Knowledge base centre

You can have a working Australian virtual phone number in about ten minutes. Sign up, choose a number from the available list in the customer portal, point it at a User or divert, and start taking calls - no SIM card, no technician, no new hardware.

The longest part of the process is deciding which type of number you need. A local 03 number, a virtual mobile starting with 04, a 1300 or 1800 number, and an overseas number all behave differently and suit different businesses.

This guide covers what a virtual number actually is, which type to choose, the exact steps to get one set up, and what to do if you’d rather bring your existing number across instead.

What is a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is a phone number that isn’t tied to a physical line or SIM card. Calls travel over the internet, so the number can ring on a desk phone, a laptop, a browser tab, a mobile app, or all of them at once.

A traditional number is bound to something physical - a copper line into a building, or a SIM in one handset. That’s the limitation virtual numbers remove. The number becomes a piece of configuration rather than a piece of infrastructure, which means:

• It works on any device, and on several devices simultaneously.
• It isn’t tied to a location. A Melbourne 03 number can ring a phone in Perth, or in Portugal.
• It handles multiple calls at once. Unlike a single copper line or a SIM, one virtual number can take several simultaneous calls, so a second caller doesn’t get a busy signal.
• You can change where it rings in seconds, from a web portal, without touching hardware.
• One person can hold several numbers, and one number can be shared across a team.

That last point is where most of the business value sits. A single virtual mobile number can be answered by five staff, with the messages and call history visible to the business rather than trapped on one person’s phone.

Which type of virtual number do you need?

Australian businesses choose from five types. The right one depends on where your customers are, whether you need SMS, and who you want paying for the call.

Two points worth knowing before you choose.

Local numbers aren’t restricted to your location. You can hold a Sydney 02 number while sitting in Brisbane, which is useful if you’re opening a market before you open an office. Being able to appear local is one of the main reasons businesses buy them.

Virtual mobile numbers are the ones that do SMS. If you want customers to be able to text your business - appointment confirmations, “running late”, quote follow-ups - that’s a 04 virtual mobile number. It behaves exactly like an ordinary mobile number to the person texting you, but without a SIM card, and it can be answered by your whole team.

Most businesses end up with a combination: a local number on the website and Google listing, a virtual mobile for SMS, and sometimes a 1300 for national campaigns.

How to get a virtual phone number: five steps

Step 1 - Sign up with a provider

Start a trial or open an account. VoIPLine’s free trial runs for 30 days with no credit card required, which is enough to build a working phone system and test it properly before committing.

One thing to know up front: during the free trial you can only order geographic (local) numbers, for testing purposes. To purchase a virtual mobile number you’ll need to activate the account first. Worth planning around if SMS is the reason you’re here.

Step 2 - Order your number

In the customer portal, go to Services at the top of the page, then Phone Numbers in the left-hand column. In the Order New Number section:

1. Click the area drop-down and choose what you want. Local numbers are listed by area; for a virtual mobile, type 614 or scroll to find 614 – Virtual mobile.
2. Select a number from the available list. Details about the number appear once it’s selected.
3. Check the monthly cost shown on the right-hand side, along with any pro-rata amount for the current billing period.
4. Agree to the terms and click Submit order.

The number is active on your account immediately. There’s no waiting period and no provisioning delay - unlike porting an existing number, which is a separate process covered further down.

Note on virtual mobile numbers: activation fees apply and may not be refundable, so pick the number you actually want rather than ordering several to compare.

VoIPLine’s knowledge base has the full walkthrough with screenshots: How to Purchase & Configure a Virtual Mobile Number.

Step 3 - Tell the number where to ring

Buying the number isn’t the same as making it work. Right now it exists on your account but isn’t pointed at anything. You configure that in the call flow:

1. Go to the PBX section at the top of the portal.
2. Find the Inbound Number object in the left-hand panel, and drag it into the working area.
3. Click the gear icon to open its settings.
4. Name the object, select your number from the available list, and click the right arrow (>) to move it into the included column.
5. Click Save. The red glow around the object disappears once it’s configured correctly.
6. Click the red Apply Configuration button on the left to make the change live.

Then connect that inbound number to wherever calls should go - a single user, a ring group that rings everyone at once, a voice menu, or a diversion to an external number. VoIPLine’s hosted PBX handles all of these from the same drag-and-drop canvas.

The red Apply Configuration button is the step people miss. Saving the object isn’t enough; the call flow doesn’t go live until the configuration is applied.

Step 4 - Set up SMS and voicemail

If you’ve bought a virtual mobile number, enable SMS so messages don’t disappear into nowhere:

1. Go to Services → Phone Numbers, then the Active Numbers section.
2. Find your virtual number and click SMS Routing.
3. Enter the email address that should receive incoming messages. Use the (+) button to add more than one.
4. Click Save.

Inbound messages can take a few minutes to come through, and the first few often land in junk - check there before raising a fault.

SMS can also be routed to a Webphone user rather than to email, which is usually the better setup for a team that replies to texts regularly. Replies then come from the business number rather than anyone’s personal phone. VoIPLine’s SMS service handles both directions, and the Webphone puts calls, SMS and call history in one window on browser, desktop or mobile.

While you’re here, set up voicemail and voicemail-to-email on the same call flow, so nothing is missed outside hours.

Step 5 - Test before you publish the number

Before the number goes on your website, your invoices or your van:

• Call it from an external mobile. Does the right device ring?
• Call out and check which number displays as your caller ID. This is the most commonly missed setting.
• Send a text to it (virtual mobile only) and confirm it arrives where you expect.
• Leave a voicemail and confirm the email notification lands.
• Test from outside the office, on mobile data rather than office Wi-Fi.

Five minutes of testing here prevents the most common and most embarrassing failure: advertising a number that rings nowhere.

Can I keep my existing number instead?

Yes. Porting moves your current number to a new provider and turns it into a virtual number, keeping the number your customers already have.

Your existing provider cannot refuse a valid port request - number portability is a regulatory obligation under the ACMA’s Telecommunications Numbering Plan, and it applies even if you have an outstanding balance with them.

Indicative porting timeframes:

Your old number keeps working the entire time. It stays live on your existing service until the port completes, so there’s no gap and no day without phones. You can even add the number to your call flow and have everything configured and ready before the port lands.

What you’ll need: a signed electronic porting form in the customer portal, the details of your current provider, and account details that match your current provider’s records exactly. Mismatched account names and old addresses are the single most common cause of rejected ports.

Full detail is on the number porting page, and progress is trackable in the portal.

A practical middle path: order a new virtual number now, build and test your call flow on it, and submit the port once you’re confident everything works. You get a working system immediately and a clean cutover later.

What does a virtual phone number cost?

Virtual numbers are billed as a small monthly fee per number, on top of the phone system subscription that makes them usable. The number alone isn’t a complete service - it needs a PBX and at least one device or user licence behind it to actually ring anywhere.

Three things to check on any quote:

• The per-number monthly fee, which differs by number type. Local numbers are generally the cheapest; 1300 and 1800 numbers carry inbound call costs because the caller isn’t paying full freight.
• Activation fees, which apply to virtual mobile numbers and may not be refundable.
• What the number needs behind it - a hosted PBX subscription and a device or user licence. A number with nothing behind it can’t take a call.

Current rates for each number type are on the pricing page.

The comparison worth running isn’t virtual-number-versus-landline - it’s the total against what you’re paying now, including any staff mobile allowances that exist purely so people can take work calls. A shared virtual mobile number frequently replaces several of those.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can I get a virtual phone number?

A new virtual number is active immediately after you order it in the customer portal - typically under ten minutes from signing up to taking your first call. There’s no provisioning delay and no hardware required. Porting an existing number is different: virtual mobile numbers typically take 1–4 business days, and simple local numbers 2–10 business days, with your old number working normally throughout.

Do I need a SIM card or a physical phone for a virtual number?

No. A virtual number works over the internet, with no SIM card and no handset required. You can use it through a browser-based softphone, a desktop or mobile app, a SIP desk phone, or Microsoft Teams. Many businesses start with the app alone and add desk phones later, once they know who actually needs one.

Can a virtual mobile number send and receive SMS?

Yes. Australian virtual mobile numbers (starting with 04) send and receive SMS like any other mobile number. Incoming messages can be routed to one or more email addresses, or to a Webphone user so the team can reply from the business number rather than a personal phone. Local, 1300 and 1800 numbers are voice services and don’t handle two-way SMS the same way.

Can I use a virtual mobile number for WhatsApp or SMS verification codes?

Usually, yes - a virtual mobile number works like any other mobile number for calls and texts, including one-time passcodes. However, some third-party platforms restrict numbers that were previously registered on their service, and that restriction applies to any number, virtual or not. If a platform blocks a number, it has to be resolved with that platform directly rather than with your phone provider.

Can several people answer the same virtual number?

Yes, and this is one of the main advantages over a SIM-based mobile. A single virtual number can handle multiple simultaneous calls and be distributed across a team, so a second caller doesn’t hit a busy signal. There’s also no one-number-one-device restriction: you can connect several numbers to one device, or spread one number across many.

Get your number sorted today

Getting a virtual phone number is genuinely a ten-minute job: sign up, pick a number, point it at a device, test it. The decisions worth thinking about are which type of number suits your customers and whether you’re keeping an existing number.

VoIPLine’s free trial runs 30 days with no credit card, so you can build a working system and call it from your own mobile before deciding anything.

Start your free trial or browse virtual phone numbers for business to see what’s available.