Today’s telecommunications industry offers a lot of options, making it hard, unless you are in the industry, to understand what your business needs. But what makes it worse is telco’s love of the acronym. No other major industry that I know of abbreviates more so those on the outside trying to look in are plagued with all these three, four, five and six letter combos. Think I’m kidding? Allacronyms.com lists a total of 41,381 telecom acronyms and abbreviations. It’s ridiculous.
The fact is, the telecom industry is shooting itself in the foot (SIITF) because so many great products are lost in this alphabet soup. Take “SIP Trunking”. It’s a buzzy telco term right now, yet few understand what it means or what it even does. So, here’s everything you need to know about Session Initiation Protocol Trunking, but were afraid to ask. And most of it is in actual English.
What is it?
SIP Trunking is a direct connection from your business to your telephone and internet service provider. With a SIP Trunk, you can use VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) without an IP-PSTN (!?!) gateway (That’s a device that allows communications between the Internet and the Public Switched Telephone Network). Calls can come in or out over traditional landlines, cell phones, or other VoIP networks.
Why all of that is good is, compared to traditional phone service it’s way simpler, less expensive and easier to set up and maintain.
She’s a PBX
By the way, the “Trunk” part? That’s a telco industry term that originated back when phone calls were circuit-switched. It refers to the physical telephone line that connects switching equipment, like a PBX board, with the service provider.
You know? The ladies plugging those connections into those boards? A SIP Trunk performs a similar function, but it’s digital, not physical. The physical connection can be handled over a SIP trunk line or online via a virtual private network (VPN).
There are three basic components to a typical SIP trunk setup:
- A private branch exchange (PBX) with a SIP Trunk – routes calls and internet traffic.
- An enterprise edge device – a firewall that protects your network.
- Your internet telephone service provider (ITSP) – ISP service with added telephone capability.
What does it do?
SIP Trunks are used for VoIP and internet traffic, including text messages, multimedia uploads and downloads, local and long-distance calling, video conferencing, and other real-time communications. Basically, it’s a lightning-fast, inexpensive reliable connection for what most businesses do online.
The advantages of SIP Trunking
SIP Trunking offers some significant advantages and cost savings over traditional telecom services. Setup is fast and easy and unlike traditional telephony, requires minimal equipment.
- Cost savings. Switch from traditional telephone service to a SIP Trunking service with VoIP, cuts a businesses telephone bills substantially.
- Simplicity. Sip Trunks are a direct connection to a provider, as opposed to routing over the public switched network. Organizations can eliminate the IP-PSTN gateway equipment and even in some cases, without a PBX. Maintenance and emergency service restoration is now no longer an organization’s problem, it’s up to the ISP. That also is a cost saving measure.
- A one stop solution. SIP Trunking means there is a single IP network that handles all communication requirements meaning it is more efficient, less expensive, and easier to maintain.
- Scalability. Tailoring bandwidth requirements means businesses can manage their data costs around peak periods and slow periods.
- Multi-location functionality. Connecting your network with SIP Trunking makes it easir to interconnect data centers and remote office locations. Since SIP Trunks are virtual and not physical, you can connect offices or teams anywhere.
Now that you know everything about it, how do you get it? From Fibernetics, NEWT’s parent company. Fibernetics is an operating Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) regulated by the CRTC, that has direct connectivity into the heart of the incumbents fibre optic networks across Canada. Fibernetics provides SIP Trunks to businesses and organizations around the world. If you want to learn more, please contact our Fibernetics Wholesale Services division HERE.
