An Introduction to SIP Trunking: Sound Off, Virtually

Businesses are always looking for ways to perform tasks efficiently and cost-effectively.

Nowadays, that often means using cloud resources instead of purchasing and maintaining on-premises equipment. You can even move your telephone lines to the cloud, thanks to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and a technology called SIP trunking.

VoIP lets you use your data network to carry voice traffic. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is one of the protocols that enable VoIP.

It lets any endpoint such as a computer or a handset set up real-time audio and video sessions with any device that has a phone number or a SIP address.

In other words, SIP trunks act as virtual phone lines that enable users to make and receive calls over the internet and connect with anyone in the world who has a phone or connects to the internet.

SIP trunking works with an organization’s existing communications infrastructure, whether it’s on-premises or cloud-based.

It can help businesses increase the capacity of their telecom stack, increase coverage and phone number inventory, and extend their on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, all while saving money compared to the cost of hardware-based telecom.

SIP Trunking Advantages

SIP trunking provides several advantages over physical infrastructure:

• Cost savings: With traditional phone service, organizations are subject to charges for local, long-distance, and international calling.

  
  

  Moving from traditional telecom systems to SIP trunking helps you save on recurring costs, as you can build your entire telecom system in the cloud and be billed on a simple per-usage basis.

  
  

  You can also save by forgoing the physical infrastructure and hardware investments that typically come with scaling phone lines. Adding phone lines or services is as simple as scaling your monthly service agreement.

  
  

• Scalability: By combining voice and data in a single network, SIP trunking lets your organization open new sites or set up remote workers quickly.

  
  

  You can scale as you grow by self-provisioning local, international, mobile, and toll-free numbers, configuring them in your trunk, and terminating calls from your IP PBX. You can easily add capacity to your existing VoIP system without investing in additional infrastructure.

  
  

• Agility: SIP trunk providers offer flexibility in areas such as the ability to change phone numbers, adjust services, add IP access control lists, and configure softphone compatibility.

  
  

• Reliability: Traditional phone systems are prone to interruptions from factors such as weather events and networking issues. SIP trunking is more reliable, since you can add failover routing if a primary IP address is not responsive.

  
  

• Easy management for IT teams: SIP trunk providers enable companies to expand their VoIP infrastructure without having to negotiate with new local carriers. They offer easy-to-use administrative portals for on-site management, including actions like adjusting call routing, changing extensions, and adding phone lines on demand.

Things to Look For in a SIP Trunk Provider

When you’re ready to consider adding SIP trunks to your telecom infrastructure, start thinking about what you want in what’s effectively an all-digital phone line. You may have site-specific criteria, but just about all businesses will want to consider some common factors.

• Voice Quality: Your calls should sound as clear as (or clearer than) calls made using traditional phone company trunks.

  
  

• Reliability: In theater, the show must go on; in telephony, the call must go through. Look for providers with redundant infrastructure and multiple carrier connections across geographies to ensure reliability.

  
  

• Coverage: Look for a provider that can facilitate outbound calls globally, and that provides local numbers in the countries where you do business. Local numbers keep customers from having to make international or long-distance calls.

  
  

• Cost: One of the main benefits of SIP trunking is cost savings. Long-distance and international calling should be less expensive over SIP trunks. SIP trunking pay-as-you-go pricing models let businesses pay only for actual usage, versus paying up front for bundles of service you may not need. Some providers offer flexible contracts, allowing you to adjust services as needed.

  
  

• Ease of management: SIP trunking is straightforward in concept and execution, and that should be reflected in their management interface. A SIP trunk provider should offer an intuitive way to manage and configure trunks and to view call detail records (CDR).

  
  

• Support: No matter how simple a technology is, you’re likely to have implementation questions or need to troubleshoot. Look for a provider that offers free tech support 24/7.

  
  

Other criteria to consider include interoperability with your existing infrastructure (which is all but a given today), authentication options, and network security.

You should also look for a provider with a depth of knowledge of the technology and ecosystem behind SIP trunking, to provide advice and support during installation, troubleshooting, and scaling.

Getting Started With SIP Trunking

How do you get started with SIP trunking? One good way is with Zentrunk, a SIP trunking service from Plivo. Plivo’s Premium Communications Network uses Tier 1 voice carriers around the world rather than relying on least-cost routing (LCR), which compromises quality and optimizes for cost.

Zentrunk provides global coverage for outbound and inbound voice calls, and offers unlimited concurrent calls, low post-dial delay, and guaranteed calling line identity (CLI), also known as caller ID.

Whether you’re looking to increase the capacity of your current telecom stack, increase coverage and phone number inventory, or extend your on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, Zentrunk can get you started.

Plivo has network points of presence (PoP) located in six regions across five continents to ensure that customers experience low latency and high voice quality, and a redundant infrastructure with at least three local carrier connections across countries for high reliability.

Zentrunk lets you provision SIP trunks instantly using a dashboard interface. And Plivo’s SIP trunk pricing beats that of telecom providers.

Enjoying the Benefits

Nowadays, many organizations are discussing whether employees should return to offices and how often they should work there.

SIP trunks can provide the flexibility businesses need to adjust to changing telecom needs. Regardless of how you use it, SIP trunking can simplify your telecom landscape.