Simply put, SIP trunks allow organizations to make phone calls over the Internet, instead of through traditional phone lines. It provides access to, and from, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) over the Internet, while offering more flexibility and lower costs for inbound and outbound voice calls. Unlike traditional telephony, where physical wires are used by telecoms companies to connect to businesses phone systems, a SIP trunk operates over an existing broadband or leased line, so a company can replace their traditional fixed ISDN and PSTN lines with PSTN connectivity via a SIP trunk provider.
SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, and is a specific application-layer protocol that was standardized in 1999 to make voice and video calls over the internet, establishing and terminating the connection between one or more endpoints (phones or computers). The technology supports one-on-one calls, as well as multi-party conference calls. SIP trunks are widely used today to provision VoIP connectivity (Voice over IP) between the PSTN and a business telephone system and are becoming even more prevalent with the acceleration of cloud phone systems.
SIP Trunks are linked to a customer’s current telephone system, which is either an IP enabled PBX or a Media Gateway (typically a more traditional PBX). When an outgoing call occurs, it is routed through the PBX via the SIP Trunk instead of using costly traditional phone lines. Using SIP trunks, providers can connect multiple channels to a company’s PBX, which makes long-distance and international calls easier and, usually, more cost effective.
As companies shift towards a digital environment for calls and communication, and countries around the world announce the end of life of their PSTN and ISDN services, SIP is now essential for establishing, managing, and handling calls.
With SIP trunking, businesses can continue to unlock the greater flexibility and opportunities presented by cloud technology for the maintenance, monitoring, integration, and use of their telephone system. Moreover, because everything is managed through the internet with SIP trunking, businesses can benefit from more reliable connections, higher versatility, and lower prices.
Converting to a digital telephony environment using SIP trunks can not only provide cost savings of on international calls, but offers a wide range of benefits including:
With SIP trunking, your company can enjoy an all-in-one environment for enhanced communications, with 24/7 visibility over your entire network and access to user friendly online portals for stress-free management.
It presents a compelling opportunity for businesses that want to improve their communication stack today, as well as enable future development, for minimal cost. By investing in SIP trunking solutions, your business can, not only, futureproof against the end of PSTN and ISDN services, but also be in a position to take advantage of cloud communications, and the solutions that come next.