SIP Trunking: A Return to the Routine

So, we’re almost two weeks into the new year and things are finally starting to settle down into a routine once again. As we all return to work, let’s ease into things with a quick primer on SIP Trunking. In the past, businesses generally relied on TDM trunks for their communications needs. However, this solution has many issues, not least of which is that it’s fairly rigid. It’s not easy to make changes, at least not without investing a lot of time and money into doing so. For instance, to expand capacity, you have to add new physical phone lines. Not only is this not easy to do, but you can only get them in blocks of 24. So if you only want ten more lines, you either have to pay for more than you need or go without. That’s far from an ideal situation.

Contrast that with the newer technology of SIP Trunking. This new solution adds capacity not by physical lines, but by adding bandwidth. This is much cheaper and quicker to do and you are not forced to buy in large blocks. You can add as much as you need, whenever you need it. Some providers even offer burst options to provide an instant increase in bandwidth to respond to an unexpected increase in call volume. This sort of on the fly response just isn’t possible with older solutions.

Another thing that this solution can do that TDM options cannot is to combine services on one trunk. Since IP solutions treat everything as data, voice, data, and video can all operate together. In contrast, TDM solutions require that a separate trunk be installed to handle each type of traffic individually. Naturally, this costs more and is an inefficient way of handling the varied modern traffic. It’s hard to say exactly how much a business can save by switching to a modern solution as there are so many factors and areas where saving takes place, but it’s certainly possible to save as a much as 50% of what you are currently playing for TDM service.

This is a brief sketch of some of the many benefits offered by the new communications technology of today. The TDM trunks that companies used to use for connecting their PBX systems are now being replaced by newer, more flexible, and more affordable options such as SIP Trunking. If you haven’t already made the switch over to SIP and VoIP, then I highly suggest that you make it a priority in 2014.