HiHi alternative: the handset is the hook; read the two agreements.
HiHi is the video deskphone and app designed by 4Com and sold with 4Com’s service agreement, which is why a HiHi comparison is really a 4Com comparison. If you are looking for an alternative to HiHi, the questions are the separate equipment lease, the automatic renewal, the RPI rise and what the system costs once the handset is paid for.
Providers are compared on what each publishes: list prices and the conditions attached to them, minimum terms and mid-contract rises, what the price includes (calls, set-up, porting, support hours), UK-based support, and whether failover is offered. Telexico’s own entries are our list prices. Where a provider has changed its terms since the date shown, the published source wins; tell us and we will correct it.
Compiled and reviewed by Mickey Mall, Director, Telexico Communications Ltd, Wolverhampton. Updated October 2026.
HiHi (4Com) in 2026.
HiHi Ltd designs the HiHi3 and HiHi4 handsets and apps in the UK; the first product launched in 2015. They are sold by 4Com Technologies, founded in 1999 in Bournemouth, which Daisy Group bought in September 2024 for £215m; both companies’ registered offices moved to Virgin Media O2’s Reading address in August 2025 and now sit within O2 Business. Comms Dealer reported that “Daisy’s primary reason for pursuing the deal is 4Com’s HiHi cloud communications product”.
The HiHi proposition is a touchscreen video phone that doubles as a tablet, hosted VoIP behind it, broadband and leased lines from 4Com, and a “we will buy you out of your existing contract” offer. No prices are published: “our business phone systems have no fixed price, as each package is completely tailored to your company”. HiHi Ltd’s Trustpilot profile stood at 4.6 from 3,185 reviews on 13 October 2026; 4Com’s at 3.7 from 3,685.
What to check in a HiHi contract.
Taken from HiHi’s own published terms and prices on the dates shown. Clauses change; read the version attached to your order.
Two agreements, two end dates
4Com’s Master Service Agreement (v7.0) says terminal equipment “may be supplied subject to a separate leasing agreement” and that the customer remains liable “for the remainder of the equipment leasing term”. 4Com’s Code of Conduct describes it acting “as an introducer to financial intermediaries”. The lease length and funder are not published.
Automatic renewal
After the minimum term the service contract “shall automatically renew for an additional 12 months” unless written notice is given no later than 90 days before expiry; micro and small businesses are capped at 24 months and then need 30 days’ notice.
RPI each April
Clause 3.4 applies an annual increase in line with the Retail Prices Index each April; small-business contracts from 1 January 2025 carry a fixed “Price Increase Sum” on the order instead.
The cost of leaving
Early termination is the average of the last three months’ billing multiplied by the months remaining, plus repayment of any buy-out paid to your previous supplier, plus “an administration charge of £99 per number” to migrate numbers away.
What the BBC reported
In November 2025 the BBC reported two small businesses disputing the length and cost of their 4Com agreements, one understanding a five-year deal that ran for seven; the Small Business Minister urged Ofcom to look at the sector. 4Com said it had “seen no evidence that they were misled”.
HiHi and Telexico, on the points that decide it.
Telexico is a competitor, so judge this table on the facts in it: the HiHi column is from its published documents, the Telexico column from how we actually contract.
| What matters | HiHi | Telexico |
|---|---|---|
| Contract term and notice | Per order; capped at 24 months for small businesses; otherwise renews 12 months unless 90 days’ notice; equipment lease runs separately | Rolling 30-day terms available, or 12 months where handsets are included; the term and notice period written on the first page of the proposal |
| Price rises | RPI each April (fixed sum on the order for small businesses from 2025) | No mid-contract price rises |
| Leaving early | Average monthly bill × months remaining, plus any buy-out repaid, plus £99 per number ported away; lease settled separately | Discussed openly before you sign; we plan switches around existing end dates |
| Handsets and equipment | HiHi handsets on a separate third-party lease | Standard SIP handsets you are not locked to; on 12-month terms they are included and become yours |
| Who supports you | UK-based, Bournemouth; 24/7 fault reporting; account manager not stated | A named UK engineer; the person who set you up answers |
| Installation | National; engineers across the UK | On-site from Wolverhampton across the Midlands; UK partner engineers elsewhere |
| What sits on one bill | HiHi handsets, hosted VoIP, broadband, leased lines | Phones, full fibre or leased line, WiFi, 4G/5G failover, CCTV and AI on one bill |
| Published price | Quote only; no prices published | One per-user price per month quoted in writing before you sign, UK calls included; set-up and number porting free |
Swipe the table sideways on a phone.
Who HiHi suits, and when to stay.
Who HiHi genuinely suits
HiHi suits a business that specifically wants a video deskphone with a tablet built in, is comfortable financing the hardware over a fixed period, and values 4Com’s Bournemouth-based support and national engineer network.
Why people look elsewhere
People look for a HiHi alternative when they discover the handset lease and the service contract end on different dates, when the renewal has rolled, when the RPI uplift lands, or when they realise a standard £80 to £200 SIP handset and the Telexico Mobile App do the same job without the finance agreement.
When to stay put
If you are inside both agreements, get the two end dates and the lease settlement figure in writing, diarise the 90-day notice window on the service agreement, and compare properly inside it. A buy-out from another supplier only moves the problem.
The main alternatives to HiHi in 2026.
Each suits a different kind of business. Ours is first; we have said plainly who the others are for.
Telexico: managed and local
A fully managed hosted phone system with the Telexico Mobile App, Web UC and standard desk phones, one per-user price quoted in writing, rolling 30-day terms available, no mid-contract price rises, your numbers ported, and a named UK engineer. Add full fibre or a leased line, WiFi, 4G/5G failover, CCTV and AI call answering on the same bill.
Gamma Horizon through a good partner
A solid hosted platform if you find a responsive reseller; many of the suppliers on this page sell it. You are still dealing through a partner, so judge the partner, not the platform.
RingCentral or 8x8
Enterprise cloud platforms with deep contact-centre tooling. Best for larger or international operations; more than most UK SMEs need.
Microsoft Teams Phone
Sensible if your business already lives in Microsoft 365. Telexico can supply Teams calling too, so this is not an either/or.
Self-service VoIP (bOnline, Yay.com)
Cheap and quick for a micro business happy to set everything up itself, with no on-site install or local support.
3CX, self-hosted or managed
A software PBX that is inexpensive at scale if you have IT to run it, or a partner such as Telexico to manage it for you.
How the switch from HiHi works.
1. Review
Send your HiHi bill and the terms or renewal you have been offered. We list your numbers, users and end dates, and tell you what we would change, what it costs and whether staying is the better move.
2. Build alongside
We configure the new system, ship desk phones and set up the Telexico Mobile App while HiHi keeps running. Nothing is switched off early.
3. Port and cut over
Your numbers port on an agreed date, usually one to three weeks from authorisation, with both systems tested side by side. Your named engineer stays with you afterwards.
The services behind the comparison.
Business phone systems
Hosted cloud calling with the Telexico Mobile App, Web UC and desk phones.
AI call intelligence
Every call transcribed, summarised and flagged for complaints and opportunities.
Business broadband and full fibre
The connection the phones depend on, with 4G/5G failover built in.
Every comparison in one place
Other suppliers compared the same way.
HiHi vs Telexico
The head-to-head version of this comparison.
Free infrastructure review
Send a bill; get an honest comparison within two business hours.
What 4Com’s published terms say.
Quoted or closely paraphrased from 4Com’s own terms, prices and published pages on the dates shown, with a link under each point. Clauses change: read the version attached to your own order before relying on anything here.
Who owns it
4Com Technologies Ltd was bought by Daisy Group in September 2024 for £215m and its registered office moved to Virgin Media O2’s Reading address in August 2025; 4Com and HiHi now sit within O2 Business. The support team is in Bournemouth.
SourceRenewal and notice
Under the Master Service Agreement (v7.0) the contract “shall automatically renew for an additional 12 months” unless written notice is given “no later than 90 days before the expiry” of the minimum term; micro and small businesses are capped at 24 months and then need 30 days’ notice.
SourceEquipment on a separate lease
The same agreement says terminal equipment “may be supplied subject to a separate leasing agreement”, that the customer remains liable “for the remainder of the equipment leasing term”, and 4Com’s Code of Conduct describes it acting “as an introducer to financial intermediaries”. The lease length and funder are not published.
SourceThe annual rise
Clause 3.4 provides an annual increase each April in line with the Retail Prices Index; for small-business contracts from 1 January 2025 a fixed “Price Increase Sum” is written on the order instead.
SourcePublished prices and fees
None for the service: “our business phone systems have no fixed price”. The published charges are ancillary: £99 per number to migrate numbers away, late-payment fees of £40 to £100, router non-return £100 to £150.
SourceReviews and press
Trustpilot “4Com”: 3.7 out of 5 from 3,685 reviews; “HiHi Ltd” 4.6 from 3,185. In November 2025 the BBC reported two small businesses disputing the length and cost of their agreements; 4Com said it had “seen no evidence that they were misled”.
SourceThe notice window is the whole game.
Two documents matter: the service agreement (90 days’ written notice before the end of the minimum term, or it renews for 12 months) and any equipment lease, which may run to a different date with a different company. Ask 4Com in writing for both end dates and the settlement figure on the lease. Then tell us the dates; we plan the port for the service end date and the handsets are standard SIP phones you are not locked to.
Tell us your end date →Months away? The date goes into the director’s diary and we come back before the window closes, with a written quote to compare against the renewal.
Four things that are the same on every Telexico agreement.
Rolling 30-day terms, or 12 months where handsets are included; the term and the notice period are written on the first page of the proposal. There is no automatic renewal clause: when a term ends you stay on 30-day rolling, nothing re-ties you for another year.
The per-user price you sign is the price for the term. There is no April uplift clause in a Telexico agreement.
Numbers port across on an agreed date, the new system runs alongside the old one until it is tested, and nothing is switched off early.
A named engineer and account manager from Wolverhampton, a WhatsApp group for your team, and a UK phone line answered by people who know your sites.
Trustpilot score shown for 4Com: 3.7 out of 5 from 3,685 reviews on 14 October 2026 (Trustpilot). Telexico is a competitor; judge the points above on the documents linked, not on us.
HiHi alternatives: your questions.
Is HiHi the same company as 4Com?
HiHi Ltd designs the handset; 4Com Technologies sells it with its own service agreement. Both were bought by Daisy Group in 2024 and both now sit within O2 Business, with registered offices at Virgin Media O2’s Reading address.
Can I keep my HiHi phones if I switch?
The handsets usually sit on a separate lease with a finance company, so they are governed by that agreement rather than by 4Com’s. Ask for the settlement figure and end date in writing. Telexico supplies standard SIP desk phones that work on any hosted system and, on a 12-month term, become yours.
How much notice does 4Com need?
Written notice no later than 90 days before the end of the minimum term, or the agreement renews for 12 months; micro and small businesses are capped at 24 months and then give 30 days’ notice. Check the order form for the term you signed.
What does a Telexico system cost compared with HiHi?
HiHi publishes no prices. Telexico quotes one per-user price per month in writing with UK calls, set-up and porting included, no mid-contract rises and a 30-day rolling option; send us the HiHi proposal or bill and we will set the two side by side.
Compared the same way: dated terms, published prices, who each one suits.
Where the HiHi facts come from.
Checked on 13 October 2026. Telexico is a competitor of HiHi; the figures are from the documents below and may have changed since. Verify the current versions before relying on them.