// virtual landline
Virtual landline number, UK
A virtual landline gives your business a proper geographic number — an 020 London line, an 0161 Manchester line, an 01482 Hull line — without a physical landline or line rental. Calls divert to your landline or, on the £9.99 Mobile plan, your mobile — so you look established while working from anywhere.
// the short answer
A virtual landline is a UK geographic number such as 020, 0161 or 01482 without a physical landline. Calls are forwarded to your chosen phones over the internet, so you keep a local business presence without line rental or an engineer visit. LineHQ packages start at £4.99/mo, with mobile forwarding from £9.99/mo.
Last reviewed July 2026
A local number for your area
Choose the dialling code your customers recognise. We cover every major UK city — London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and dozens more.
No line, no rental
There’s nothing to install. Your virtual landline lives in the cloud and rings the phones you already own.
Divert to mobile
On the £9.99 Mobile plan, forward every call to your mobile, or ring mobile then office; the £4.99 plan forwards to a landline. Send after-hours calls to voicemail-to-email automatically.
Sound established
A geographic landline number signals a real, local business — reassuring to customers who won’t call an unknown mobile.
Virtual landline vs a traditional BT landline
| LineHQ virtual landline | Traditional landline | |
|---|---|---|
| Line rental | None | Monthly line rental |
| Hardware / installation | None — rings your existing phone | Physical line + engineer visit |
| Rings your mobile | Yes — on the £9.99 Mobile plan | Fixed to the premises |
| Local number for any UK city | Yes — any area code | Tied to the local exchange |
| Contract | None — rolling monthly | Often a fixed term |
| Recording & voicemail-to-email | Included | Add-on / not standard |
| Survives the 2027 PSTN switch-off | Yes — already digital | No — analogue lines retire |
| From | £4.99/mo | Varies, plus line rental |
The UK’s analogue landline network (PSTN) switches off on 31 January 2027. A virtual landline is already digital, so your number keeps working.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual landline?
It’s a UK geographic phone number (like an 020 or 0161 number) that isn’t connected to a physical phone line. Incoming calls are forwarded over the internet to your mobile or any other phone you choose.
Can I get a landline number for my city?
Yes — we offer local numbers for every major UK area code. Browse the city directory to pick the dialling code your customers expect to see.
Do I need special equipment?
No. There’s no hardware and no installation — you configure everything online and answer calls on the phone you already have.
Can I divert my virtual landline to my mobile?
Yes — on the £9.99 Mobile plan, calls to your geographic number divert straight to your mobile, so you answer a professional London or Manchester line wherever you are. The £4.99 plan forwards to a landline. You can also ring several phones in turn, or send after-hours calls to voicemail-to-email, all from the dashboard.
Is a virtual landline cheaper than a real one?
Usually, yes. A LineHQ virtual landline has no line rental, no installation and no engineer visit — the number lives in the cloud and rings phones you already own. Packages start at £4.99 a month with a prepaid wallet, so you only pay for the forwarding minutes you use, with no contract.
Will callers know it’s not a normal landline?
No. To anyone dialling, a LineHQ virtual landline is an ordinary geographic number — it rings, connects and shows your local dialling code just like a traditional line. The difference is entirely behind the scenes: instead of a physical line, the call is forwarded over the internet to whichever phone you choose.
Can I get a virtual landline without a physical address in that city?
Yes. You can hold a local landline number for any UK area you serve, whether or not you have premises there. Many remote and nationwide businesses run a city number to appear local to nearby customers while the calls forward to a team based anywhere.
Ready when you are
Set up a professional UK line in minutes. From £4.99/mo, no contract, cancel anytime.