Sip trunking carries a significant advantage over ISDN and PSTN traditional phone connections, which is the overall flexibility of numbering. It’s not merely a low-cost replacement for ISDN and really should not be positioned so. It’s not about affordable channels and minutes. It is upgrading managed Voice over internet protocol simply because it is a much better working environment providing a wide range of features and fail-over functions unavailable with ISDN or PSTN. Sip trunking is widely accessible for businesses these days and offers lower costs.
Sip trunking is supplied for totally free, without having connection or leasing costs.
What is SIP Trunking?
SIP Trunking is a new method of communication that allows businesses to make and receive telephone calls over a regular Internet Broadband connection using the same technology large telecom operators employ. SIP Trunking is now commonly supported on newer PBX and consumer equipment, plus a wide array of options exist for adding SIP Trunking to older PBX equipment. SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is the method the majority of telecommunications networks use to exchange calls, it forms the backbone of the BT network, and you probably make and receive calls using SIP at the moment without knowing it.
Why would we want SIP Trunking?
There are many reasons to use SIP Trunking. SIP Trunking dramatically reduces your calling costs by routing calls over the IP network as opposed to the traditional public telephone network. SIP Trunking also allows you to use more than one provider and does not limit you to making and receiving calls using the company that provided your phone or Internet service. Businesses save on the associated line rental costs by switching from exchange lines or ISDN to SIP trunking. SIP trunking is provided for free, without any connection or rental charges. Other benefits include increased mobility, unlimited lines, and the ability to use any geographic or non-geographic telephone number, i.e. 0203, 0121, 0141 or 0800, as both your inbound and outbound numbers.
What sound quality does SIP Trunking provide?
As a minimum, an IP telephone will provide an ISDN sound quality service. In some cases, where both you and the person you’re calling are using SIP Trunking, the sound can be CD quality, vastly exceeding traditional phone services. SIP Trunking is not to be confused with Peer To Peer services or Internet-based pre-paid services which offer substandard voice quality and does not project a professional image.
How reliable is the service?
Our network is built on a fully redundant network. Any issues are alerted automatically to our dedicated Network Operations Team while service is maintained through backup equipment and/or networks. As SIP Trunking uses the Internet Protocol, network issues encountered are automatically re-routed through alternate networks without you noticing, which is not possible using traditional phone services. Additionally, NumberGroup numbers can be re-routed in the event of equipment loss to an alternate SIP Trunk or even a regular phone number like a switchboard or mobile phone.
Will my customers notice?
No, the experience for your customers and to you is the same. Callers hear the same normal ring tones, and you don’t have to change your calling habits. In most cases, you can keep using the same telephone if you’re attached to it. Of course, NumberGroup provides an array of innovative features like IVR Menus, Call Recording, Voicemail & Missed Call alerts and Multi-Ring. These features are available for calls sent to a SIP Trunk in the same way as regular destinations.
Are emergency services supported?
Yes, we support calls to 999 emergency services. However, this is subject to your phone and internet equipment having power.
What equipment do I need?
A SIP-enabled device such as a Softphone/PBX/IP Telephone and a Broadband Internet connection. Although we don’t provide Customer Equipment ourselves, we would be delighted to share our experience with you or put you in touch with a partner who may be able to help if you need assistance.
Can we keep our old number(s)?
Yes, you can; we can port any existing UK telephone number from any supplier onto our SIP Trunking service. You can also make calls over our SIP Service, sending any number you may already have registered with another telecom company without moving these to us or alerting the phone company.
Can we have a different telephone number?
Using our selfcare portal, you can assign multiple 01/02 geographic area codes, 0800 freephone numbers, 03 UK Wide and 084 business numbers.
Can I hide my number from the people I am calling?
Yes, there are specific ways SIP Trunking allows you to do this, and we support them all, you can also override these in the usual way, though, with 141 in front of the number to hide your number and 1470 to reveal your number.
Do you support encryption?
Yes, we support both encrypted signalling and media. Our SIP Trunking service uses high-strength Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt the registration and call control protocol and optionally enables the use of SRTP to encrypt voice communications for calls made and received. These technologies are widely deployed on most commercially available IP PBX products as well as certain Open Source solutions.
Do you provide Voicemail?
Yes, all the inbound features NumberGroup provides are supported on SIP Trunking, even Call Recording and IVR Menus. We send all Voicemails to an e-mail address provided with all the details of the call, the voicemail itself is sent as an MP3 file.
What does SIP Trunking Cost?
We provide the sip trunking service for free, simply charging you for any calls you make.
How do I start using NumberGroup SIP Trunking?
If you’re already a NumberGroup customer, log in to our portal and create a Trunk from the SIP Trunks section. Once you have a SIP Trunk and have set up your equipment, send calls to your Trunk by changing the destination on your number in the Numbers section; your Trunk will be listed as an available destination.
If you’re not yet a NumberGroup customer, sign up for an account choosing SIP Trunks your destination for receiving calls, and we’ll create a trunk automatically.
