BT (News - Alert) has launched a new phone designed for smaller businesses that want to take advantage of cloud technology. The BT Cloud Phone is very easy to setup and can be accessed from outside the office through a smartphone app.

Cloud telephony providers have often touted the labor-saving virtues of their service, but the BT Cloud Phone (News - Alert) takes it a step further. It is supposed to be so easy to setup that BT ships them to the customer without needing an on-site technician to perform an installation. As long as the customer has a broadband connection with adequate speed all that is left to do is plug the phone in and go.

The system is also designed to let employees out of the office access the phone system through a smartphone app. Android (News - Alert), Windows Phone and iOS devices are supported.

Three different plans are available. The Basic plan is a bare bones plan that supports audio conferencing, Internet fax and auto-receptionist. The other two plans Connect and Collaborate, include the Basic plan plus more support for auto-call recording, Web meetings, video conferencing, Salesforce integration, and support from BT.

With its Cloud Phone, BT has made cloud phone service available to the smallest of businesses. With just a two-person business, the monthly cost is $39, plus a $150 one-time connection fee. It’s not only easy to setup, but also easy to install after a move, something small companies tend to do a lot of.

BT Cloud Phone may well be another proverbial nail in the coffin of conventional on-site PBX (News - Alert) systems and landline service. For $150 up front plus about $39 per month, a two-person business is not just getting a phone.

They can have the highest level plan available, with web meetings, video conferencing and Salesforce support. That gives the smallest of companies access to some of the same communications tools that the larger companies use with low startup and monthly costs.