December 17, 2010

Cost Savings Key to Widespread Adoption of SIP Trunking

(Editor’s Note: This article refers to a video interview shot at ITEXPO West 2010 in Los Angeles, Calif. To view the entire library of videos from other industry shows, Road shows as well as product demos and interviews in our in-house studio, visit the TMCnet Videos home page.)

For enterprises and SMBs, one of the most crucial aspects of transitioning toward a Web-based phone system is a service called SIP Trunking, which allows companies to eliminate the need for an onsite PSTN gateway. This service is associated with additional cost savings because SIP trunks can be purchased on a per-extension basis, which is not the case for other solutions that enable VoIP calling.

To develop a better understanding as to how SIP Trunking works and what benefits it brings to both SMBs and enterprises, TMC's Patrick Barnard recently sat down with David Byrd, VP of marketing and sales for Broadvox (News - Alert), one of the leading SIP Trunking providers. The two recently spoke at ITEXPO West 2010 in Los Angeles. 

During their talk, Byrd told Barnard that the biggest driver behind the widespread adoption of SIP Trunking is clearly cost savings. However, he also noted that the technology is becoming highly pervasive because it offers more than just voice. SIP Trunking also enables the deployment of a number of unified communication technologies, including Instant Messaging, presence, application sharing and video conferencing.

Byrd also noted that interoperability is another major reason that SMBs and enterprises have recently embraced SIP Trunking. He said that there are currently more than 40 platforms that are certified with Broadvox's suite of SIP products, and that the company recently signed an agreement to perform interoperability testing with Mitel (News - Alert), a serious player in the communications software space.

Broadvox's VP wrapped up the interview by discussing the company's new product.

"Go VBX is an industry first," Byrd said, referring to the new offering. "It was build to support a small business, a medium-sized business or an enterprise. We are able to do this by using off the shelf components for SMBs and a bit of customization at the enterprise level."

However, Byrd added that Go VBX truly sets itself apart from its competition with its pricing structure. The average cost per extension with Go VBX is almost 60 percent less than what other hosted VoIP providers charge. This cost savings is achieved because Broadvox separates the price of the per extension license fee from local and long distance calling charges, so companies don't get charged for not regularly using an extension.

For more information on Broadvox and SIP Trunking in general, check out the company's website.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jaclyn Allard