SIP Trunk - What You Must Consider

If you are looking for ways to improve the telephone system of your company, then perhaps you have heard recommendations from friends and family about getting a SIP trunk service. This service connects your company's own telephone system (called PBX or Private Branch Exchange) to the internet via a SIP soft switch, instead of following the traditional connection to the public telephone system (called PSTN or Public Switched Telephone Network).

So when you dial a number to make an outgoing call, the softswitch will analyze whether you are trying to reach a PSTN phone number or a SIP-enables system as well. After that, the softswitch will then route your call to wherever it is directed.

But this is when the difference takes place, because the soft switch will not pass your phone call to simply travel by means of normal telephone lines. It will go through the internet. This is how the SIP trunk service basically works. So, the question for you now, why bother getting this service when it does the same function as a normal telephone system?

As the SIP trunk service works over the internet, is measures the presence of telephone calls in terms of bandwidth. And because of this, unlike typical phone systems, it can support multiple phone calls at a single given time as long as it can handle the bandwidth capacity.

Wouldn't you want this advantage for your company? Also, SIP trunking removes the complicated abundance of hardware and wirings just to support the flow of calls, because the only thing needed is to use the servers of the chosen provider.

Getting a SIP trunk service is not as simple as getting a internet connection. If the only reason why you are going to get one is that you want to see how the internet can affect your communication systems, then might as well stick to the present protocol you are using. But if you are really looking for means that you can be efficient, then SIP trunk is surely for you.

SIP Trunking Providers and Their Benefits

SIP trunking is a unique Internet telephony service which is quite popular. It provides seamless access between the web and public telephones by putting data and voice into a single line of communication.

The SIP trunking providers are the ones who offer this unique Internet telephone service. The advantage of this process is its ability to converge data and voice communication into a single line which enables the users to access seamlessly both the public switched phone network and the Internet.

If you wish to install SIP trunking you should contact your nearest providers. The installation involves four basic components without which it will not work. To successfully implement this system you will require a SIP enabled PBX, SIP enabled enterprise edge device, Internet telephony provider and lastly, a public switched telephone network.

Therefore, you get four components such as PBX, EDGE (enterprise boarder element), PSTN and ITSP from the SIP trunking providers. The full form of PBX is private branch exchange. This is a particular telephone exchange catering to a specified office or business house. It is the opposite of a general telephone exchange which caters to various individuals, businesses and offices. The PBX used in most of the cases are IP based PBX which communicate with endpoints over the IP network. However, these PBX may well be the conventional analog or digital PBX. It is one of the fundamental requirements and an interface from where SIP connectivity is available.

Another important and necessary component provided by the SIP trunking providers is the EDGE, commonly known as enterprise boarder element. EDGE is a term which is synonymous with devices such as digital wireless phones, digital phones, softphone, etc. The local network PBX links to the Internet through the EDGE.

The SIP trunking providers are also known as the Internet telephony service providers or ITSP. An Internet data service is provided by the ITSPs for facilitating phone calls via the VoIP system. At this stage session initiated protocol initiates. The providers of Internet telephony supply connection to the PSTN or public switched telephone network for facilitating landline and mobile communication. It is the providers of Internet telephony who offer SIP trunking which enables connection between EDGE and PSTN.

Thus, SIP trunking providers are increasing by leaps and bounds especially in the US, as it is one of the easiest and most affordable options for calling purposes. It is easy to install the system at home or in the office. Some of the well-known SIP providers are AT&T, Bandwith, Checkbox, Didlive, etc.

George Yee is a consultant for sip trunking providers . Internet Communications Using SIP: Delivering VoIP and Multimedia Services with Session Initiation  U.S. SIP Trunking 20092013 Forecast: Still Going Strong Western European SIP Trunking Market, 20102014

The Best Solution

Web conferencing software has come a very long distance over the last ten years every Friday depending on the plan because a lot of progress made by the manufacturer of the device software from around the world.

At the beginning of the conference to help the world wide web on basically means that low-quality voice calls over the Internet and may also be poor media quality online video feed. At present, however, the situation completely transformed and world wide web Hot conference periods very much appear to be the real deal.

That actually ensures that a web webinar meeting between a dozen, for example, participants now offers the exact same benefits one would get if they would be basically present in the conference area. Large window screens and remarkably capable video clip imaging pretty much completely eliminates the feeling of long distance between the contributors. Due to the high speeds which might be now probable through high speed connections, the particular sound received from the additional terminals is usually as good since the quality of your respective loud loudspeakers.

The security conditions that were generally associated with any file geneva chamonix transfers and doc exchanges carried out over the internet are actually a thing of history and there is not even attempt to fear any more really.

Web conferencing software you end up purchasing must reveal all your preferences and requirements and with the great variety of products that are actually available on the market it would be virtually impossible to say you had to settle for any product that would not fit all of your needs in terms of technical functions, pricing and the like.

While world wide web conferencing software is usually designed for large meeting groups that would include close to a dozen or even more participants there’s also web meeting software applications which can be especially created for smaller groups.

It goes without saying that the latter option would be far more affordable.

This is one good reason why, before you even start studying web webinar software providers, you need to correctly establish your entire needs as well as technical specifications. It might not look like a big deal, but also in numerous international locations around the world the world wide web services aren’t in reality up to date also it would be secure to believe that the exchange speeds can be inferior towards broadband rates we have all obtained accustomed to. This basically ensures that in the case once you purchase a good quality web conference meetings software and employ it to communicate together with members which have low quality online connections, you would be fundamentally throwing significant amounts of money out your window

USB VOIP Phone Adapter, Support SIP, Skype
Cisco SPA942 4-Line IP Phone with 2-Port Switch
Siemens Gigaset Digital Cordless Phone with Hybrid IP/Landline Calling (A580IP)

SIP Trunking business

What the heck IS a SIP trunk anyway?

OK, SIP trunks are basically just virtual phone lines, plain and simple.
They only work with an IP enabled PBX in a business environment, so aren't used in residential applications (unless you gotta LOT of kids on the phone)
So SIP is Session Initiated Protocol, this is basically Geek for a "computer language that carries your voice over an internet or MPLS connection to make a phone call". It's not that complicated once you understand what you need to use SIP VoIP:
1. You need an IP PBX, you cannot use SIP with other VoIP devices.
2. You need to have a quality Internet connection, or perhaps an MPLS WAN set up for branch to branch calling if this is your need.
3. You must have a quality SIP provider, because we get what we pay for, and we don't want to sound like Yoda or Yogi Bear.

When do we use SIP Trunking?

The main business drivers for SIP VoIP is the same as any larger scale VoIP deployment - to save money.
First off, let's not forget the fundamental way VoIP saves us money is CONVERGING our voice and internet data on one pipe, generally a dedicated T1 or larger, mission critical type circuit. Then we get to fire the phone company and they can take those old expensive lines (or PRIs) with them.
By using SIP trunks, we can many times reduce the number of "talk paths" we need coming into our facility compared to "old phone technology", thus cutting costs even further.
A by product of almost any VoIP deployment is "dynamic bandwidth allocation" this means we're delivering the VoIP over our internet pipe, and when we're not talking on the phone, the entire internet pipe is available for our use.
Additional economies of scale occur when we realize the MORE Branches we have, the MORE we can consolidate the required lines, many times bringing all the lines (SIP trunks) into a centralized location, and then firing the phone company and all their expensive lines at each location.
A good example of this is a regional bank. Ever noticed how you always call just one number, but you can get to any of the eight branches? That's because they're using SIP trunks, all the branches are connected together using either an internet VPN or an MPLS WAN and everyone is an extension off this one PBX back at the main branch.

How do we buy SIP trunks?

There are many flavors and permutations. Basically the wisest thing to do is have "one throat to choke" when it comes to this stuff.
This means, try and find a provider that will deliver a reasonably priced dedicate internet connection, and the SIP trunks all in one package. This way if anything ever doesn't work, you make one call.
Of course, you could also have an issue with your "phone guy" and the IP PBX itself, but it's much more likely to be the VoIP or internet service itself.
Other options are using a Telecom Broker. These folks really know the ins and outs (or they should) of VoIP and SIP in general, and also specific providers in your area.
Telecom Brokers shop the market, so you don't have too, and in conjunction with your PBX distributor should be able to fashion a great solution that both saves money and is every bit as reliable as your existing "old" phone service, just less expensive and more efficient!

How does SIP pricing work?

Well, again, lots of options here, and generally you get what you pay for. Most good providers will be unlimited INBOUND minutes, and then metered OUTBOUND calling. We do away with long distance charges, because every call is counted against our minutes.
Most providers will bundle say 500 outbound minutes on each SIP trunk, and then aggregate the minutes across the entire platform. So 10 SIP trunks will have 5,000 outbound minutes - call across the street or across the country.
This equates to like 83 hours OUTBOUND a month, so even if you had 20 people at the business, they would each have to be making a solid 30 minutes of outbound calls a day to use all this SIP, probably not gonna happen, unless you're a call center - and they have different pricing and needs.
Even so, if you make a lot of long distance calls, then SIP will be cheaper per "line" and also per minute anyway, shop it around, and don't forget the INBOUND is always free anyway.
Long and the short of it, don't be too worried that it's not "unlimited" outbound calling, it's virtually unlimited.
Some SIP providers call it unlimited anyway, and then tag you if you are a call center; it's in their agreement, in the fine print. Again, use a broker to determine what you need and who's the best provider for you.
Well, that's about it for SIP trunks, SIP VoIP and all that cool SIP stuff.
Go out, get yourself an IP PBX and just SIP it!

Got more SIP VoIP questions?

SIP Trunking within your business

Why Deploy SIP Trunking within your business?

SIP otherwise known as Session Initiated Protocol has widely been used in verbal and written context with business telecommunications lingo. While this technology has been raved about and highly documented throughout the past recent years in tech blogs and websites, it can be somewhat difficult to understand exactly what SIP is and how it is used if you are somewhat new to telecommunication terminology. If you aren't a CTO or CIO but run a business with high levels of voice and data traffic, this should help better explain the technology for you.

SIP runs over an IP (Internet Protocol) network. A network running the Internet Protocol previously allowed for data transfer between satellite office locations via private lines, for hosting websites, or hosting other data servers. Over the past decade however, new technologies

and the explosion of VoIP (just think Vonage and Comcast phone) have given an IP

network

far greater importance and precedence over business communications.

SIP allows for simple daily business functions as simple as phone calls (inbound/outbound) utilizing VoIP technology but can be more diverse in the business environment.

Businesses often need to protect confidential data from their competitors, such as commercial plans, corporate strategies, sales reports, organizational secrets, intellectual property and department restructure proposal. A majority of the data leakage occurs from within the organization, either on purpose or by accident.

A daily function in the enterprise or business may be more complex functions such as conference calls that additionally may require multimedia (live stream video, live document presentations, etc.) as well.

Other functions and features made available through SIP can include push to talk or chat which has gained much momentum on the web in the e-commerce world. In today's economic environment, this can easily equate into an ROI scenario due to the need to more quickly and easily allow the customer to make purchase decisions online, many times from mobile devices.

The same ROI scenario can go with the web conferencing abilities made available through this technology.

As consumers and B2B clients become more tech savvy, businesses hungry for revenues are turning to SIP to help bridge gaps between marketing mediums and the closing sales process. It is through the convergence of multiple communications that this process can be streamlined and collaborated on.

While the above examples can be shown as uses for this technology there are many more applications that can and are being implemented in converged business telecommunications. Some of these include caller ID, IM (Instant Messaging), e-mail, and other web and voice based communications.

It is important to know that the QoS is not controlled by SIP in any way. The bandwidth and network configurations over that bandwidth as well as the carriers providing the bandwidths are just as important to the successful implementation of SIP in business communications. Other important aspects can be local hardware configurations and current in-use phone systems.

It is because of the many possibilities associated with a business embarking on purchasing an SIP solution that the use of a telecommunications broker or consultant is vital for successful deployment. Additionally, a broker or consultant can better suit your business with the proper solution or technology within your telecom budget.

This can be extremely important as some businesses are better suited for a smaller business VoIP or T-1 voice solution. A good broker will not oversell you and make sure one of the other solutions wouldn't better suit you first.

SIP: Understanding the Session Initiation Protocol (Artech House Telecommunications)

SIP Trunking

Internet Multimedia Communications Using SIP: A Modern Approach Including Java® Practice (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Networking) 

advantage sip trunking

Before discussing the benefits of SIP trunking, you should first know what SIP trunk is. A SIP trunk is a logical connection that uses SIP or (Session Initiation Protocol) to set up communication over the internet between a customer location and an internet telephony service provider (ITSP) which transfers the SIP calls to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). This sort of telephony connection is a boon for various businesses, especially small scale organizations that need to make regular local, STD as well as international calls and have to take a dedicated line from a telephone provider. To define it in short, 'SIP is the real-time communication procedure for VoIP phone system'.

Communication, that too effective and uninterrupted communication is one of the most essential requirements of any business today. If organizations are unable to interact and keep in constant touch with their clients, then they are going to lose out both on existing as well as prospective clients. With the latest SIP technology communication will not only be fast and efficient but also very cheap. Companies that have numerous branches scattered all over the world can also benefit immensely from this telephony system. Even if they make international calls, it would cost them the same as a local call.

With the advent of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, businesses can make calls over a broadband connection that allows them to make cheap or free calls, calls to various places even when they are not in their centralized location; employees can get connected from home or nay other remote area and host of other such benefits. The hosted VoIP phone system also offers tailor made and customized packages to suit every business needs. But even if the benefits are immense, many organizations deter from removing their traditional PBX systems completely, with the fear of losing control over their personal PBX system. This where the usage of SIP trunking comes in, which allows companies to preserve their traditional PBX system whilst running hosted VoIP functionality simultaneously.

The benefits of SIP Trunking are many:

• As mentioned earlier, it reduces calling cost to a great extent and you can turn all calls to local calls. Since calls travel over the internet, or through the VoIP phone system to a termination point, the charges on long distance calls are reduced.

• SIP trunking also reduces the costs on separate voice and data connections and increases the benefits for communication systems using both voice and data together.

• The capacity of this sort of phone system is huge with the potential to serve an entire organization, irrespective of its size. Big MNC's or multi-size organizations can use a single SIP trunking account rather than multiple PRI connections.

• As business grows, the communication can grow easily without having to make gateway or card investments.

• There is no more the need to use wires in bundles; communication can be transferred digitally with the help of this technology.

This is one of the smartest decisions any business organization can take. They can save money on all their communications and invest it in other areas and increase productivity. Moreover this is one of the best ways to keep in constant touch with partners, clients, employees at various locations, customers, vendors etc. What's more, this method can be used for three way calling, conferencing, traditional voice calls, instant messaging, application sharing and any other facility that a business requires to prosper.

Western European SIP Trunking Market, 2007-2012 

U.S. SIP Trunking 2008-2012 Forecast: SIP Trunking Wins This Battle, But Who Wins the War? 

SIP: Understanding the Session Initiation Protocol (Artech House Telecommunications)