Southern Communications alternative: one group, many brands, one MSA.
Southern Communications Group (SCG) owns a long list of telecoms brands and its own Evonex phone platform. If your provider is 2 Circles, Hello Telecom, New Star Networks, Pink Connect, Flip Connect or Surgery Connect, you are an SCG customer. This page sets out the published Master Services Agreement and where a managed local provider differs.
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.
Southern Communications Group (SCG) in 2026.
Southern Communications was founded in Basingstoke in 1965. After a Livingbridge-backed period and a management buyout in 2021, Providence Equity Partners completed a significant investment in August 2026 at a reported valuation above £600m. The group reports about 35,000 business customers, around 900 staff in the UK and South Africa, more than 450 channel partners and over thirty acquisitions.
Its brands include Southern Communications, 2 Circles, New Star Networks, Hello Telecom, MyPhones, Pink Connect, Flip Connect, Surgery Connect and SCG Local. It sells its own Evonex hosted telephony alongside Gamma Horizon SIP and Teams Calling, FTTP, SoGEA and Ethernet (including CityFibre), business mobile, IT and cyber services.
What to check in a Southern Communications contract.
Taken from Southern Communications’ own published terms and prices on the dates shown. Clauses change; read the version attached to your order.
24 months from go-live, then 12-month renewals
The SCG Group Master Services Agreement sets a Minimum Term of “24 twenty-four months from the Service Go-live Date” and states that “the Agreement will automatically renew for a new Subsequent Term” of 12 months, except for micro, small-enterprise and not-for-profit customers.
Notice: 90 days during the minimum term, 30 after
Notice is 90 days during the Minimum Term and 30 days during a Subsequent Term.
Balance-of-contract exit charges
Early termination is charged as the “Balance of Contract”, defined as the charges accrued up to and including the expiry of the Minimum Term and/or any Subsequent Term, plus cease charges. The Hello Telecom brand terms run to 36 months, renew for 12, and add three times the average monthly call spend to the exit charge.
RPI + 3.9%, with a 10% “not material” clause
Charges rise each year by the Retail Prices Index “plus 3.9%” with a floor of 3.9% (not applied to micro, small-enterprise and not-for-profit customers). The MSA also states that increases “by 10% or less shall not constitute a material detriment”. A March 2024 notice applied 4.9% to Evonex, Teams and fibre products and 8.9–15% to others, with 20% on legacy PBX maintenance.
Equipment ownership
Equipment supplied under the MSA remains SCG property.
Southern Communications and Telexico, on the points that decide it.
Telexico is a competitor, so judge this table on the facts in it: the Southern Communications column is from its published documents, the Telexico column from how we actually contract.
| What matters | Southern Communications | Telexico |
|---|---|---|
| Contract term and notice | 24 months from go-live; renews for 12 months (not for micro/small/NFP); 90 days’ notice in term, 30 after | 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 + 3.9% each year, minimum 3.9%; increases of 10% or less deemed not material | No mid-contract price rises |
| Leaving early | Balance of contract plus cease charges; Hello Telecom adds 3× average monthly calls | Discussed openly before you sign; we plan switches around existing end dates |
| Handsets and equipment | Remain SCG property | Standard SIP handsets you are not locked to; on 12-month terms they are included and become yours |
| Who supports you | Dedicated contact; P1 24/7, other priorities Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00; UK and South Africa staffing | A named UK engineer; the person who set you up answers |
| Installation | National; direct and 450+ partners | On-site from Wolverhampton across the Midlands; UK partner engineers elsewhere |
| What sits on one bill | Own Evonex platform plus connectivity, mobile and IT | Phones, full fibre or leased line, WiFi, 4G/5G failover, CCTV and AI on one bill |
| Published price | Quote only | 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 Southern Communications suits, and when to stay.
Who Southern Communications genuinely suits
SCG suits businesses, GP practices and schools that want a proprietary platform with a dedicated contact and a wide partner network, and that are comfortable with a group-wide MSA. Its main Trustpilot profile showed 4.9 from about 3,900 reviews on 7 October 2026.
Why people look elsewhere
People look for a Southern Communications alternative when the RPI + 3.9% rises accumulate, when the 90-day notice window inside the minimum term is missed and the contract renews, when a brand they chose is consolidated into the group, or after the 2026 change of ownership.
When to stay put
If you are on Evonex with a renewal more than six months away and the dedicated contact is responsive, there is no rush. Diarise the 90-day window, ask for the current MSA and your schedules, and compare on the real end-of-term numbers.
The main alternatives to Southern Communications 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 Southern Communications works.
1. Review
Send your SCG 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 SCG 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.
The PSTN switch-off
What the end of analogue and ISDN lines means for your set-up.
Free infrastructure review
Send a bill; get an honest comparison within two business hours.
Southern Communications alternatives: your questions.
Is my provider part of Southern Communications?
If you are billed by 2 Circles, New Star Networks, Hello Telecom, MyPhones, Pink Connect, Flip Connect, Surgery Connect or SCG Local, yes. The group MSA or the brand’s own terms will apply; check your paperwork for which.
When can I give SCG notice?
Under the MSA, 90 days’ notice during the 24-month minimum term and 30 days during any 12-month subsequent term. Missing the window inside the minimum term means another year unless you are a micro, small-enterprise or not-for-profit customer.
Can Telexico take over an Evonex phone system?
Yes. Numbers port across on an agreed date, the new hosted system is built alongside Evonex, and handsets that support standard SIP can often be reused; we tell you before you commit.
What does Telexico charge?
One per-user price per month for hosted phones with UK calls, set-up and porting included, no mid-contract price rises, and the term written plainly on the proposal. Send us the SCG bill and we will show the comparison line by line.
Compared the same way: dated terms, published prices, who each one suits.
Where the Southern Communications facts come from.
Checked on 7 October 2026. Telexico is a competitor of Southern Communications; the figures are from the documents below and may have changed since. Verify the current versions before relying on them.