What is SIP? And how can it benefit my business?

DARTFORD, U.K. - July 21, 2015 - PRLog -- The majority of people will have used an application much like Skype before. But do you know what is actually behind the ability to make calls through the internet? And what benefits can a business gain from using an amenity like this?

The technical jargon behind this service is known as SIP. Short for Session Initiation Protocol, SIP is an important part of Internet Telephony which allows you to harness the benefits of VoIP (voice over IP).  Basically, this service allows people around the world to communicate using their computers and mobile devices over the Internet.

SIP is responsible for connecting, monitoring and disconnecting VoIP sessions. Sending out voice and video messages free of charge like instant messaging (IM) uses a modified version of SIP; Microsoft MSN Messenger and Apple iChat are some examples. SIP can establish sessions for real-time sessions such as online gaming, teleconferencing and video conferencing.

In simple terms, SIP makes it possible for your Internet Service Provider to integrate basic IP phone capabilities with Web, email, online chat. SIP offers a number of advantages for all sizes businesses, especially when deployed alongside software based IP-PBX phone system.

Business continuity is vital for any business wanting to ensure they have a safeguard in place to avoid any downtime due to unforeseen circumstances. As a SIP service is fundamentally virtual lines, the technology allows call to be routed to pre-determined locations if a primary office location goes offline, making SIP an ideal ‘back up’ plan for businesses. The only restriction to using SIP service is the available internet connection; SIP Trunks consume bandwidth and depending upon the quantity of phone calls and need for data bandwidth, businesses may have to expand their data circuit.

The main benefit for businesses using a SIP service is that calls between SIP users are free, worldwide; and as every call becomes local, long distance calling expenses are reduced. SIP trunks are virtual lines; so you only pay for what is used. With legacy telephony, increasing capacity requires you to purchase additional physical lines from the phone company, which is expensive and often time-consuming; SIP therefore can offer a business the potential for ultimate scalability.

SIP trunking can help a business completely transform its communications, as well as ridding a business of physical lines; the cost saved can be staggering. Stuart Griffiths, CEO of True Telecom commented, “True Telecom are able to offer business calls to any or multiple locations; desk phone, laptop softphone or mobile app. Our SIP trunking combines the reliability and functionality of a PABX with the flexibility and ubiquity of IP networks with True Telecom customers benefiting from superior functionality and a flexible framework that can be built around their business.”