Is SIP Trunking Right For Your Business?

Modern telephone systems, such as the popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, often rely on the Internet to enable communications rather than on traditional physical wires. This “SIP trunk,” as it is called, connects your phone system back to the network of the company that provides the trunk via your data circuit, which may be based on T1, DSL, Cable Modem, or Ethernet over Copper technology.

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, which is the method that is used to establish voice communication on a data network. In telecommunications, “protocol” means the system of rules that govern data exchange within or between computers. These protocols are well-defined and are the communication industry’s equivalent of a programming language. A SIP protocol session is a VoIP call between two or more parties.

Advantages Of SIP Trunking

Using virtual phone lines that rely on SIP trunking offers several advantages over physical lines:

• VoIP has a lower price structure than traditional lines, which can cut the cost of monthly phone bills by 50% while providing unlimited or a set number of minutes of local and long-distance calling on each channel or call path. Even though you might need to purchase several channels to meet your needs, you are not paying for unused capabilities, which is the case with traditional systems. Buying more channels is more cost-effective than buying more lines; if you under buy or overbuy lines, you can change at any time without the limitations of a contract

• The system allows more flexible communications, as SIP trunking uses the company’s Internet connection and other shared lines. Even if you have an older system that is not VoIP capable, you can use VoIP software gateways to bridge systems. If your company wants to keep their fax or other device on the standard line, you can do this.

• SIP trunking allows you to cut the cord to the phone company to a single point of entry, which eliminates the need for multiple boxes for wiring and circuitry. The reduced lines mean reduced expenditures for multiple lines and the cost of maintaining them. Since it is the IT department that typically maintains telephone lines, the lower cost is the result of the reduced time needed for repair and maintenance and the increased time that system professionals have to work on other projects.

• Obtaining phone numbers (or DIDs, Direct Inward Dialing numbers) is cheaper than buying them through the phone company, where the cost of installing and maintaining traditional lines is part of the price. A DID purchased for a SIP trunk does not require you buying costly infrastructure to hook it up.

Prepare For The Change To SIP Trunking

If your business is considering SIP trunking, you need to prepare to make the change to this modern system by assessing the communication needs of your business. Ask yourself:

• How many people are on the phone at the same time during your peak times?
• What is your total available bandwidth, the quality of service (QoS), and the effectiveness of your firewall?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you determine how many channels you need, and whether you need any other hardware or software upgrades.

Serving Texas and the Southwest, Mid-Cities Data Comm can help you evaluate your communication needs and supply you with effective SIP trunking and any other cabling you need for a state-of-the-art phone system. We also carry the top rated ESI line of phones for your new Internet-based system. For information, call us today at (800) 603-2013 or contact us via our website.