Until a few years ago, legacy Telco landlines (also known as POTS lines, PSTN lines, analog lines, digital lines, PRI lines, Centrex lines, etc.) were among the most important means of communication used by businesses around the world. In fact even today it is still rare to walk into a large office and find that there are no landlines distributed and scattered all around.
However, even though they have not completely died out, the picture has changed rather drastically in recent years. One of the biggest changes was the introduction of VoIP Phone Systems and Gateways and the subsequent development of SIP Trunking services. Unlike legacy Telco landlines which relied on physical cables to relay communication, SIP Trunks or VoIP lines transfer communication directly over the Internet thereby eliminating the need for any physical lines or cables.
Advantages of SIP Trunks for Business Communication
Most organizations are gradually adopting SIP Trunks for business communication. Here are some of the main advantages of using a SIP Trunk;
- Flexibility- with SIP Trunking businesses can enjoy greater flexibility as numbers and phone lines can be shared across various divisions of the business or across locations and brands. This means that you do not have to increase operating costs by creating lines for every individual, branch location, or division of the business. Calling capacity can be shared and lines can be manned by lesser personnel resulting in tremendous cost savings.
- Scalability- SIP Trunks allow business owners to add new channels or VoIP lines to their existing lines as the need for simultaneous calling capacity grows. This can be done easily without having to send a technician on-site and without any new cabling or wiring work. This kind of scalability means that you will only have to pay for what you need and no more.
- Portability- one of the biggest problems that people had with the legacy Telco landlines was that they could only be used at fixed locations. However, since SIP Trunking technology exchanges information over the Internet, they are extremely portable and can be used from practically any corner of the globe. This portability also helps when moving office locations. SIP Trunks can often save companies from having to change phone numbers when moving a location across the city or across the country.
- Enhanced Functionalities – SIP trunks offer a range of features and functionalities that traditional phone systems may not provide. These include call recording, voicemail-to-email, call routing, and more. SIP trunks also support video conferencing and collaboration tools, which can enhance remote communication and teamwork.
- Cost Savings –Â SIP trunking can save businesses money on their phone bills. SIP trunks use the internet to transmit voice traffic instead of traditional phone lines, which can be expensive to maintain. With SIP trunks, businesses can reduce their telecommunication costs by paying only for the number of channels they need instead of a fixed amount. Additionally, long-distance and international calls are often cheaper with SIP trunking technology.
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery –Â SIP trunks provide businesses with greater reliability and uptime compared to traditional phone systems. In case of an outage, SIP trunks can automatically reroute calls to a backup location or device, ensuring that the business is always accessible to customers. Additionally, SIP trunks can provide businesses with a disaster recovery plan by enabling them to quickly reroute calls to a backup location in case of a natural disaster or other emergencies.
SIP Trunks have become a popular solution for business communication, and with good reason. Businesses can enjoy a range of benefits including cost savings, scalability, and flexibility. They can easily connect multiple locations and remote workers, and ensure high-quality voice and video communication. SIP technology also offers better disaster recovery capabilities and higher security than traditional phone systems. With the ability to easily add or remove trunks as needed, businesses can quickly and easily adapt to changing communication needs. Overall, it can provide businesses with a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective way to communicate both internally and externally.
