Moving phone systems to the cloud sounds straightforward—until someone asks about fax.
Anyone who has tried sending a fax over VoIP knows the struggle.
Law firms, banks, and compliance-heavy industries in Singapore still keep fax lines alive because signed pages sent over fax carry a sense of authenticity and traceability that email rarely matches.
When upgrading to a cloud VoIP solution, the question isn’t whether fax will still be needed—it’s about how to make it work reliably.
There are three main ways to handle fax in a VoIP environment, each with its strengths and limitations.
1. T.38 Fax via FXS Adapter
An FXS adapter bridges the gap between a VoIP number and traditional devices—fax machines or analog phones.
In theory, T.38 is designed for fax over IP.
In practice, Singapore businesses often experience intermittent failures when running tests.
Problems arise without clear blame: sometimes the fax machine jams, sometimes the FXS acts up, sometimes the VoIP server drops a packet at the wrong moment.
For mission-critical documents, uncertainty in the chain of transmission can make T.38 an uncomfortable choice. This option might suit low-volume, non-urgent faxing, but not situations where every page matters.
2. eFax Services
eFax moves the fax process entirely into the cloud.
The server sends and receives faxes as digital files, cutting out the connectivity struggles of hardware devices and analog lines.
This approach tends to be more reliable, provided the provider’s infrastructure is solid.
Singapore options are limited, but they do exist. OIT has tested B3Networks’ eFax service, priced at SGD $16/month (excluding transmission charges).
No physical fax machine is required, and a dedicated fax number is allocated—making it easy to integrate with an existing cloud VoIP setup.
For many organisations, especially those with multiple offices or a mobile workforce, eFax feels like the logical next step.
3. Keeping a Standalone Landline
Instead of forcing fax into the VoIP system, sometimes the simplest route is to leave it out entirely.
Retaining a single analog fax number—often with Singtel—while migrating all other lines to cloud VoIP separates high-reliability fax needs from modern unified communications.
For firms where fax volume is modest but importance is high, this is often the most stress-free approach.
Choosing What Keeps Control in Your Hands
The right solution depends on how critical fax is to day-to-day operations. Law firms sending contracts for immediate signing, banks moving sensitive client forms, or compliance departments exchanging records with regulators all share one priority: control over transmission reliability.
Cloud VoIP in Singapore offers flexibility, but fax remains a specialised requirement. Balancing convenience, cost, and certainty ensures that technology serves your processes—not the other way around.
