What is SIP Trunking?

SIP trunking suits businesses requiring multiple phone lines, from sole traders and small businesses to multinationals with numerous global sites. If you make multiple calls or think your call volume will increase in the future, SIP trunking could offer a number of benefits for your business.

Cost savings

Traditional phone lines can be costly, especially if your company has multiple unused lines or if you are regularly making international calls. Businesses also have to cover hardware and maintenance costs. SIP trunking is generally charged on a per-channel basis, e.g. based on the maximum number of concurrent calls you expect to make. Some services provide flexible pricing, so you pay only for what you use (unmetered vs. metered). SIP trunk pricing generally consists of

1. A setup fee
2. A monthly rental charge for the broadband line
3. A price per channel that may include a call allowance
4. Actual call charges.

Whether you chose metered or unmetered will depend on the type of calls you make, e.g. domestic vs. international. 

Scalability

If you have multiple locations and use the same carrier, calls between sites are usually free (you only pay monthly rates for the data circuits like broadband).You can scale your internet connection to suit your intended maximum call volume. The amount of bandwidth required is determined by the media type (voice, video, messaging) and the codec used. Fibre broadband provides very high bandwidth rates, meaning a high number of concurrent calls can be supported.

SIP trunks are sometimes run over dedicated data circuits, particularly for larger business. In this case the circuit supplier offers either a service level agreement that provides a minimum expected service availability target, or a quality of service guarantee that ensures voice traffic has a minimum guaranteed amount of bandwidth and priority routing, or both of these.

This means you'll remain in control of your business phone system even as you add new domestic or international locations. You can manage and control your own resources rather than rely on a service provider to add new infrastructure or connections.

Reliability

SIP trunks can be more reliable than traditional analogue circuits. Firstly, it is possible to support number failover, so if the primary number cannot be reached it can failover to a secondary number, potentially at a different location. Secondly, SIP trunks, when routing calls, do not have a fixed route end-to-end like traditional phone lines. Voice over IP (VoIP) calls can take diverse routes to reach their destination, thereby overcoming network issues or outages that would have prevented analogue calls from connecting. It is also possible to install diversely routed broadband lines to provide resilience right up to the office. 

Real-time analytics and insight

Because SIP trunking systems are cloud-based, you get real-time access to analytics and data insights. You are able to instantly access call logs to measure usage and availability accurately. You can input the data to machine learning services to derive business intelligence. Statistics can be broken down to individual users, so you’re able to get a snapshot of each employee, showing their communications with customers or prospects. This access to real-time information helps your business improve employee performance and drive improvements in marketing, customer service, and sales. 

Centrally managed communication

SIP trunking enables teams to make and receive phone calls, video conferencing, and messaging from one central location. Previously, these services would have been spread across multiple places, making communications inefficient and expensive. A SIP trunking communications system is straightforward to manage once it has been set up. By unifying your communications system, all of your company's digital communications will be integrated into one platform. 

Call quality

SIP trunks are designed to ensure that your digital phone connections have ample bandwidth to make high-quality calls. As long as your private branch exchange (PBX) isn't overloaded, you can expect clear calls even during busy periods. With advances in artificial intelligence, we now have technology that automatically improves call quality and fixes errors like echoes and static. You shouldn't have to worry about call drop-outs or echoey connections.

Security

Unlike older phone systems, your SIP trunks are dedicated connections for your calls. SIP providers monitor calls for unusual behavior as part of their service, meaning anything unexpected will be flagged immediately. It is worth speaking with your SIP provider about their specific security protocols.

Flexibility

SIP trunks are not tied to a local exchange, so it is now possible to have local numbers in any region regardless of your physical location. Also, if you move premises you can take the numbers with you wherever you move to.

SIP and VoIP technology are related, but they are not the same. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the recognized term for all voice calls made using an internet connection instead of analog phone lines. It is a broad industry term for the technology that supports online voice calls. While SIP uses VoIP technology for its voice calls, it can also support multimedia services (video, conference calls, and messaging) over its protocol. SIP is a broader technology than VoIP.

Different SIP providers offer varying levels of SIP trunking service quality. Here are some features that you should consider before choosing your new SIP trunking provider. 

Real-time data

It is worth checking how much data your SIP provider offers and making sure you can view all of it in real-time. The more information you have at your disposal, the more informed your decision-making can be. Leading SIP providers like AWS offer a suite of transcription and machine-learning tools to turn recordings into actionable insights.

Security

It is essential that your SIP trunking provider offers a high level of security and authentication. Leading SIP providers should be able to use encryption to secure your phone calls and other digital services.

Number management

If you are changing providers, you should be able to port across all your existing phone numbers while adding new connections and numbers from a central platform.

Call metrics

Before joining a new SIP provider, it is essential to find out what information is available about the calls you'll be making. Many SIP trunking providers will offer information about call completion percentages and voice quality.

Interoperability

Many providers offer services that can be customized to fit your existing business needs. Ensure you know how much you can customize your service before choosing a SIP provider. Your SIP provider should offer video conferencing, instant messaging and other communication features you require.