What Are Wholesale SIP Trunk Providers and How Can They Help?
Businesses have sought to improve the efficiency of their operations long before wholesale SIP trunk providers existed, particularly regarding how they communicate with their clients, partners, and internal teams. The COVID 19 pandemic has only accelerated a focus on SIP technology, as changing work patterns demand innovation in communication technology, or at least for innovation to come sooner.
From 2005 to 2017, remote work rose by 159%, and that figure is projected to have increased by another 77% for the period between 2019 and 2022.
Given this shifting landscape, traditional business technologies, such as the landline, have been called into question as they may no longer best serve a more remote environment.
Since 2008, IT specialists have hailed SIP as the future of telecommunications, which has now come to fruition as more and more businesses adopt it.
So what is SIP technology, who provides it, and why have teams begun to embrace SIP as the next telecom solution?
Wholesale SIP Trunk Providers: What is SIP?
Let’s answer this question by first discussing what makes up a traditional landline phone system. Landline systems consist of two essential parts: the PRI and the PBX.
The PRI, or Primary Rate Interface, is the physical line that connects call data to the main network at a phone company. When landline users make a call, the data travels via the PRI to an intermediate terminal, then to the phone company’s central office, then to another intermediate terminal, and finally to the recipient’s phone.
Aside from lacking video call capability, PRI infrastructure also came in fixed packages, meaning that smaller businesses could not scale their costs by opting for fewer connection channels.
The other part of landline systems, Private Branch Exchange (PBX), served as the internal phone network of an organization, which allowed call forwarding, voicemail, transferring calls, and internal calls.
Short for Session Initiation Protocol, SIP is the technology that facilitates the ability to make voice calls, send messages, and participate in video chats via internet networks – also known as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). To understand the impact of this technology, one must first understand how voice calling has previously worked with landlines.
What Are the Benefits of SIP?
Rather than running calls through typical phone networks, SIP feeds call data through the internet via SIP trunks.
First, a SIP user creates an account/address and installs a SIP client on their device. The SIP technology will then initiate a call, which travels to the user’s servers. From here, the SIP trunk routes that call to the telephone network and finally the end destination.
Since the SIP pathway uses the internet to take the phone company out of the equation, it creates a number of advantages over a landline system:
Reduced Costs
SIP allows users to buy their exact desired number of channels – a channel being a line that allows incoming and outgoing calls. Businesses that rarely make concurrent calls do not need more than a few channels because they do not receive a high volume of inbound calls at the same time. Thus, with SIP, they pay for only what they need.
Increased Flexibility
Given their virtual nature, businesses may add or remove SIP channels at any given time while avoiding the time-consuming and costly installation procedures typical of landlines.
Unified Connection
SIP makes it so that calls operate through a business’s internet network rather than a separate phone network. With SIP, a business needs only concern itself with the power and reliability of its internet connection.
Consolidated Interface
Given the right provider, SIP trunks allow enterprises to consolidate their calls, texts, emails, instant messaging and conferencing into a single solution, thus reducing hardware and logistical hassle.
Location Independence
Perhaps the most significant benefit of SIP in the era of remote work is the removal of location-dependent hardware. This feature enables employees to call in from anywhere so long as they have a device with an internet connection. As a result, companies can offer employees greater flexibility and even expand recruitment centers.
Related: SIP Trunk vs PRI: Which Is Best?
Finding a SIP Trunk Provider
Companies will often prefer to hire an independent IT contractor or specialist to deploy SIP technology. As for the latter, IT contractors will want to find the best wholesale SIP trunk provider to enable them to offer top-notch SIP services to their customers.
So, what qualifies a leading provider of SIP technology?
Quality
For all the benefits of SIP from an efficiency and savings standpoint, the technology is moot if its call quality does not hold up to the traditional landline system. That is why a leading wholesale SIP trunk provider should guarantee excellent voice quality and ultra-high availability in its services.
Control
Feeling in control of a new system creates comfort and minimizes stress amidst the transition. A leading SIP provider should provide a consolidated control panel that makes it easy for new users to quote, provision, bill, and manage SIP services.
Compatibility
The end goal of SIP integration is to simplify communication procedures. Compatibility with existing infrastructure proves important to this goal because it enables end-users to maintain their existing platforms and avoid the time, effort, and costs of replacing them. Therefore, a SIP trunk provider should work with all major IP PBX, IP gateways, and open source PBX projects.
Call Data Records
The virtual nature of SIP technology creates new opportunities for more precise management via call data records. Real-time call data records enable managers to monitor individual and team activity – another feature indicative of a top-of-the-line SIP trunk provider.
Private Labeling
Certain wholesale SIP trunk providers will customize the landing page, account interface, and electronic communications with the personal logo and branding of the client, adding a sense of unity and professionalism to its communications hub.
Transitioning to SIP
The benefits of SIP – especially as a response to the evolving workspace – make it a smart solution to handle communication demands. So, how should a business go about implementing a SIP trunk?
Those seeking SIP solutions will need to find the right provider for their enterprise. Before beginning this search, however, businesses should assess a few key metrics so that they can properly communicate their needs to potential providers:
Concurrent Calls
As previously mentioned, the capacity to handle concurrent calls depends on the number of channels in a business’s SIP trunk. Channels can always be added or removed later, but a basic understanding of call volume may save a business some initial hassle.
Minutes
How many calls does the business make? Providers may charge service fees according to the number of minutes used, so knowing this figure will help businesses estimate potential costs.
New Numbers
Switching to a SIP provider offers a convenient opportunity to add or change business numbers, which may be fitting in some instances. For example, a business that recently moved geographically may want a number with the local area code, and so on.
Porting Existing Numbers
If a business prefers to keep its number, switching to SIP may take a week or two longer – a helpful insight for budgeting transition time.
Related: What Is a VolP Wholesale Carrier?
Considerations for IT Specialists and Contractors
As discussed, some companies will opt for SIP deployment through the assistance of an IT specialist or contractor. Those contractors looking to offer SIP services should consider a few additional metrics when evaluating a wholesale SIP trunk provider.
A leading SIP wholesaler will include the following in their services:
- Expert support to help win opportunities and resolve technical issues
- Integrated, turnkey billing, and tax services
- Automated account creation and service provisioning
- No contract commitments for IT teams or their clients
- Transparent commissions for reseller partners
Reselling Program
That last bullet – transparent commissions for reselling partners – refers to fees earned from becoming a reseller in a reseller program for a wholesale SIP provider.
To join a reseller program, IT specialists and contractors need only sign up for a dealer account, complete a dealer profile, sign a partnership agreement and begin selling.
Most contractors and IT specialists like to join a reselling program for SIP trunk services as it provides them an opportunity to expand their offering without investing many resources.
Get Started with Wholesale SIP Trunk Providers
Given both long-term and recent shifts in workplace trends, the dominance of SIP for business communications is no longer a question of if but rather when. Due to its multitude of benefits for reliability and efficiency, more and more businesses are adopting SIP technology to improve their communication systems.SIP Trunk provides a services platform designed for companies who want to build a SIP trunking practice and a recurring revenue stream through selling SIP trunking services. For a premium SIP wholesale provider experience, partner with SIPTRUNK today.