SIP - But What Does it Mean? By Derek Rogers At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

SIP, or Session Initiation Protocol, is fast turning into the standard term used by the Telecoms Industry to refer to the replacement of traditional Analogue PSTN /ISDN connections with IP based solutions. But, SIP is not a standard solution like Analogue /ISDN PSTN have been for the last two decades in the United Kingdom.

SIP has not yet become a standard and as a result integrating SIP devices to a SIP Network is not the desired and familiar "Plug and Play". If you go looking to connect a SIP service provider to an IPPBX or SIP Gateway you need to ensure that the device is tested for compatibility with the Service Providers network and that there is full support for all service features.

Nevertheless, SIP Trunking does have some very significant advantages over ISDN / Analogue PSTN connections and of the most prominent of these is numbering flexibility. Network providers who work traditionally provision the number that is sourced from the local exchange, but, IP Telephony linkage services between numbering and location can be broken.

So, with SIP, one of a kind cost-saving solution can be delivered to clients who just cannot be matched within an ISDN / Analogue PSTN network. A high-quality service provider will understand how vitally significant it is to provide UK numbers overseas so that such calls are reduced in cost, making it more efficient and cost effective for internal calls and customers calling their overseas offices? This would also provide powerful cost savings in the event of an overseas relocation. SIP trunks can be supportive of numbers from different geographic locations at one individual site, which provides amazing efficiency compared to even the best of today's standards.

When it comes to taking SIP Trunking solutions to market, a quality provider will ensure that all has been fully tested, well documented and able to be provisioned and supported.
What should you expect to be included in this careful testing and delivery?

* The IPPBX or SIP Gateway to be installed at your site
* The IP Network's connecting router and the IP Network which shall be utilised for support of your voice connections
* The SIP Trunking Service itself
* Assurance that all components of the service are completely compatible and that there is complete service support for the installation and ongoing fault management so that you spend your money on a complete solution, not merely some collection of parts.

Cheap minutes and channels are not the idea here. A SIP trunk connection should represent the cost savings by its nature, especially if it gets deployed across multiple sites.
So, what should you expect to have in your package?

* Number portability so that relocation does not require a new number.

* Number flexibility, which means that DR plans for clients get supported at only a small percentage of the cost of current ISDN costs

* It should be easy for any additional number of SIP channels to be added to a site for only a small percentage of the time and cost which deploying ISDN would entail

* Adding the SIP trunk connection at a client's site and retaining ISDN should be able to be enhanced without the need for any sort of significant infrastructure to the site

Hopefully this has provided you with a better understanding of SIP and how to utilise it.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=355352&ca=Business

Important Notice DISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.