistent and professional communication setup regardless of where their teams are located.
FAQ
We help company and personal customers with their cloud phone number questions all the time, so here are some of the most frequent:
It’s straightforward and allows you to message, call and video call customers via WhatsApp with your cloud number.
The first 7 days are completely free, however, after that, it’s £9.99 per month + VAT.
Our security protocols are extremely high, and we use layered security, which is one of the best in the industry
Summary – Cloud Phone Numbers
Cloud numbers are an easy, cost effective and scalable way to get company or personal communications set up.
There’s no line rental or long contracts with Air Landline, and we even offer a free 7-day trial, which takes just 3 minutes to set up.
These numbers can be chosen in any area code you like and we’ll generate you a number from there.
This number can then be forwarded to any number you like with unlimited free call forwarding.
Air Landline cloud numbers come with a huge range of features included, making it a much better and more modern solution than traditional phone lines.