If you are planning to switch from outdated analog telephony to modern digital solutions, it’s better to deal with the nuances of VoIP and SIP. Understanding the technology allows you to choose the best telecommunications system for your business.
VoIP is characterized by the fact that telephone calls are made over the Internet. SIP is one of the protocols that make VoIP work. Voice over IP (VoIP) can also be implemented using other protocols, such as H.323 or MGCP. These are earlier protocols that have largely been superseded by SIP today.
What is the difference between SIP and VoIP?
VoIP is only used by the Internet in contrast to analog telephony, which carries voice data over the PSTN. This simplifies the task of telephoning the office since the company only needs to take care of high-speed Internet but not spend money on installing a telephone cable and additional equipment for a PBX.
The analog signal (voice) is converted into digital data and transmitted over the Internet during a call using VoIP technologies. The data packet returns to its original form upon receipt (it is decoded into voice).
SIP is a protocol that defines the way a multimedia session will be initiated, conducted, and terminated in VoIP applications. SIP expands the possibilities of virtual telephony, allowing you to transfer not only voice data but also video and text messages.
What communication solutions are best for business?
Freezvon Company offers VoIP and SIP telephony services and the best communication solutions to corporate clients.
Here are some benefits of using VoIP.
- Reducing the cost of connecting the telephone system in the office.
- No dependency on physical location.
- The ability to quickly increase the amount of numbers and telephone lines.
- Expanding the functionality of a virtual number with the help of additional services.
The above-mentioned advantages are complemented by other positive moments that SIP provides.
- Ability to transfer multimedia content.
- Favorable tariffs for outgoing calls within the country and abroad.
- Free call forwarding to SIP accounts for most countries.
- Connecting multiple SIP accounts to one VoIP number.
The only requirement for your company to enjoy high-quality and affordable telephone service is to make sure that the ISP provides optimal Internet bandwidth.
What equipment can be used to make calls?
Switching from analog telephony to VoIP is a cost-saving solution because it helps continue to work with existing phone devices in the office. Even though they are not connected to the Internet, they can work with VoIP in case of call forwarding to a landline number.
You can use different types of devices to receive calls.
- Mobile phone through the use of a mobile phone number as a forwarding destination.
- SIP account, which can be accessed from an application on a PC, smartphone, or tablet.
- IP phone.
If you decide that it will be beneficial for the call center and sales department to use IP phones, then it’s better to purchase devices for the required number of employees. However, you can use computers with downloaded SIP applications for communication in the office. By the way, it is enough to install a softphone on mobile phones (Android and iOS are supported) if the work of employees involves an itinerant nature.
Outgoing calls are initiated via SIP telephony. A virtual number allows you to have as many SIP accounts as you need to be productive. It will be convenient for the manager to control all telephone expenses since detailed statistics are generated for each VoIP number.
Freezvon recommends large and medium-sized businesses to order not only a virtual number, but also an IP PBX. It makes available many lines for calls. In addition, you can set up a unified telephone network by combining the main office and regional offices using a SIP trunk.
SIP trunking and VoIP
Analog telephony has physical telephone lines (copper cables) and the VoIP uses virtual SIP trunks. A feature of SIP trunking is that there can be several lines, each of which allows you to receive and process calls. The SIP trunk eliminates the need to buy a VoIP gateway because the calls come through the SIP protocol.
A large volume of calls coming in at the same time influences the number of channels a business needs. Freezvon recommends using a virtual PBX to provide good customer service because it helps manage many channels using SIP trunking. Such a solution is also responsible for establishing a connection between the enterprise phone system and the VoIP provider.
IP PBX completely replaces PBX (together with other office solutions) and provides access to some additional features.
- Holding calls.
- Call queue setup.
- Forwarding.
- Free internal calls.
- Conference call.
- Voicemail (files will remain on the cloud storage).
- Greeting message.
- IVR.
You do not need physical equipment for IP PBX due to the fact that SIP trunks connect to a server hosted in the cloud. The office and remote employees can use telephony and PBX functions through a web application.
The advantages of SIP trunking are that the company will spend less on telephone infrastructure and the process of scaling the business will be easier due to additional channels or SIP accounts that can be easily connected online. VoIP gives businesses flexibility that analog telephony can’t.
Freezvon provides virtual numbers for over 120 countries and telecommunications solutions using VoIP and SIP telephony. You can get expert advice around the clock.
