SureTel
For medical practices, clinics, allied-health businesses and pharmacies
Communication and Connectivity Solutions for Medical Practices
Keep reception calls, business numbers and practice connectivity organised across every room, branch and authorised staff member.
Licensed ISP · Since 2010 · ICASA licence 0009/CECS/AUG/09 · South African business support
In short
Medical practice communications and connectivity in one coordinated setup
Medical practice communication and connectivity solutions help reception teams, practitioners and authorised staff manage business calls, office internet and continuity planning through a coordinated setup. SureTel provides Cloud PBX, VoIP, business connectivity, backup options and scoped Managed IT for South African practices, clinics, allied-health businesses and pharmacies. Request a quote to plan what fits your operation.
- Cloud PBX and VoIP for reception, rooms, authorised staff and multi-site practices.
- Business fibre and backup connectivity selected by site feasibility and operational need.
- Optional call recording for approved reception and service-quality workflows.
- Company extensions, DIDs and mobile-app access to keep business calling separate from personal numbers.
- Scoped Managed IT available where appropriate with onsite support primarily in Gauteng.
Problems this solves
Practice communication problems and their operational effect
Medical and allied-health businesses rely on clear, professional communication, but everyday call handling and connectivity issues can create unnecessary pressure on reception and administration teams.
- Calls reach personal mobile numbers
- The practice loses consistent business-number presentation and controlled transfer paths.
- Reception cannot route calls efficiently
- Appointment, referral, supplier and patient calls can reach the wrong person or wait longer than necessary.
- Rooms, branches or pharmacy counters operate in silos
- Staff struggle to transfer calls or present a consistent main practice number.
- One connection supports everything
- A connectivity issue can affect office calling, cloud tools and front-desk administration.
- Legacy phone hardware is difficult to change
- Adding a user, room, business-hours rule or new location becomes slower and less consistent.
- Recording expectations are unclear
- A practice may need reception-quality review but has not defined notices, access and retention.
- Multiple suppliers create hand-offs
- Staff may have to chase different providers instead of getting clear progress updates within the supplied solution.
- Internal Wi-Fi/LAN needs are not considered
- Call quality and day-to-day operations can suffer if the local network is not suitable for the chosen setup.
When it fits
Core benefits of a coordinated practice communications setup
A coordinated communications setup gives a practice more control over how ordinary business calls are handled, while allowing each site to use a connectivity option that fits its requirements.
One business call structure
Centralise extensions, ring groups, call transfers, business-hours rules and approved destinations.
Professional reception handling
Direct callers to reception, a department, an authorised practitioner or a practice-defined after-hours route.
Business numbers, not personal numbers
Provide staff with company extensions, DIDs and mobile-app access where approved.
Fit-for-site connectivity
Pair Cloud PBX and VoIP with fibre or another suitable connection subject to feasibility.
Continuity planning
Add a suitable backup path and configured failover equipment where the selected solution supports it.
Clearer supplier coordination
SureTel scopes, deploys and communicates around the voice, connectivity and IT elements it supplies.
Actual call quality and continuity also depend on the selected connection, local LAN/Wi-Fi, power, device setup and the scope of the agreed solution.
Service mix
Recommended medical-practice service mix
The right mix depends on rooms, sites, user count, business-hours rules, number-porting needs, internet feasibility and whether a backup connection is required. SureTel supplies communications, connectivity and scoped Managed IT within the agreed scope — it does not supply or manage clinical systems, electronic medical records (EMR/EHR), patient records, prescription/dispensing platforms, medical-aid systems, telemedicine, triage or emergency services.
Cloud PBX
Extensions, reception queues, ring groups, transfers, business-hours rules, mobile-app options and authorised call-recording add-ons.
Business VoIP
Business calling, DIDs, number-porting support and call rates from approved pricing.
Business Fibre and backup internet
Primary connectivity where feasible, plus LTE/5G backup where appropriate for the site and solution design.
Managed IT
Scoped help with network, endpoint and IT requirements where relevant; onsite work is mainly Gauteng.
Cost guidance
Indicative component pricing for medical-practice communications
Indicative component prices help practices understand the starting point. A final quote depends on users, numbers, recording retention, chosen connectivity, feasibility, hardware, installation, contract term, site configuration and support requirements.
Indicative starting points — individual components
- Cloud PBX
- from R60 per extension/month
- for 1–20 extensions; lower per-extension tiers apply as user counts increase.
- Mobile-app access
- R20 per extension/month
- where required.
- DIDs
- R10 per DID/month
- per direct-inward-dial number.
- Number porting
- R40 per number once-off
- where the current provider, number type and supporting information support porting.
- Call recording
- from R9 per extension/month
- for one-year retention; longer retention options are available at approved rates.
- Business fibre (FTTB)
- from R1,400/month
- subject to availability and feasibility per address.
- Business fibre (FTTH, home-based staff)
- from R599/month
- subject to availability and consumer/business-fit requirements — not interchangeable with FTTB.
- LTE/5G Backup
- from R379/month
- where suitable for the site and continuity design.
- Managed IT
- price on request
- scope depends on network, endpoint, monitoring and vendor-management needs; onsite work is mainly Gauteng.
These are individual component starting points. Do not total these figures into a fixed medical-practice bundle price — the recommended combination depends on users, rooms, sites, recording retention, connectivity feasibility, backup design, hardware and any scoped IT need, and is confirmed in your quote. Managed IT is price on request.
- All prices are shown excluding VAT unless stated otherwise.
- Do not calculate or promote a universal 'medical practice bundle' total. A coordinated quote can show the recurring components and any approved bundle discount that applies to the selected solution.
- Confirm site feasibility, connection type, users, hardware, installation, contract term, recording retention and support requirements before committing.
Use cases
Medical, allied-health and pharmacy practice examples
Use practical examples specific to health-related offices and clinics. Keep every example administrative and operational; do not invent clinical outcomes or system integrations.
| Practice type | Practical communications need | Suitable discussion points |
|---|---|---|
| GP or specialist practice | Reception needs to direct appointment, referral and administration calls to the correct team. | Cloud PBX extensions, call groups, business-hours rules, optional recording for approved reception workflows. |
| Dental practice | Reception, treatment rooms and billing staff need a consistent business call structure. | Desk phones, mobile-app options, call transfers, business fibre and backup planning. |
| Physiotherapy or allied-health practice | Practitioners move between treatment rooms while admin manages incoming enquiries. | Extension groups, authorised mobile-app access, suitable Wi-Fi/LAN review and business-number control. |
| Optometrist or vision-care practice | Front desk handles appointments, customer queries and supplier calls across a busy day. | Call routing, Cloud PBX, VoIP, main number/DID and optional backup connectivity. |
| Psychology or counselling practice | The practice needs discreet, professional administration handling while maintaining its own confidentiality processes. | Business-number routing, approved mobile-app access, privacy callout, no clinical-call-recording assumptions. |
| Small medical centre or multi-room clinic | Different rooms, reception and management need shared call paths and easier change management. | Cloud PBX, fibre subject to feasibility, LTE/5G backup where suitable, scoped Managed IT. |
| Pharmacy or pharmacy group | Staff need a central business number for customer, collection, supplier and administrative calls. | Ring groups, multi-branch extension structure, business fibre and call-routing rules; no dispensing-system integration claims. |
These examples are illustrative and do not represent named customers, case studies, testimonials or clinical outcomes.
Decision support
What to prioritise, and where the boundary sits
Guide the buyer through what to prioritise without presenting any product as universally right for every practice.
| Buyer question | Prioritise | Related SureTel service | Important boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| We need calls routed between reception, rooms and authorised staff. | Extensions, ring groups, transfers, business-hours rules and an appropriate device plan. | Cloud PBX | The practice defines staffing, escalation and after-hours procedures. |
| We want staff to use business numbers rather than personal mobiles. | DIDs, company extensions and approved mobile-app access. | Cloud PBX / VoIP | The practice remains responsible for device policies and access control. |
| We need to keep an existing main number. | Check number-porting eligibility, documentation and migration plan early. | VoIP / Number Porting guide | Porting timing and eligibility depend on the existing number/service and required information. |
| We need better office connectivity. | Site feasibility, user count, cloud use, Wi-Fi/LAN condition and business-critical processes. | Business Fibre | Availability and installation timing are address-specific. |
| We need reduced single-connection risk. | Primary-link design, LTE/5G backup suitability, router configuration and power considerations. | LTE/5G Backup / Business Continuity | Backup does not cover every outage, power issue, local fault or mobile-network event. |
| We want reception calls recorded. | Purpose, patient/caller notice, access roles, retention period and quality-review process. | Cloud PBX | Recording is optional and does not create legal or clinical compliance. |
| We need help with the practice network. | Clearly scoped network, endpoint, monitoring or vendor-management needs. | Managed IT | SureTel does not replace clinical-system vendors or the practice's governance process. |
Why SureTel
A practical communications partner for medical practices
- Licensed South African ISP
- Operating since 2010
- ICASA licence: 0009/CECS/AUG/09
- Hundreds of satisfied customers
- Point of presence at the NTT Johannesburg (JOH1) data centre
- South African business focus
SureTel can bring the voice, connectivity, backup and scoped IT elements of a practice solution into one coordinated design. The aim is clearer ownership, practical support communication and less supplier hand-off within the services SureTel supplies.
Support boundary: Standard support hours are Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00. Some customers have 24/7 SLAs. Do not claim a particular support level, response time, resolution time or uptime figure unless it is approved in the customer's SLA.
How it fits together
Practice communications, with scope boundaries
A medical-practice communications setup is not only a phone system. It is the operational layer that helps authorised people receive, direct and return ordinary business calls while the practice maintains responsibility for confidential health information and clinical processes.
Patient / customer caller
incoming appointment, referral, supplier and administrative calls
Main practice number + IVR / routing
business-number ownership and controlled call paths
Reception / approved call path
practice-defined routing to reception, a department or an authorised practitioner
Cloud PBX extensions
authorised desk phones and approved mobile app for eligible staff
Business fibre or other suitable primary connection
availability, lead time and site feasibility are address-specific
Optional LTE/5G backup + configured router
where the selected design supports it; reduces some single-link risk but is not a promise every service stays available in every outage, power event, local fault or mobile-network disruption
Practice-owned privacy and clinical controls
- decides what staff may discuss or record
- owns patient records, consent/notices, access roles and retention
- defines emergency and after-hours procedures
The diagram explains the operational relationship of SureTel-supplied components. It is not a clinical-workflow, legal-compliance or emergency-response design.
Cloud PBX and VoIP
Cloud PBX provides the call-handling structure; VoIP carries calls over an internet connection. Together, they can support shared practice extensions, transfers, business-hours handling and mobile-app access.
Business connectivity
Fibre or another suitable primary connection provides the data path for office systems and calls. The best option depends on feasibility, building access, user demand and the local network.
Backup internet
LTE/5G can be considered as a secondary connection where the selected equipment and solution design support it. It reduces some single-link risk but is not a promise that every service will remain available.
Optional recording
Recording is a configurable feature. A practice must decide whether a specific workflow should be recorded, what notice is required, who may access recordings, how long they are retained and whether clinical/patient information should be excluded.
Privacy and clinical controls
The practice owns its own staff protocols, patient confidentiality, records, lawful-processing decisions, emergency procedures and use of clinical systems.
Process
How SureTel scopes a practice solution
Tell us about the practice
Locations, rooms, users, business numbers, reception workflow, existing phones, internet and operational priorities.
Review requirements and feasibility
Assess voice needs, connectivity options, number-porting requirements, hardware, backup suitability and any scoped IT needs.
Recommend the right mix
Provide a practical proposal for Cloud PBX, VoIP, connectivity, optional backup, recording and managed IT components where appropriate.
Confirm configuration and privacy boundaries
The practice confirms its own call-routing, after-hours, recording, notice, access and retention decisions before deployment.
Deploy and support the agreed solution
SureTel coordinates the supplied components and provides progress communication within scope.
Indicative lead times: Cloud PBX deployment ranges from same day to 10 working days depending on requirements; FTTH may take 3–7 days, FTTB 1–6 months, and LTE 2–5 days. These are indicative ranges, not guarantees — the quote and feasibility process confirms the relevant next steps.
Medical FAQs
Common questions
What communication solutions does SureTel provide for medical practices?
SureTel can combine Cloud PBX, VoIP, business connectivity, LTE/5G backup and scoped Managed IT into a solution suited to a practice's reception, rooms, branches and authorised staff. The final design depends on user count, business-number requirements, site feasibility, local network conditions and whether a backup connection is needed. SureTel does not supply clinical systems, patient-record platforms, dispensing software or medical-aid integrations.
Can a medical practice use Cloud PBX and VoIP for reception calls?
Yes. Cloud PBX and VoIP can support business extensions, reception call routing, ring groups, transfers, business-hours rules and approved mobile-app access. A practice should define which staff or roles receive each type of call and set its own procedures for after-hours, clinical or emergency-related requests.
Can SureTel record calls for a medical practice or clinic?
Yes, call recording can be added to Cloud PBX for approved workflows such as reception quality review, appointment disputes or customer-service follow-up. It is optional. The practice must decide the lawful purpose, caller notification, access permissions, retention period and whether recordings are appropriate for a given workflow. It should not be assumed that clinical consultations or patient-sensitive calls should be recorded.
Does call recording make our practice POPIA or National Health Act compliant?
No. Recording is a technical feature, not a compliance outcome. The practice remains responsible for its own privacy, confidentiality, notice, access-control, retention and lawful-processing decisions. The National Health Act treats information about a user's health status, treatment or stay as confidential, and POPIA requires appropriate safeguards for personal information. Obtain legal and professional advice before enabling recording in sensitive workflows.
Can we keep our existing main practice number when moving to VoIP?
In many cases, SureTel can assist with number porting so that an eligible business number moves to the new service. Porting is subject to the current provider, number type, supporting information and the migration plan. The approved once-off number-porting price is R40 per number excluding VAT. See the number-porting guide at /resources/number-porting-south-africa for detail.
Can practice staff use a business number on their mobile phone?
Yes, where the selected Cloud PBX configuration includes the approved mobile-app add-on. The mobile app is R20 per extension per month excluding VAT. The practice should decide which staff are authorised, what device-management rules apply and how access is removed when a staff member's role changes.
What internet connection is suitable for a medical practice, clinic or pharmacy?
A suitable connection depends on the address, building access, user count, cloud applications, Wi-Fi/LAN condition, voice usage and operational priorities. Business fibre is often considered for an office or clinic where available; FTTB starts from R1,400 per month excluding VAT, subject to feasibility. SureTel will confirm available options before quoting.
Can LTE or 5G be used as backup internet for a practice?
LTE/5G can be used as a secondary connection where site coverage, selected equipment and the solution design support it. SureTel can supply and configure compatible failover equipment where applicable. Backup connectivity reduces some single-link risk but cannot guarantee that every service will remain available during every outage, power event, local-network fault or mobile-network disruption.
Does SureTel provide electronic medical records, pharmacy-dispensing software or medical-aid integrations?
No. SureTel supplies communications, connectivity and scoped Managed IT services. It does not provide or manage electronic medical records, dispensing systems, medical-aid platforms, clinical software, telemedicine applications or patient clinical workflows. Where appropriate, SureTel can work alongside the practice's approved IT or software vendors to scope the connectivity and network requirements of the supplied solution.
How quickly can SureTel deploy a practice phone or connectivity solution?
Timing depends on the selected services and the site. Cloud PBX deployment can range from same day to 10 working days depending on requirements. LTE can take 2–5 days, FTTH 3–7 days, and FTTB can take 1–6 months. These are indicative ranges only; the quote and feasibility process confirms the relevant next steps.
Practice enquiries
Plan communications that fit your practice operations.
Tell SureTel about your rooms, sites, staff, business numbers and connectivity needs. We will help scope the right voice, internet, backup and managed-IT components for the agreed solution.
Please do not include patient or clinical information in this form. Use this form only for business enquiry details (practice type, rooms/sites, users, business numbers, connectivity needs). Do not send symptoms, diagnoses, medical-record numbers, prescription details, patient names, patient IDs or medical-aid information.
Your details are used to respond to this enquiry and are handled according to SureTel's Privacy Policy.