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NBC Cloud Voice Review: Complete Guide for UK Businesses

Emma Clarke

Written By:

Emma Clarke

Technology & Payments Specialist

Sarah Mitchell, ExpertSure author

Reviewed By:

Sarah Mitchell

B2B Commerce & Finance Reviewer

7 fact checks verified
Prices verified Oct 2026
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Table of Contents

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 fixed-term contracts with no cooling-off period, an exit fee that covers every remaining month of the term, and the lack of CRM integrations or SMS messaging put it behind more modern platforms. Dialpad bOnline RingCentral

Key Takeaways
  • Starting at £9.99 per user monthly - cheapest among major UK VoIP providers with Cisco infrastructure
  • Check the minimum user count - the £9.99 Call Centre Basic offer requires at least 25 users and excludes outbound call packages
  • Fixed term, no cooling-off and a £3 rise every April - leaving early means paying every remaining month of committed spend, far less flexible than month-to-month alternatives
  • Enterprise plan £17.99 per user with unlimited UK calls - includes a free desk phone where most rivals charge separately for hardware
  • 4.4/5 Trustpilot rating from 1,041 reviews - customers praise support quality but criticise contract terms and cold-calling

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).

Call Centre Basic
£9.99/user
25+ users only, no outbound calls included (+VAT)
Enterprise
£17.99/user
Unlimited UK calls, free desktop app (+VAT)
Complete Mobility
£24.99/user
Unlimited UK calls, free desk phone + mobile app (+VAT)
PlanPrice (+VAT)Outbound CallsHardwareAppsBest For
Call Centre Basic£9.99/user/monthNot includedNot includedNot specifiedInbound-only call centres (25+ users)
Enterprise£17.99/user/monthUnlimited UK landline + mobileFree basic desk phone or from £5/monthDesktop appOffice-based SMEs wanting solid calling
Complete Mobility£24.99/user/monthUnlimited UK landline + mobileFree premium desk phoneMobile + desktop appRemote/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-OnMonthly CostNotes
Call recordingFrom £530-day storage
AI auto-attendantFrom £2.99Virtual receptionist
International calling (500 mins)£6 +VAT100 destinations
International calling (1,000 mins)£10 +VAT100 destinations
Additional local numbersFrom £201/02/03 numbers
Non-geographical numbersFrom £50800, 0330, etc.
NBC Cloud Voice cordless handset£5Retail value £249, 30hrs talk time

How NBC Compares on Price

ProviderEntry PriceUnlimited UK CallsCRM IntegrationsFree Hardware
NBC Enterprise£17.99/userYesNoBasic desk phone
bOnline£9.95/userYes (after promo)LimitedNo
Vonage£10/userFrom £15 (Core)Yes (from Core)No
RingCentral£12.99/userYesYes (300+ apps)No
Dialpad$15/user (USD)YesYesNo
GoTo Connect~£18/userYesYesNo

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 signs customers to a fixed minimum term set in the order form, charges an exit fee equal to all remaining committed charges, gives no cooling-off period on Cloud Voice, and adds an automatic £3 to the monthly price every April.

NBC’s contract terms contain several clauses that could catch businesses off guard.

TermDetailImpact
Minimum contractFixed term set in your order formNBC publishes no standard length, so get it in writing (RingCentral: monthly, bOnline: 12 months)
Early termination feeMonthly committed spend × months left in the termLeaving halfway through means paying the second half in full
Cooling-off periodNone for Cloud VoiceUnusually, NBC’s own broadband has 10-day cooling-off — Cloud Voice does not
Annual price increase£3 on the monthly price every AprilContractually locked in. The first rise lands the first April after you sign, which can be within weeks
Fair usage on “unlimited”1,000-5,000 minutesDespite “unlimited” marketing, T&Cs cap usage
Post-contract30-day rolling at potentially higher ratesRates may increase after minimum term
Leaving NBC30 days’ notice chargesPayable when services transfer to another provider
Cease fee£60 + VAT per lineOnly if lines or broadband have to be ceased; transferring away after the term ends is free
Paper billing£7.50 chargeAdded for postage and administration if you want paper bills

NBC’s exit fee works the same way as Vonage‘s: you pay the remaining contract value, with no flat penalty on top. The real difference is flexibility at the start. RingCentral offers monthly contracts and bOnline uses 12-month terms, while NBC gives no cooling-off period on Cloud Voice. Check the term on your order form before you sign, because you are committed from day one.

The automatic £3 rise every April pushes the real cost above the advertised price. NBC’s terms apply it to the monthly price on your order without saying whether that means per user or per account, so ask for the answer in writing: on a multi-user order the two readings are very different.

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.

NBC’s own marketing claims a “4.8 rating” and “500+ reviews” – but the live Trustpilot page shows 4.4 from 1,041 reviews, suggesting 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

FeatureNBC EnterpriseRingCentralDialpadbOnlineVonage
Price from£17.99/user£12.99/user$15/user (USD)£9.95/user£10/user
Unlimited UK callsYesYesYesYesFrom £15
CRM integrationsNo300+ appsYesLimitedYes (from Core)
SMS/WhatsAppNoYesYesNoYes (from £25)
AI featuresNoYesYes (all plans)NoLimited
Free hardwareYesNoNoNoNo
Min contractSet per orderMonthlyMonthly12 months12 months
24/7 supportNoYesYesNoYes
Trustpilot4.4/5 (1,041)3.6/54.2/54.6/53.4/5

Our Verdict on NBC Cloud Voice

7.5
/ 10
NBC Cloud Voice
Best for: Small businesses wanting affordable Cisco-grade VoIP with UK support
Price: From £9.99/user/month
✓ From £9.99/user/month with 40+ calling features - competitive entry pricing ✓ Built on Cisco BroadSoft - enterprise-grade platform proven at scale ✓ UK-based support team with claimed sub-3-second call answer times ✓ Dedicated account manager from day one; no automated customer service gates ✗ Fixed-term contract with no cooling-off; leaving early costs all remaining committed charges ✗ No CRM integrations or SMS messaging - behind RingCentral and Dialpad ✗ No AI features - real-time transcription and coaching unavailable ✗ Unlimited inbound calls tier requires 25+ users - smaller teams pay more per call
Our Verdict

NBC Cloud Voice review: plans from £9.99/user/month with free desk phones and UK support, but fixed terms, no cooling-off and a £3 price rise every April.

Our Rating7.5/10
Features & Calling25%
7.0
Value for Money20%
7.5
Ease of Use20%
7.5
Customer Support15%
8.5
Expert Score15%
7.5
User Sentiment5%
7.5

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.

What we like
✓Transparent published pricing from £9.99/user/month
✓Free desk phones on Enterprise and Complete Mobility plans
✓UK-based support with sub-3-second claimed answer times
✓No installation or activation fees
✓Dedicated personal account manager for each customer
Watch out for
✗Fixed-term contract; leaving early costs all remaining committed charges
✗No CRM integrations, SMS, WhatsApp, or AI features
✗No cooling-off period — locked in from day one
✗Automatic £3/month price increase every April
✗Support hours 9am-6pm only — no 24/7 option

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 still the sticking point. A fixed term with every remaining month payable on exit, no cooling-off period and an automatic price rise every April 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.

Emma Clarke

Emma Clarke

Technology & Payments Specialist

Emma covers the full range of business technology, including EPOS systems, merchant accounts, telecoms, and web tools. Her experience as a retail systems consultant helps businesses choose the right digital solutions to improve efficiency and sales.

Sarah Mitchell

Reviewed by

Sarah Mitchell

B2B Commerce & Finance Reviewer

FAQs

NBC follows GDPR rules that started on 25 May 2018. You can check their Privacy Policy to see how they handle customer data across services.

Cloud Voice tech gives you better security than traditional phone lines. The digital setup means fewer weak spots compared to old telephone systems.

NBC Cloud Voice throws in unlimited UK calling across all plans. You can use it on smartphones, desktops, and IP phones, so staff can work from the office, home, or on the go.

The platform offers conferencing and collaboration tools for teams and clients. Cloud Voice Complete Mobility and Cloud Voice Enterprise are the top plan choices for most businesses.

Call management happens in the cloud, so there’s no need for office-based kit. You get more advanced features and flexibility than you’d ever get from a traditional phone system.

NBC Cloud Voice works with any device that’s online. You don’t need to buy special equipment to get started.

But you won’t find the same level of integrations or training tools as with some rivals. NBC sticks to core telephony features instead of deep third-party software connections.

NBC answers the phone between 9:00am and 6:00pm, matching Openreach working hours. The support team handles all queries during those times.

You can reach Cloud Voice support by calling 0330 311 1133 or emailing [email protected]. There’s also an NBC Support Centre for troubleshooting and service info.

NBC puts a big focus on local support. Their team tries to sort out technical problems quickly so you can get on with business.

Cloud Voice needs enough bandwidth to work smoothly. NBC checks your broadband speed before setting things up to make sure your location can handle it.

Call quality usually beats old phone lines, with less disturbance. Calls go as digital files over the internet, so you often get a clearer connection than with analogue systems.

NBC suggests pairing Cloud Voice with their business broadband packages. If you use both, they’ll make sure everything works together without a hitch.

Summary of Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Unlimited UK calling from £17.99 per user per month with clear pricing
  • Solid call management tools like auto attendants, call queuing, and hunt groups
  • Free desk phone hardware on the Complete Mobility plan
  • UK-based customer support, 9am-6pm Monday to Friday
  • Easy network setup with plug-and-play equipment

Cons:

  • No CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar
  • Missing SMS and WhatsApp messaging
  • Limited training tools (no call whisper, barge, or monitoring)
  • Supports fewer desk phone brands than some competitors
  • No searchable help centre or self-service resources

NBC doesn’t show up on comparison websites. The company focuses on commercial packages instead of residential services.

They work with more than 50 suppliers to find competitive rates for business customers. You probably won’t see their deals listed alongside consumer broadband offers.

Some customers have saved over £150 per year after switching to NBC. They send out one consolidated bill, acting as your single supplier for both broadband and telephony.

NBC emails bills to help cut down on carbon emissions. You’ll get a notification about your bill amount at least ten days before your direct debit goes out, which fits with industry rules.

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