If your company runs more than one location in Saudi Arabia — a head office and branches, a chain of stores, several clinics, or scattered project sites — connecting their phones has traditionally been one of the most expensive items on the IT budget. The classic design puts a phone server at every site and then links those sites together with dedicated MPLS or leased-line circuits so internal calls and shared numbers work across the network.
That model still works, but it carries a heavy and largely hidden cost structure. This article compares the traditional multi-site voice approach with Skyline Comms, Skyline's fully-managed cloud phone system, and explains why you no longer need MPLS or leased lines just to connect branch phones.
The traditional multi-site voice cost structure
When each location has its own on-premise PBX and the sites are stitched together with private circuits, you are paying for three separate things at once:
- Hardware capex per site. Every branch needs its own PBX box in a small server room or rack, plus gateways, power protection and cabling. Open a new site and you buy another one.
- Inter-site circuits. To make extension-to-extension dialling and a shared dial plan work between cities, the sites are joined with MPLS or leased lines — recurring monthly charges per link that scale with the number of sites and the bandwidth each needs.
- Ongoing maintenance. Firmware, support contracts, on-site visits for faults, and a specialist to configure each box. The more locations you run, the more this multiplies.
The operational burden is just as real as the money. New branches wait weeks for a circuit to be provisioned, and a temporary or remote site — a pop-up store, a construction camp, a seasonal clinic — is hard to connect at all because there is nowhere to ship and install hardware quickly.
How cloud telephony changes the equation
Skyline Comms is hosted entirely in Skyline Cloud. There is no on-premise PBX box, no phone server and no rack at any of your sites. All of your branches share one phone system that lives in the cloud, so the whole inter-site problem simply disappears.
Because the brain of the system is central, you do not need private circuits between locations to make internal calling work. Each branch only needs an ordinary internet connection — the same one it already uses for email and the web. Extensions register to the cloud over that link, and the cloud handles routing between every site. This is the core idea behind connecting all your branches on one phone system without expensive infrastructure: the cost of connecting sites drops out almost entirely.
One system across every location
With all sites on the same cloud platform you get:
- Free internal calls between branches and between cities — extension-to-extension calling is on-net, with no per-call or per-circuit cost.
- One unified dial plan and one auto-attendant/IVR for the whole company, instead of a separate configuration per box.
- One company number that can route to any location, plus local Saudi numbers where you need a city presence.
Cost structure compared
| | Traditional PBX + MPLS / leased lines | Skyline Comms (cloud) | |---|---|---| | Per-site hardware | PBX box, gateways, rack at every site | None — nothing on premise | | Links between sites | MPLS or leased-line circuits, recurring | None — ordinary internet per site | | Upfront capital | High capex, repeated per new site | No upfront capital cost | | Ongoing cost | Circuit fees + maintenance contracts | A low, predictable per-seat monthly fee | | Adding a site | Weeks for circuit + hardware install | Minutes — extensions provisioned remotely | | Billing | Multiple vendors and contracts | One SAR invoice in the portal |
The headline shift is from heavy capex — hardware per site, circuits, maintenance — to a simple opex model: a low, predictable per-seat monthly fee billed in SAR through the Skyline Cloud portal, with no large upfront outlay to connect locations. (We do not publish a fixed figure here because seat counts and number requirements differ — request a quote for your sites.)
Why you no longer need leased lines or MPLS for branch phones
Leased lines and MPLS exist to create private, predictable paths between your own sites. For voice, the only reason you needed them was to carry calls between on-premise phone servers. Remove the per-site servers and put the call control in the cloud, and that private mesh is no longer required for telephony:
- Internal calls travel via the cloud, not site-to-site, so there is no inter-branch circuit to buy.
- Voice is encrypted in transit by default — signalling over TLS and media over SRTP — so calls are protected as they cross ordinary internet.
- For sites that want voice fully off the public internet, an optional private encrypted VPN tunnel is available — without the cost or lead time of a leased line.
If you still maintain MPLS for data applications, that is a separate decision. The point is that you should not have to keep paying for circuits purely to connect branch telephones.
Operational benefits beyond cost
- Open a branch in minutes. Extensions are provisioned remotely, so a new site is live as soon as it has internet — see opening a new branch with zero infrastructure.
- Devices follow the person. Desk IP phones, a desktop softphone and iOS/Android apps all ring the same extension, so field and remote staff connect over any internet.
- Resilience. The platform runs with carrier-grade redundancy, and if a site's internet drops, calls fail over to the mobile app or mobile numbers.
- Self-service management. Add sites, change routing and pull reports yourself in the portal — no specialist visit required.
This pattern fits many industries: retail chains, multi-clinic healthcare groups, contractors and construction projects and restaurant and F&B chains all share the same need to link locations cheaply.
Saudi context
Skyline Comms provides local Saudi numbers and supports porting through licensed Saudi carriers, so moving from an existing setup keeps your published numbers. The service is designed around Saudi telecom regulation (CST/CITC) and aligned with NCA and PDPL data considerations. For the full picture, see the main pillar on cloud PBX in Saudi Arabia, the companion piece on connecting branch offices on one phone system, and the free cloud phone system guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need MPLS or a leased line between branches with Skyline Comms?
No. Internal and city-to-city calls are routed through the cloud, so there is no inter-site circuit to buy. Each branch only needs an ordinary internet connection. You may keep MPLS for other data needs, but it is not required for telephony.
Is voice secure if it travels over ordinary internet?
Yes. Voice is encrypted in transit by default — signalling over TLS and media over SRTP. For sites that want voice fully off the public internet, an optional private encrypted VPN tunnel is available.
What does it cost to connect multiple sites?
There is no upfront capital cost and no per-site hardware or circuit fee. You pay a low, predictable per-seat monthly fee billed in SAR through the portal. Because seat counts and number needs vary, please request a quote for your locations.
How quickly can I add a new branch?
In minutes. Extensions are provisioned remotely, so a new site is connected to the same phone system as soon as it has internet — no waiting weeks for a circuit and no hardware to ship and install.
What happens if a branch loses internet?
The platform runs with carrier-grade redundancy, and if a single site's internet drops, calls fail over to the mobile app or mobile numbers so staff stay reachable.
Talk to Skyline
Want to compare your current multi-site phone bill against a single cloud system? We can map your branches, numbers and seats and show you the cost structure without the circuits. Contact Skyline at alskyline.com/contact or call +966 50 993 9334, or explore the portal at cloud.alskyline.com.
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