As the telecommunications market continues to develop, the use of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) access and session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking services continue to be favored. Their modern, unified communications (UC) platforms offer capabilities and solutions that legacy telecommunications services cannot match.
A study performed at the end of 2015, which analyzed and predicted market trends, revealed that even in 2014, large enterprises were implementing SIP trunking more quickly than predicted. Rates describing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) continue to display sustainable growth and reveal a pattern of continued mainstream acceptance and application. A few of the unique SIP trunking services developed recently included allowing automated program control and implementing hybrid cloud communications. The shift towards SIP trunking is only expected to continue as more and more businesses recognize the scope of its advantages.
Quick and Simple Installation
The installation has become a simpler process, and with SIP trunking, there is no need for a physical connection or switch. A SIP trunk can be installed as simple as signing up with an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) and configuring the system appropriately. There is no longer a need to schedule a technician or purchase hardware that must be implemented in the future.
Flexible Capacity
Increasing capacity to match growth and development is one of the most flexible aspects describing SIP trunking. Generally speaking, simply reaching out to your ITSP and describing your need for further capacity is all that it takes. Once paid for, your ITSP will make a slight change to their software, and it’s done.
At most, massively increasing your capacity may require additional “trunk ports.” Still, there is no installation process or technical visit that must be scheduled. Similarly, capacity can be decreased just as easily. This flexibility allows a business to rapidly change its capacity based on its needs at a specific time.
Reliable Continuity
A particularly noteworthy feature of SIP trunking is that businesses are not limited to a single ITSP. SIP trunks may be acquired through multiple ITSPs. This allows for the design of excellent business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
For instance, suppose a company is using multiple SIP trunks routed out through different ITSPs. If a problem arises at any of the ITSPs involving outbound calls, simply reroute the calls via one of the remaining ITSPs. Instability affecting inbound calls is slightly more involved if one of your ITSPs has a failure.
However, the direct-inward-dial (DID) numbers associated with other ITSPs will continue to work so you could still receive calls via another number if interested. If implemented effectively, this service allows you to redirect the central phone number through a different ITSP of your choice. SIP trunks also offer solutions if your business or a particular location becomes inaccessible. Since the configuration assigning calling routes is easily controlled by means of your ITSP’s software, your ITSP is able to reroute their DIDs to a different SIP connection. This means that if you establish your systems ahead of time, a contingency plan can be executed quickly with minimal loss of service.
Expansive Global Coverage
The ability to utilize multiple ITSP’s allows companies to establish varying degrees of global presence very easily. A business may observe some group of customers, or receive traffic on its website from a location they are not yet established.
To simplify and encourage those customers to connect with them, a company can simply take advantage of their current ITSP if a phone number is available in that country. But even if your current ITSP lacks one, a business can simply register with an ITSP from that country, and subsequently be contacted by a local customer that way.
SIP trunks using multiple ITSPs can be implemented in specific regions of the world to target consumers and present the business as having a global presence. Another benefit is also created by this scenario, as a company could then also place calls within a distant country. Once an international long-distance call, now calls placed are national and perhaps even local.
Continued Innovations
Unified communications (UC) by means of SIP trunking is not limited to voice, and also includes video, IM, and various other collaborative technologies. If a company and some partner both have SIP trunks to the same ITSP, that ITSP gains the ability to do things like route calls directly between these two companies. They can also send video directly to the companies for more interactive communication. One of the latest developments in telecommunications offers a “global phone number” not tied to any specific country, and functions across SIP networks only.
Cost-Saving
SIP trunks are already well known for greatly reducing public switched telephone network (PSTN) telecommunication costs. But savings also include the fact that a company no longer needs to pay for two physical connections, one for data and voice respectively. Only one link is required, as voice traffic is routed through the data connection. As mentioned above, by utilizing multiple ITSPs across various parts of the world, SIP trunking allows companies to partially reduce or eliminate long-distance and international calling. Taken a step further, established SIP trunks through various ITSPs can undergo a “least-cost routing” software analysis to direct calls through the cheapest ITSP.