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[Write to us](/en/request-information "Write to us") ### Hybrid telephone system [What is a traditional analog phone system?](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/hybrid-telephone-system#section-3) [What is a VoIP phone system?](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/hybrid-telephone-system#section-4) [How can hybrid telephone systems help organisations future proof their operations?](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/hybrid-telephone-system#section-5) [Do hybrid telephony systems support all kinds of voice calls?](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/hybrid-telephone-system#section-6) [What are the advantages of a hybrid telephone system?](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/hybrid-telephone-system#section-7) [How do I migrate to a hybrid telephone system?](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/hybrid-telephone-system#section-8) **What is a hybrid telephone system?** A hybrid telephone system can be thought of as a stepping stone between a traditional analog phone system and a [Voice-over-IP (VoIP)](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/voice-over-ip) phone system. Usually, the purpose of a hybrid telephone system is to ensure a seamless transition to a VoIP setup in the future. ### Hybrid ![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/290788/f1fa475da9/hybrid_telephone_system.jpg) ### What is a traditional analog phone system? Traditional analog telephone systems route calls over the [Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/pstn), which is a collection of fibre cables, copper wires and sub-sea cables. A set of standards and protocols called the [Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/isdn) is used to create a dedicated connection between users for the duration of the voice call. It is important to note that the PSTN is completely separate to the internet. ### What is a VoIP phone system? An IP phone system routes calls over the internet instead of the PSTN. To do this, it breaks down voice data into packets and sends them to the recipient across the most efficient internet route. This is much more efficient than routing calls over the PSTN, delivering major cost savings for organisations. Examples of VoIP telephone systems include [Cloudya, the NFON Cloud Telephone System](/en/products/cloudya) and Skype for Business. ### How can hybrid telephone systems help organisations future proof their operations? Across Europe, ISDN is being decommissioned and, in the longer term, the PSTN is likely to become obsolete as well. This means that many organisations who rely on traditional telephony infrastructure need to prepare for all-IP voice calling. As a stepping stone between traditional telephony systems and VoIP, hybrid telephone systems can help organisations make the transition to VoIP telephony seamlessly and with minimal business risk. ### Do hybrid telephony systems support all kinds of voice calls? Yes, they do. Specifically, hybrid telephone systems support legacy calling technologies as well as IP-based calling, including: * Mobile phone calls * Landline calls * ISDN calls * VoIP calls ### What are the advantages of a hybrid telephone system? Hybrid telephone systems have a number of key benefits. These include: **No-risk migration to VoIP telephony** Hybrid telephone systems reduce business risks when transitioning from traditional analog phone systems to VoIP telephony. They do this by extending returns on existing telephony infrastructure investments, such as [private branch exchanges (PBXs)](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/private-branch-exchange-pbx). At the same time, hybrid telephone systems implement traditional phone technologies and VoIP calling in parallel, ensuring that telephone services are never interrupted during the switchover. **Reduced calling costs** By digitising voice data and routing it over the internet efficiently, VoIP dramatically reduces calling costs compared to traditional telephony systems that route calls over the PSTN. **Efficient management of peak loads** VoIP, the phone network can be scaled efficiently to handle load peaks with a technology called [SIP trunking](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/sip-trunk). ### How do I migrate to a hybrid telephone system? You can migrate to a hybrid telephone system by implementing a VoIP solution such as the NFON Cloud Telephone System. This allows you to use your existing telephone hardware to make VoIP calls. As our telephone system is cloud based, there is no need to install costly in-house hardware or software. The next logical step after VoIP-enabling your existing telephone system is to adopt a cloud-based telephone system such as the NFON Cloud Telephone System. Migrating your telephony to the cloud means you are then free to deactivate your legacy phone infrastructure, including your PBX. To find out more about the benefits of migrating your legacy telephone system to VoIP, please review the following FAQ articles: ### Related Articles ### Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) [Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)](/en/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/isdn) ### Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network and is generally known as the traditional phone network. It has been connecting people since the late 19th century, at first over copper telephone lines and later using fibre optic cables, satellites, and undersea cables. All of these are interconnected by switching centres which establish a dedicated connection – or circuit – between callers. Voice signals can then travel over this circuit. When the caller speaks into his handset, the caller’s phone translates the sound waves into electrical signals. These are transmitted over the PSTN (converted to optical signals for part of the way, so they can travel via fibre optic cables), and the phone at the other end of the line then translates the received signals back into sound. The arrival of **Voice over IP (VoIP)** technology – essentially, transmitting voice calls over the Internet rather than the PSTN – challenged traditional telephony and fundamentally changed how people communicate. 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