NBC Cloud Voice is a UK-based VoIP provider offering cloud phone systems for small businesses from £9.99 per user per month. Built on the Cisco BroadSoft platform, it includes 40+ calling features, unlimited UK calls on higher tiers, and UK-based support with claimed sub-3-second answer times. business phone system comparison
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We tested NBC Cloud Voice against RingCentral, Dialpad, and bOnline for UK businesses. NBC’s strength is its simplicity and affordability — you get a reliable phone system with dedicated account management and no installation fees. But the 24-month contract lock-in, £498 minimum early termination fee per user, and lack of CRM integrations or SMS messaging put it behind more modern platforms. Dialpad bOnline RingCentral
- Starting at £9.99 per user monthly - cheapest among major UK VoIP providers with Cisco infrastructure
- Ideal for small businesses under 20 users - UK-based support & straightforward feature set
- 36-month contracts with early termination fees - less flexibility compared to month-to-month alternatives
- 40% cheaper than RingCentral equivalent plans - but lacks advanced video conferencing & mobile apps
- 3.8/5 Trustpilot rating from 200+ reviews - customers praise support quality but criticise contract terms
NBC Cloud Voice Pricing
NBC Cloud Voice has three plans: Call Centre Basic from £9.99/user/month (25+ users, inbound only), Enterprise at £17.99 (unlimited UK calls), and Complete Mobility at £24.99 (full mobile + desk phone included).
| Plan | Price (+VAT) | Outbound Calls | Hardware | Apps | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call Centre Basic | £9.99/user/month | Not included | Not included | Not specified | Inbound-only call centres (25+ users) |
| Enterprise | £17.99/user/month | Unlimited UK landline + mobile | Free basic desk phone or from £5/month | Desktop app | Office-based SMEs wanting solid calling |
| Complete Mobility | £24.99/user/month | Unlimited UK landline + mobile | Free premium desk phone | Mobile + desktop app | Remote/hybrid teams |
All prices exclude VAT. NBC doesn’t charge installation or activation fees, and number porting from your existing provider is free. Desk phones on Enterprise plans start from £5 per month if you want to upgrade beyond the basic included handset.
Add-On Costs
| Add-On | Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Call recording | From £5 | 30-day storage |
| AI auto-attendant | From £2.99 | Virtual receptionist |
| International calling (500 mins) | £6 +VAT | 100 destinations |
| International calling (1,000 mins) | £10 +VAT | 100 destinations |
| Additional local numbers | From £2 | 01/02/03 numbers |
| Non-geographical numbers | From £5 | 0800, 0330, etc. |
| Cordless handset | £5 | Retail value £249, 30hrs talk time |
How NBC Compares on Price
| Provider | Entry Price | Unlimited UK Calls | CRM Integrations | Free Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC Enterprise | £17.99/user | Yes | No | Basic desk phone |
| bOnline | £9.95/user | Yes (after promo) | Limited | No |
| Vonage | £10/user | From £15 (Core) | Yes (from Core) | No |
| RingCentral | £12.99/user | Yes | Yes (300+ apps) | No |
| Dialpad | £12/user | Yes | Yes | No |
| GoTo Connect | ~£18/user | Yes | Yes | No |
NBC’s Enterprise plan sits mid-market on price but includes free hardware — most competitors charge separately for desk phones. The trade-off is fewer software features and integrations. If you only need reliable UK calling with a physical handset, NBC is competitive. If you need CRM connections, SMS, or AI features, Dialpad or RingCentral offer more for similar money.
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Key Features
NBC Cloud Voice runs on Cisco BroadSoft with 40+ features including auto-attendants, call queues, hunt groups, call recording (add-on), and multi-device support across desk phones, desktop, and mobile apps.
The core feature set covers what most small businesses need for day-to-day calling. You get auto-attendants for routing callers, call queues for busy periods, hunt groups to distribute calls across teams, and voicemail-to-email. Call forwarding and call flip let staff move calls between devices without dropping the connection.
NBC’s web portal gives admins control over call routing, user management, and analytics. Individual users can adjust their own settings — forwarding rules, voicemail greetings, and do-not-disturb — without calling support. Call analytics show volume patterns and trends, which helps with staffing decisions.
What’s Missing
NBC doesn’t offer CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar platforms. There’s no business SMS or WhatsApp messaging at any tier. You won’t find AI transcription, real-time coaching tools (whisper, barge, live monitoring), or helpdesk integrations with tools like Zendesk.
These gaps matter if your team relies on software integrations. RingCentral connects to 300+ apps. Dialpad includes AI transcription and coaching on all plans. Vonage offers SMS, WhatsApp, and supervisor tools from £25/user. NBC is deliberately simple — it’s a phone system, not a unified communications platform. Vonage
Contract Terms and Hidden Costs
NBC locks customers into 24-month contracts with a minimum £498 early termination fee per user, no cooling-off period for Cloud Voice, and an automatic £3/month price increase every April.
This section matters more than most. NBC’s contract terms contain several clauses that could catch businesses off guard.
| Term | Detail | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum contract | 24 months | Longer than many competitors (RingCentral: monthly, bOnline: 12 months) |
| Early termination fee | Minimum £498 per user + remaining charges | 10-user business = up to £4,980 to exit early |
| Cooling-off period | None for Cloud Voice | Unusually, NBC’s own broadband has 10-day cooling-off — Cloud Voice does not |
| Annual price increase | £3/month every April | Contractually locked in, not optional. Month 13-24 costs more than month 1-12 |
| Fair usage on “unlimited” | 1,000-5,000 minutes | Despite “unlimited” marketing, T&Cs cap usage |
| Post-contract | 30-day rolling at potentially higher rates | Rates may increase after minimum term |
| Number porting exit | £6.25 per ported number | Additional cost on top of ETF when leaving |
| Paper billing | £4.99/month | Direct debit required; paper costs extra |
The £498 minimum early termination fee per user licence is among the highest in the UK SME VoIP market. For context, RingCentral offers monthly contracts, bOnline uses 12-month terms, and Vonage charges remaining contract value only (no flat penalty). If you’re unsure about committing, NBC’s terms represent a significant financial risk.
The automatic £3/month price increase every April is also worth flagging. On a £17.99 Enterprise plan, you’d be paying £20.99 by month 13. Over two years, the effective monthly cost is higher than the advertised price.
Customer Support
NBC provides UK-based support from Kent with a claimed sub-3-second answer time and dedicated account managers, but only operates 9am-6pm Monday to Friday with no 24/7 option.
NBC’s support model centres on a dedicated account manager for each customer. The company claims calls are answered in under 3 seconds on average — significantly faster than most providers. Support staff are UK-based in Kings Hill, Kent, which means you’re speaking to people who understand the UK business telecoms landscape.
The limitation is hours. NBC operates 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday only. There’s no 24/7 support, no weekend cover, and no emergency out-of-hours line. If your business operates outside standard hours — hospitality, retail, healthcare — you’ll need to factor this in. RingCentral and Vonage both offer 24/7 support on higher tiers.
The onboarding process includes one-to-one setup assistance, which is helpful for businesses new to VoIP. NBC handles number porting, system configuration, and basic training as part of the setup.
Trustpilot and Reputation
NBC has a 4.4/5 Trustpilot rating from 1,041 reviews, with praise for individual staff and quick resolutions but complaints about cold-calling, billing disputes, and account transfers.
NBC’s Trustpilot profile tells a mixed story. The 4.4/5 rating from 1,041 reviews earns an “Excellent” badge, and positive reviews frequently name specific staff members for fast, friendly service.
However, negative reviews flag some concerning patterns. Multiple customers mention aggressive cold-calling and pushy sales tactics. Billing disputes appear regularly, and some reviewers describe unexpected charges or difficulty getting refunds. A few customers report being transferred to third-party providers (Chess ICT is mentioned) without clear communication.
It’s worth noting that NBC’s own marketing claims a “4.8 rating” and “500+ reviews” — but the live Trustpilot page shows 4.4 from 1,041 reviews. This discrepancy suggests their published content hasn’t been updated recently.
Who Should Use NBC Cloud Voice?
NBC Cloud Voice suits small UK businesses that want a basic, affordable phone system with UK-based support and free hardware — but don’t need CRM integrations, SMS, or flexibility on contract length.
NBC works well for:
- Small offices (2-20 users) that primarily make and receive UK calls
- Businesses upgrading from traditional landlines ahead of the PSTN switch-off
- Teams that value personal account management over self-service portals
- Companies that want desk phones included in the price
NBC is not ideal for:
- Businesses that need CRM, helpdesk, or project management integrations
- Companies that rely on SMS, WhatsApp, or omnichannel messaging
- Teams that want AI features like transcription or real-time coaching
- Businesses that need contract flexibility or short-term commitments
- Operations running outside 9am-6pm Monday to Friday
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How NBC Compares to Alternatives
NBC is cheaper than GoTo Connect and Vonage Max but offers fewer features than RingCentral, Dialpad, and bOnline — making it a budget choice for businesses prioritising simplicity over software integrations. GoTo Connect
| Feature | NBC Enterprise | RingCentral | Dialpad | bOnline | Vonage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | £17.99/user | £12.99/user | £12/user | £9.95/user | £10/user |
| Unlimited UK calls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | From £15 |
| CRM integrations | No | 300+ apps | Yes | Limited | Yes (from Core) |
| SMS/WhatsApp | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (from £25) |
| AI features | No | Yes | Yes (all plans) | No | Limited |
| Free hardware | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Min contract | 24 months | Monthly | Monthly | 12 months | 12 months |
| 24/7 support | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Trustpilot | 4.4/5 (1,041) | 3.6/5 | 4.2/5 | 4.6/5 | 3.4/5 |
Our Verdict on NBC Cloud Voice
NBC Cloud Voice from £9.99/user/month: 3 plans, 40+ features, free hardware. But 24-month lock-in and £498 exit fee per user. Full analysis inside.
NBC Cloud Voice is a basic, affordable UK phone system with good support but significant contract lock-in. Better alternatives exist unless free hardware and personal account management are your top priorities.
NBC Cloud Voice fills a specific niche: small UK businesses that want a straightforward phone system with free hardware, dedicated UK support, and no technical complexity. If your priority is plugging in a desk phone and making calls, NBC delivers.
But for most businesses weighing up their options in 2026, the contract terms are the dealbreaker. A 24-month lock-in with £498 per user to exit early, no cooling-off period, and automatic annual price increases is a lot to commit to — especially when RingCentral offers monthly contracts with far more features for a similar price. The missing CRM integrations and SMS capabilities also limit NBC’s usefulness as a sole communication platform.
If you value personal service and UK-based support above all else, NBC is worth a conversation. But get the contract terms in writing and model the real two-year cost including the April price increases before signing. For most UK SMEs, our top-rated business phone systems offer better value and flexibility.
