A Guide to Successful SIP Trunking Deployment

Although it can be difficult to understand this technology for beginners majorly, we try to put forth simple words in this blog about the SIP trunking benefits, definition, and implementation process as day by day; this service is becoming a more and more common way for businesses to cut their phone costs and improve communications.

What is SIP Trunking?

• SIP stands for Session initiation protocol, the common phone protocol used to initiate calls via the Internet. 
• They are virtual phone lines enabling you to place and receive calls online. 
• SIP trunking is an internet telephony protocol establishing and controlling call data transport.
• Its costs vary depending on your vendor and add-on functionality that make your business phone system more reliable and cost-effective.
• It controls the majority of multimedia communications, including phone and video conversations, data flow, establishes and terminates phone call connections, and enables free international calling in programs like Facebook Messenger and Skype.

What does trunk mean, and how do they work?

A "trunk" in a communications system is a connection or link that joins the nodes by transmitting signals used to place and receive calls over the Internet, but this technology specifically uses virtual phone numbers to make calls. This method uses an IP-enabled private branch exchange (PBX), a phone system used within an organization that enables users to share the usage of external phone lines while transferring calls between them on local lines to deliver voice and other communications over the Internet.

SIP trunking, which uses a packet-switched network and converts voice into digital packets that travel over the Internet and are converted back into voice when received at the other end, has replaced the Public Switched Telephone Network, which in traditional phone systems requires physical lines that get connected to two points to make a call.

SIP channels:

• If you want to know how SIP trunk channels operate, consider them to be a conduit that carries the data channels inside of them to connect two locations.
• Because each SIP trunk can store however many channels are needed, regardless of how many calls a business has to come in and go out simultaneously, it only needs one SIP trunk.
• With more concurrent phone calls, you will need more trunk channels.

Some SIP characteristics are:

1. The public switched telephone network (PSTN) transforms the call into a local one, receives it, and forwards it.
2. Caller ID provides you with information about missed calls.
3. Keep complete logs of each call placed, missed, and received; call data logs are covered in this stage.
4. Disaster recovery stores data across numerous data centers; as a result, it may be recovered whenever necessary. 
5. It confirms that the company can handle call volume at a sufficient level.
6. High-definition call quality: The calls have the highest level of clarity.
7. Integrations allow for straightforward integration.
8. Virtual number: This method assigns a virtual number to route calls.
9. Use the same phone number even if you switch service providers or move to a new location.
10. Internet dashboards allow users to access data anytime and from any location.
11. No Wiring Problems: Because SIP is scalable, more users can be added without needing physical lines.
12. Call for help: place an emergency call.
13. The product can be altered in any way, which means customization can be done depending on your business requirements 
14. Determine how much bandwidth you require.
15. When SIP and VoIP are combined, the call volume balancing process is more effectively managed.

Benefits: 

Cost-effective:

The main benefit is that SIP trunking eliminates long-distance calling fees when used in conjunction with the business phone service of your choice because it is so cost-effective. Suppose your employees frequently call people across the country or the world. In that case, it might be the best option for you as it replaces both telephone voice networks and data networks, giving you access to a single, central network with multiple digital streaming capabilities that is easy to expand and requires no physical infrastructure, meaning there are no maintenance or hardware costs.

Your ability to scale your communications services is increased, making it possible for the SIP trunk to connect directly to your preferred internet telephony service provider (ITSP).

Save your budgets:

Because the SIP trunk routes the call to the provider's termination point, which is forwarded to a nearby PSTN, you will only be charged for local calls when using an internet-based SIP trunk, which allows all calls to be local without paying for long-distance or international calls.

Enum, or telephone number mapping, is a service that many SIP trunking providers have added that allows you to use the same phone number from a distance, and the provision of a local number based on your location allows you to eliminate the need for multiple numbers as it has infinite channel capacity per trunk, needs no physical installation, is easily scalable, and can add and enable new channels in a matter of hours.

Overcoming a disaster:

As they will have procedures to ensure you can still make calls, whether it's a network breakdown, a natural disaster, or a hardware issue, these services frequently prove to be much more adaptable and durable in a disaster than conventional phone systems. Some possible inclusions include geographic redundancy, call routing to various locations or data centers, or dispersed network operational centers.

 Your internal disaster preparedness plan can include

• Forwarding calls to a different pre-determined number,
• Using a backup trunk provider, or
• Having a cloud system or softphone app on hand as a backup which can be achieved through this process. 

Utilize identical IP-based networks:

With the help of this service, businesses can transmit any data using the same IP-based networks without the need for additional, overlapping networks so as a result, you can send voice, video, and more types of data at once without having to pay extra for each type, which significantly boosts productivity.

ROI:

The company's processes, including product development, hiring, and many other tasks, don't take a long time to turn a profit because they are both time- and money-saving and affordable.

Enables Accessing the call logs reports about usage and availability is simple, which helps business owners by enabling them to add infrastructure to business needs.

Integrated communication:

It facilitates integrations by managing all channels on a single platform, such as video conferencing, instant messaging, and other collaboration forms.

Before turning on SIP, your company should take a few straightforward but crucial stakes.

Make sure your PBX is SIP-enabled:

Your PBX would be SIP-ready if you bought it within the last five years or so. Check to see if your PBX has an Ethernet jack to confirm or if it's an older model. If so, it most likely supports SIP, and there should be a section in the user guide that explains how to set up a SIP trunk, but you can still use SIP trunking if your PBX is not SIP enabled and just an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) is all that is needed to convert the SIP signal to analog that is accessible and reasonably priced.

Determine the Number of Channels You'll Need:

A SIP channel can handle one incoming or outgoing call at a time, and the cost of a SIP service is typically determined by how many channels a company requires, which will depend on how many employees there are and how frequently they use the phone. One channel typically works for every three or four employees because, in most businesses, only some are always on the phone simultaneously. However, this ratio may alter if your company employs many phone users and won't be locked in because the most flexible SIP trunking providers make it simple to add or remove channels on the fly, but it is wise to have an accurate estimate to start with.

Calculate Your Internet Bandwidth Needs:

Since SIP trunking uses the Internet to connect calls to the public telephone network, you must have enough bandwidth for both your data traffic requirements, and this voice traffic, whether cable, T1, DSL, or Metro Ethernet, will work fine.

Enable Quality of Service:

A router setting called Quality of Service (QoS) prioritizes voice traffic over data traffic, where the quality of your phone calls won't be diminished by internet activities that consume much bandwidth, like streaming video or downloading large files as many business routers have QoS capabilities; however, if yours doesn't, you might want to upgrade to one that does.

Set Up Your PBX

It's simple to set up your PBX to use your new SIP trunks from a trustworthy SIP service provider that will give you detailed instructions if you require assistance with the setup; it is also a good idea to choose a SIP service provider with a solid reputation for customer support.

Run a trial:

To test the service with your internet connection and equipment, we advise choosing a SIP provider that provides a free trial for understanding the call quality and other features.

Conclusion:

After completing these steps, you can be sure that your company is prepared to start saving money and easing headaches associated with communication system management from the leading service provider, Vitel Global, which is one of the leading SIP trunking service providers, as we

• Manage day-to-day business operations; 
• The technology can be set up in just a few minutes; 
• Be reachable from any location.
• It is possible to integrate with pre-existing PBX and SIP platforms thanks to this functionality.
• Ongoing client assistance

To get the appropriate response at the appropriate time, go to www.vitelglobal.com immediately. Before we conclude, we recommend the SIP trunking service provider that prioritizes client satisfaction while maintaining competitive pricing.