SIP
Trunk Service is
a type of
VoIP and
streaming
media
service that
delivers
both voice
and unified
communications
in one
converged
method. It
is a
telephone
service and
a way to
browse the
Web, email
and text,
over modern
telephony
networks.
SIP or Session
Initiation
Protocol is
today’s standard
for VOIP
trunk
service over
public or
private IP
networks.
SIP trunking
services
afford
businesses a
wide range
of benefits
and
flexibility
not readily
available in
traditional
telephone
services
. In its
most basic
form, SIP
trunks
provide
access to
both
land-line
and mobile
calling.
When
comparing
SIP trunking
vs PRI,
it also
offers many
of the same
calling
features,
with a lower
cost, more
flexibility,
and
increased
scalability.
In order to
use a SIP
trunking
service you
must have an
IP PBX
system which
supports
Session
Initiation
Protocol.
Cost
reduction is
another
reason why
many
businesses
choose SIP
service. In
general, SIP
trunk
pricing is
much less
than
traditional
phone
services
such as ISDN
PRI or
regular
phone lines.
Also, with
SIP trunking
there is no
need for a
separate
voice
circuit. A
SIP trunk
service can
be layered
over
existing IP
networks, or
a SIP
trunking
provider
will offer a
private IP
connection
with QoS.
Hardware
investments,
installation
costs,
ongoing
maintenance
are all
reduced as
well with
SIP
connections.
Flexible
and scalable
voice
networks
drive growth
of the VOIP
market and
technology.
If a company
needs to
expand SIP
service in
the future,
adding SIP
trunks is
nothing more
than an easy
network
change. No
need to
invest in
additional
hardware,
upgrades, or
set-up
costs.
Installation
of SIP
service is a
matter of
minutes to
hours, not
weeks to
months like
with
traditional
phone
services.
SIP service
is the
leading
standard of
today’s
voice
communication
networks.
SIP
Trunking is
also known
as
Session
Initiation
Protocol,
Business
VOIP, Cloud
Phone
Service,
VOIP Trunk
Service,
Unified
Communication
or
IP
Phone
Service.
Features &
Benefits of SIP
Service
Lower Phone
Service
Costs
Flexible and
Scalable Configurations
Converged
Voice & Data
Networks
Fast
Installation
& Set-up
Mobile &
Application
Integration
Cloud Hosted
PBX Options
Multiple
Protocols
– G.711,
G.723, G.729
SIP Trunking
Applications
Replacement
for
Traditional
Phone
Service
Local & Long
Distance
Calling
Voice,
Video,
Messaging
Applications
Call Centers
&
Telemarketing
Integrating
Remote
Workers
Unified
Communications
What is SIP Trunking?
SIP, short for Session Initiation Protocol, is an
application layer protocol that lets you run your phone system over an
internet connection instead of traditional phone lines. Trunking
refers to the backbone of phone lines used by multiple users that
connects to a telephone network.
SIP Trunks provision Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
connectivity between an on-premise phone system and the public switched
telephone network, also known as PSTN. For instance, an office might
have an existing PBX for phone service. SIP trunks provide phone service
for the entire office so they can reach the outside world.
Running your
small businessphone system
through SIP trunking is affordable, but it’s not necessarily for
everyone. It replaces the need for physical lines. It also lets you
easily add new phone lines or modify your phone service without
disruptions or the need to buy new hardware.
If you’re still unsure about SIP Trunking, Tom from Nextiva gives a
great explanation in this 2-minute video:
SIP trunking can revolutionize your business by letting businesses
take a giant leap to upgrade their PBX to an internet-powered phone
system.
It operates similarly to HTTP, which is the very basis of
browsing web pages on the internet. SIP was embraced by the open-source
community and acted as a catalyst for
commercial phone service. Also, SIP’s capabilities
extend beyond phone service, into broader messaging functions.
Just like you’d get a traditional phone line subscription from a
landline provider, SIP trunking is provided by a SIP provider.
An excellent SIP trunking service lets you use your existing PBX
equipment to transition into an internet-powered telephone network.
And that’s not all: you can also use a SIP phone as part of your unified
communications system. You can synchronize all your communication
channels in real-time. This way, you’ll enhance productivity,
collaboration, and efficiency across your company. Related:
What Is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) & How Does It Work?
What is SIP Trunking Used For?
The main role of SIP trunking is to replace PRI technology. PRI, or
Primary Rate Interface, has been used for decades to deliver lines of
voice and data using physical copper lines. Essentially, it’s a bundle
of analog phone lines put together. PRI can be costly to maintain since
the hardware is becoming outdated rather quickly.
With SIP trunking, this happens using VoIP technology. SIP also supports
other data like instant messages and video conferencing.
SIP trunking is the right choice for anyone ready to move their
business communication on a light budget.
This warrants a follow-up question: how will you know that your
company is ready for SIP?
Here are some questions to consider:
Are you currently paying for call capacity that you don’t need?
Is it expensive to maintain all your equipment?
Do your voice calls drop unexpectedly or need higher reliability
overall?
Do you have remote employees and/or employees that travel or
relocate often?
In short, SIP trunking is used for call setup, management, and
teardown. It’s flexible, reliable, and quite lightweight. This means you
can focus on your business instead of the technicalities. SIP is the
basis for VoIP communications and SIP Trunking is used to provide VoIP
connectivity through a PBX.
How Does SIP Trunking Work?
SIP is the dominant format used in IP telephony. It’s a protocol that
establishes a VoIP session over the internet. In this session, you can
have any of the following scenarios and more:
Be on a voice call with one other person
Have multiple people on a conference call
Run video calls
SIP trunks work as an intermediary between your business phone system
and the Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP). See the diagram
below showing how calls flow from a SIP phone (VoIP) in a business to
the outside world—it’s fascinating!
In the past, companies used ISDN circuits that needed to be physically
installed on their premises. Now, instead of routing voice calls over
copper lines in these circuits, SIP trunking sends them over data
networks.
In other words, physical infrastructure is replaced with a virtual one.
The setup you’ll need to make the switch to SIP trunking includes the
following:
Want a cost-effective way to assign and manage a phone number for
various people in your company? Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers are your
solution.
This service lets you have multiple phone numbers. Each of them rings a
specific
SIP phone in your company instead of going to a queue or an
auto-attendant. The best part? You don’t need separate phone lines for
each.
Your service provider will be the one to send an incoming call to your
PBX over the SIP trunk. Then, your PBX will route the call to the right
recipient based on the number that was dialed.
Purchasing your DID with a SIP trunk comes with cost savings because
there are no additional infrastructure costs. If you get a DID from a
phone company, you pay extra for hardware and maintenance.
You can use DIDs for specific purposes in your company, like
customer service and sales. You can also use it for
individual employees.
What Are the Benefits of SIP Trunking?
Still unsure of the advantages of this approach to your business
communications? In this section, we’re diving into the benefits of SIP.
SIP connects a variety of devices to connect individuals and businesses
locally and globally through voice, video, and text. It simplifies
business communication systems and makes businesses technologically
competitive. Here’s how.
1) Cost savings and efficiency
With a traditional phone line, you may be paying for extra lines you
aren’t using. You might also incur high charges for long-distance and
international calls. There’s also the cost of equipment maintenance.
With SIP trunking, you’ll experience simplified pricing, usually charged
on a per-user basis. This comes with the extra benefit of predictability
in your recurring expenses.
You get the choice between metered and unmetered SIP trunk plans.
There’s a huge difference.
2) Virtual presence
SIP creates a unified virtual presence. It allows individuals and
businesses to choose when and how they would like to be available.
For example, if you’re in a business meeting, calls and messages can be
forwarded to your assistant. If you’re on a business trip, they’re
routed to a smartphone.
Thanks to SIP, you’ll have centralized communication. We all have
multiple ways we communicate: multiple devices at home, just as many (or
more) at work, texts, video chat…The list goes on. SIP grants a user one
“address” for all these devices and applications.
As a result, your interactions remain frictionless, no matter where you
are.
3) Space for growth and scalability
When you’re looking to grow your company, your business needs will
change. Sometimes, they’ll change at a rapid pace.
You need your technology to grow your business. With SIP trunking,
you’ll combine your communications across channels and multiple offices
into a single network.
Your call volume or the number of concurrent calls is likely to grow as
your company grows. Technology shouldn’t stop you from doing things
right.
No need for new IP infrastructure or waiting to speak to a customer
service agent just to add new phone lines! With SIP trunking, you’ll be
able to do all of that on your own, on demand.
4) Reliable technology
Traditional telephony service can be disrupted due to phone failures,
bad weather, or a damaged telephone pole.
Luckily, SIP trunking with
VoIP boasts higher reliability. This means that you can
keep using your phone even in case of failure. Calls can be routed to
other lines, offices, or your mobile device.
No matter what happens in the background, you can keep your business
going smoothly and interruption-free.
PRI is
often compared to SIP trunking because they’re two ways to
connect your phone system to the outside world.
Let’s look at the essential differences between SIP trunking and PRI
(Primary Rate Interface).
1) PRI uses a traditional phone line to make phone calls
Each PRI circuit allows for up to 23 concurrent calls; for more than
that, you’d need an additional circuit.
Because of that, it’s hard to scale when using PRI, and the costs of IT
maintenance could skyrocket. PRI works best for companies with
insufficient bandwidth for IP phones and limited access to a reliable
fiber-optic network.
2) SIP trunking uses your internet connection to make phone calls
As long as your bandwidth is sufficient, you can keep adding phone
lines and increasing your call volume.
Your service will remain of high quality, with redundancies in place in
the case of an emergency.
In almost any case, SIP trunking will be your best choice. From saving
money and enabling remote workers to international calling and easy
scaling, the benefits of SIP trunking will make managing your
communications a breeze.
SIP and VoIP both refer to internet telephony and are technically
different. They’re often seen as two different options you can choose
from.
However, you shouldn’t directly compare SIP to VoIP, and here’s why. VoIP is quite a broad term that refers to any phone
call made over the internet instead of the traditional, physical
telephone line. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. SIP is one of those protocols—a specific protocol that
facilitates VoIP. If VoIP refers to the type of phone calls you’re
making, SIP is the protocol used for setting up that call.
In other words, the main difference between VoIP and SIP is their scope.
VoIP isn’t a single technology, but a family of technologies. SIP sits
under that VoIP umbrella.
As we see it, you can divide your business communications into life
before SIP and the one after it.
Before SIP
Before SIP, enterprise communications had separate structures of
voice and data communication. You probably know now that this can result
in a comms and
business continuity breakdown.
This old system cannot
handle large volumes of calls, and customers may
receive busy signals. All the while, the internet may be completely
underutilized.
Businesses used multiple telecom carriers. They connected their PBX
telephone network to multiple legacy carriers and lost money. These
carriers charged money even when the lines were idle or busy, incurring
toll charges and exorbitant long-distance charges.
After SIP
Now with complete
interoperability through VoIP and SIP, communications sync
with business operations. You can now route and record calls instantly,
as well as manage emails.
Multimedia messaging can mean that on one side of the conversation, an
individual can be texting and the other can be on a voice call.
Video conferencing, instant messaging, and instant data
exchange can make communication reliable and speedy.
To make this your reality, you need to choose from a range of SIP
trunking providers.
Here are some questions you’ll want to ask yourself when making this
decision and reviewing features that SIP trunking providers are
offering:
Can I manage my phone system from an easy-to-use dashboard?
How much will I reduce my costs?
Will my phone service be disrupted in the transition?
How long will it take to port my information over?
Can I keep my current equipment or do I need to buy more?
Can I easily add new phone lines?
With our plans, we give you all of the above control and power over
your
cloud PBX—and more.
We also have an award-winning customer service team to help you with
anything you may need along the way.
Sounds good? Check out how you can power up your entire phone system
with our cloud-based SIP trunks.
