SIP Trunk - Integrated communications for a more effective tomorrow

Setting the scene isn’t difficult. Stock brokers, a thousand wired lines, phones ringing off the hook and people screaming at the top of their lungs to facilitate a trade, to purchase shares or sell them quickly. The challenge of maintaining those phone lines was and has always been one that is extremely daunting for most organisations.

In the modern paradigm, with challenges such as limitations on capital available and a lack of space, the need for a smarter, more technologically advanced communications solution arose – one that could manage to integrate telephone, video and data services at a comparatively nominal cost. Integrated communications are the foundation on which many successful organisations are now built. The modern business functions on the basis of strong communications. Integration within various teams, departments and verticals of the business is key for business success. The ability to constantly stay in touch with various internal stakeholders in the business allows for companies to deliver holistic product or service offering to their customers, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.

Earlier, wired connections provided by telephone companies via the corporate PBX which connected to the PSTN (public switched telephone network) were the norm. Today, they are rapidly proving to be obsolete. The ability to communicate via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has signalled a change in times. With the creation of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), organisations today can transmit voice sessions in the thousands via a line along with data and video.

SIP Trunk uses the same IP infrastructure to transmit both voice and data. The benefits compared to the older forms of telephone technology are huge. Conventional PSTN lines limit the number of calls possible to the number of channels that are available at the time. On a SIP Trunk line though, as many as 1500 voice sessions can be carried over a single line simultaneously. The limits are set based on bandwidth and not on number of channels available. In effect, by increasing bandwidth, the number of calls that are possible also increases.

SIP Trunk can be easily utilised by organisations that have completed the upgrade to a SIP compatible IP PBX. Enterprises that function from a variety of sites stand to benefit the most from the technology as it helps them centralise their assets. It also helps reduce operational costs by negating the need to buy multiple phone lines to service various locations. SIP Trunks also allow for lower operational costs by letting companies set call capacity as per their own requirements. This lets them use the call capacity across multiple locations more efficiently, while also minimising idle capacity.

A simplified network architecture is also possible for organisations now, where a single consolidated SIP Trunk connection can replace traditional trunks. As the SIP is open standard, interoperability between other types of IP based systems and vendor equipment is also a reality.

SIP Trunk is the way forward for real-time communications in the organisational structure. With an increased need for collaboration amongst larger workforces, and the benefits of collaboration being seen in terms of burgeoning revenues, it would make sense for businesses to invest in their own future. This is the very tip of the iceberg. Soon, with evolving, more efficient technology and with greater bandwidth and processing capabilities, the future looks very bright. If organisations fail to latch on now, they risk the chance of lagging behind others, which necessitates the need to move to SIP Trunk sooner rather than later.