8 Advantages and Benefits of SIP Trunking

Benefits of SIP Trunking in the cloud, comes down to simplicity and savings.

The growth of VoIP as a primary telecommunications technology creates significant capabilities and financial savings for many businesses. This allows the advantages and benefits of SIP trunking to provide more cost-effective communications between a given location (and its employees) and an Internet telephony service provider (ITSP). It also replaces the traditional IP-PSTN (public switched telephone network).

The capabilities provided by SIP trunking allow subscribers to:

• Utilize directory assistance services
• Make and receive local and long distance calls
• Access land line-based and mobile numbers
• Access the Internet and use email and texting
• Make 911 emergency calls

With Cloud SIP Trunking, no upfront investment is required and the use of SIP trunking in the cloud has grown rapidly because of its numerous inherent advantages. Aside from its simpler design and implementation, ongoing use allows utilization of multiple digital streams with several quantifiable benefits. These include:

1. Elimination of overlapping networks and their costs. Instead of operating and maintaining both data and telephone voice networks, one IP-based network provides multiple digital streaming capabilities. This also eliminates the issues related to growth and the need to add to physical infrastructure for additional users.
2. Elimination of local IP-PSTN gateways. This saves on telephony costs and additional costs on upgrades. Instead of purchasing hardware to move from one E1/T1 to two or upgrading to higher service levels with STM-1, you simply increase your Internet bandwidth. This eliminates hardware purchases, installation and maintenance costs.
3. Elimination of BRIs (Basic Rate Interfaces) and PRIs (Primary Rate Interfaces). Because of the elimination of the IP-PSTN gateway, the SIP trunk connects directly to the chosen ITSP (Internet telephony service provider), it is not necessary to endure the expense of paying these subscription fees. The service that replaces them is less expensive and lines do not have to be purchased in blocks of 24 or 32. The scalability of SIP trunking means bandwidth can be purchased in smaller increments and at lower rates.
4. Saving on costs of long distance communications. Long distance services are a great deal less expensive with SIP trunking. In effect, all calls become local calls, with the benefits shown in benefit #5 below.
5. All calls are local calls.  When a company outsources its PSTN connection to a SIP trunking third party, it achieves further savings in that the SIP calls use the Internet or the third party’s IP network to the provider’s termination point. Only then is the call transferred to a local PSTN. This often means even an international call is often carried over the Internet at no additional cost to a point near the dialed number
6. Access to ENUM (Telephone Number Mapping). Use of ENIM to find known SIP addresses will allow more calls to be completed over the Internet with no PSTN involvement or expense.
7. Elimination of 800 number use. Local numbers can be provided in each city, which are terminated locally when picked up and place on the Internet.
8. Enhanced use of an Office Communications Server. In addition to using current services such as E911, you can easily access any new services offered by ITSPs without further investment. These new services are used as a primary point of competition for many ITSPs and include such things as more effective mobile phone integration.

The advantages and benefits of SIP trunking provide a big ROI on a relatively small investment. Be sure to explore all of your options so you can end up with the exact system and services you need for your business.