What Is a Hosted 3CX Phone System? A Guide for UK Businesses

A Hosted 3CX phone system is a cloud-based business communications platform that allows organisations to make and receive calls, manage extensions, route customers to the right teams and communicate from desk phones, computers and mobile devices without maintaining a traditional telephone system at their premises.

For UK businesses moving away from traditional telephone infrastructure, Hosted 3CX provides a flexible way to bring business calls, users, queues, applications and communications together within one centrally managed platform.

At I.T Communications, we provide professionally managed Hosted 3CX phone systems together with the SIP connectivity, UK telephone numbers, hosting and technical support required to operate the service.

What Is 3CX?

3CX is a software-based business communications platform designed to replace or modernise traditional telephone systems.

Instead of relying on a conventional physical PBX installed at each office, 3CX can provide centralised control of business communications including:

• Business telephone calls
• User extensions
• Call queues
• Ring groups
• IVR and automated call routing
• Desktop applications
• Mobile applications
• Browser-based communications
• Call recording where configured
• Reporting and analytics
• CRM integration
• Video and collaboration features
• Selected AI capabilities

The exact features available depend on the 3CX edition, configuration and services selected.

You can see the options available from I.T Communications on our Hosted 3CX Phone System page.

What Does “Hosted 3CX” Mean?

Hosted 3CX means that the server running your 3CX phone system is hosted rather than being maintained as a traditional PBX at your business premises.

Users connect to the system over suitable IP connectivity, allowing employees to communicate from the office, home or other locations according to the way the system has been configured.

For many organisations, this removes the need to purchase, operate and maintain dedicated PBX hardware at every location.

With a managed Hosted 3CX service, the provider can also take responsibility for areas such as hosting, configuration, upgrades, SIP connectivity, telephone numbers and ongoing technical support.

I.T Communications provides these elements as part of its managed UK Hosted 3CX service.

How Does a Hosted 3CX Phone System Work?

A Hosted 3CX installation has several important components working together.

1. The 3CX Platform

The hosted 3CX instance acts as the control centre for the telephone system.

It manages users, extensions, queues, call routing, applications and other communications features.

2. SIP Trunks

The phone system needs connectivity to public telephone networks so that your business can make and receive external calls.

This is normally provided using SIP trunks.

I.T Communications provides Business SIP Trunks through its own UK SIP network and carrier interconnects.

3. Business Telephone Numbers

Your telephone numbers are connected to the system so customers can continue calling your business.

Businesses moving to Hosted 3CX don’t necessarily need to change their existing telephone numbers.

Eligible numbers can usually be transferred between providers through the number-porting process.

I.T Communications can provide new UK numbers and manage the transfer of existing numbers. Find out more about our Telephone Numbers services.

4. Internet Connectivity

Because Hosted 3CX uses IP connectivity, the quality and resilience of the business internet connection are important.

Depending on the organisation, this could include Business Broadband, Ethernet connectivity or a dedicated Fibre Leased Line.

The appropriate connection depends on factors including the number of users, concurrent calls, other network traffic and how critical telephone communications are to the organisation.

5. User Devices and Applications

Employees can access the system through supported devices and applications.

Depending on the deployment, this can include compatible IP desk phones, desktop applications, web clients and mobile applications.

This makes Hosted 3CX particularly useful for organisations operating across multiple locations or with hybrid and remote workers.

What Are the Benefits of Hosted 3CX?

There are several reasons businesses choose Hosted 3CX instead of maintaining a traditional telephone system.

Flexible Working

Employees are no longer necessarily tied to a telephone sitting on a particular desk.

With the appropriate configuration, users can communicate through desktop and mobile applications from different locations.

One Phone System Across Multiple Offices

Organisations with several locations can bring users together within a centrally managed communications environment.

Rather than operating completely separate telephone systems at every office, users, extensions and call routing can be managed centrally.

Professional Call Handling

Hosted 3CX can provide advanced business call-handling features including queues, ring groups, IVRs and routing rules.

This can help businesses manage incoming calls more effectively and provide customers with a clearer route to the correct department or employee.

Easier Expansion

Adding employees or locations does not necessarily require installing another traditional PBX.

Capacity can be planned around the organisation’s requirements and expanded as those requirements change.

Business Continuity

A cloud-hosted system can form part of a wider business continuity strategy because the telephone platform itself is not dependent on a PBX physically located inside the office.

However, organisations should still consider internet connectivity, network resilience, power and endpoint availability when designing their communications environment.

Centralised Management

Users, call flows, queues and system settings can be administered centrally.

For organisations that don’t want to manage the platform themselves, a managed provider can take responsibility for ongoing configuration and support.

Is Hosted 3CX Suitable for Remote and Hybrid Workers?

Yes. This is one of the areas where a hosted communications platform can be particularly useful.

Employees can potentially answer their business calls from the office, home or another authorised location while continuing to use their normal business identity.

A properly designed system can therefore support:

• Office-based employees
• Home workers
• Hybrid teams
• Multiple branches
• Mobile employees
• Customer-service teams
• Distributed organisations

The exact configuration should be designed around the organisation’s security, connectivity and operational requirements.

Can You Keep Your Existing Telephone Numbers?

In many cases, yes.

Changing telephone systems doesn’t automatically mean changing the telephone numbers your customers already know.

Eligible UK geographic and non-geographic numbers can normally be transferred through the UK number-porting process.

I.T Communications provides number-porting services alongside Hosted 3CX, allowing the migration of the telephone system and existing numbers to be planned together.

How Much Does Hosted 3CX Cost?

The cost depends on the size and requirements of the installation.

Unlike telephone systems that are priced purely according to the number of individual users, 3CX services can be sized around simultaneous call capacity, alongside the applicable user or extension allowances.

Other factors can include:

• Required 3CX edition
• Simultaneous call capacity
• Number of users or extensions
• Hosting
• SIP trunks
• Telephone numbers
• Call requirements
• Integrations
• Migration requirements
• Support requirements
• AI or advanced functionality

I.T Communications currently offers Hosted 3CX packages starting from £149.90 per month for a four-simultaneous-call system.

You can compare capacities, editions and current pricing on our Hosted 3CX Pricing page.

What Size 3CX System Does My Business Need?

The number of employees alone doesn’t determine the appropriate system size. Both the expected number of users or extensions and the number of calls likely to take place simultaneously during the busiest period must be considered.

Current 3CX editions apply user or extension allowances to simultaneous-call tiers, so the recommended capacity needs to accommodate both requirements.

For example, a company may have a large number of employees but only a relatively small proportion making or receiving calls at the same time. Conversely, a customer-service or sales operation may have a much higher level of concurrent calling.

When designing a Hosted 3CX system, I.T Communications considers the organisation’s users, extensions, locations, call patterns, telephone numbers, integrations and peak concurrent call requirements before recommending an appropriate configuration.

What Internet Connection Do You Need for Hosted 3CX?

There isn’t one broadband speed that’s correct for every 3CX deployment.

Voice traffic itself may not require enormous amounts of bandwidth, but call quality can be affected by network congestion, packet loss, latency and connection reliability.

The connection also has to accommodate everything else the organisation is doing online.

Smaller businesses may be well served by good-quality Business Broadband.

Organisations where internet and telephone communications are operationally critical may benefit from dedicated connectivity such as a Business Fibre Leased Line.

Connectivity and telephony should therefore be considered together rather than treating the telephone system in isolation.

Hosted 3CX vs an On-Premise Phone System

An on-premise phone system requires the organisation to maintain the PBX infrastructure at its own location or within infrastructure it controls.

A hosted system moves that infrastructure into a hosted environment.

Neither approach is automatically correct for every organisation.

Businesses with specific infrastructure, security or integration requirements may still choose an on-premise deployment.

For organisations wanting to reduce the amount of telephone infrastructure they maintain themselves, a professionally managed Hosted 3CX service can provide a simpler alternative.

I.T Communications supports both hosted and suitable customer-managed 3CX environments. More information is available through our 3CX Support Services page.

Why Choose a Managed 3CX Provider?

Installing the software is only one part of delivering a reliable business telephone system.

A production environment also needs to consider:

• System architecture
• SIP connectivity
• Internet connectivity
• Telephone numbers
• Number porting
• Security
• Call routing
• User configuration
• Resilience
• Monitoring
• Upgrades
• Migration
• Ongoing support

Using a provider that understands both the telephone platform and the network carrying the calls can simplify troubleshooting and reduce the number of different suppliers involved.

Hosted 3CX from I.T Communications

I.T Communications provides Hosted 3CX as part of a wider UK business communications service covering voice, connectivity, telephone numbers and ongoing technical support.

Our voice services operate across infrastructure in two London data centres, with our own UK SIP network, carrier interconnects and direct operational control.

This means we can manage more of the infrastructure surrounding a Hosted 3CX deployment rather than treating the PBX as an isolated product.

A Hosted 3CX deployment from I.T Communications can combine:

• Managed 3CX hosting
• UK SIP trunks
• UK telephone numbers
• Number porting
• Business broadband
• Fibre leased lines
• Migration planning
• Configuration
• Ongoing UK-based support

Learn more about our Hosted 3CX Phone Systems or view our Hosted 3CX Pricing.

Hosted 3CX and AI

Selected 3CX deployments can also incorporate AI capabilities to improve particular customer journeys and automate appropriate call-handling tasks.

The available functionality depends on the selected licensing, configuration and integrations, so AI should be designed around a genuine business requirement rather than simply added for the sake of having AI.

I.T Communications can help organisations identify suitable use cases, design the call journey, configure the solution, test expected and unexpected caller behaviour and provide ongoing optimisation.

Learn more about 3CX AI from I.T Communications.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Hosted 3CX Phone System?

A Hosted 3CX phone system is a software-based business communications platform hosted away from the customer’s premises. It provides centralised control of business calling, users, extensions, queues, applications and other communications features.

Is 3CX a VoIP Phone System?

Yes. 3CX is an IP-based communications platform that can use SIP connectivity to make and receive calls over public telephone networks.

Read our guide to Business VoIP for more information about the different types of VoIP service available.

Can I Use My Existing Telephone Numbers With 3CX?

Usually, eligible existing UK telephone numbers can be transferred to the new provider through number porting. The exact process depends on the number type and existing provider.

Does 3CX Work on Mobile Phones?

3CX provides supported mobile applications that can allow users to access business communications from compatible mobile devices.

Do I Need a Special Internet Connection for 3CX?

You need suitable IP connectivity with adequate capacity and network quality. The appropriate connection depends on your number of users, concurrent calls, network usage and resilience requirements.

Can 3CX Be Used by Businesses With Several Offices?

Yes. A hosted deployment can support users across multiple locations within a centrally managed communications environment.

Can 3CX Use AI?

Selected 3CX deployments can incorporate AI capabilities depending on the licensing, configuration and integrations required.

I.T Communications provides specialist 3CX AI implementation services for organisations that want to introduce AI into appropriate customer call journeys.

Ready to Explore Hosted 3CX?

Whether you’re replacing an existing telephone system, moving away from legacy infrastructure or looking for a better way to support multiple offices and remote workers, the first step is to understand how your organisation actually uses its phones.

I.T Communications can assess your users, locations, existing numbers, call flows, connectivity and peak call requirements before designing an appropriate Hosted 3CX solution.

Explore Hosted 3CX | View Hosted 3CX Pricing | Contact I.T Communications