SIP Trunking Week in Review

It was a huge week for session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking this week, and as such, there was plenty of news in the field to go over. But for most, it's an issue of considering just how all this news affects normal operations. News in SIP trunking means new possibilities for business, and old possibilities now lost. So with a weekend at our door, it's a good time to take a step back and reflect, and nothing helps reflection quite as well as our Week in Review coverage!

First, we had a look at the Ethernet switch market, and made a grim discovery. The market for such devices, in just the first quarter of 2014, dropped fully 15 percent. No firm appeared immune to this as even Cisco (News - Alert) saw a seven percent drop as compared to the same time the previous year. Some firms did manage to see revenue growth, however, though it wasn't enough to offset the overall decline in the market. As for a cause, Infonetics Research (News - Alert) pointed to growth in some individual Ethernet switch markets, so it may have been a matter of changing needs.

Next, we looked at the European telephony services market, and saw that it was a market in something of a state of flux. New business models were working on the wider market, and forcing businesses to reconsider how things are done in light of these new models. The hosted Internet protocol (IP) telephony market and the unified communications and collaboration (UCC) markets were in great shape, and likely to be for some time, but getting in on those markets would require some very specific tools to be able to do the best job therein.

Paths crossed with news of a partnership between CounterPath and MegaPath, as a new agreement allowed for new opportunities on both sides of the equation. Under the terms of the partnership, MegaPath was now able to offer CounterPath (News - Alert)'s Bria line of UC solutions for desktop, tablet and mobile devices, giving its current customers access to a subscription-based means to offer unified communications tools on a cloud basis, as well as tools that can offer security and cost-effectiveness.

Then we found a new development in the SIP trunking sector, as more businesses are beginning to move away from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to SIP trunking. While there are still some concerns surrounding the reliability and the quality of SIP trunking, these concerns seem to be fading in the light of improvements in the technology. Additionally, extra features found with SIP trunking—including things like high-definition audio—are posing great potential for businesses, which in turn could have serious ramifications for the SIP trunking market.

Finally, we had a look at a new move for Vertical Communications, as the company hired a new executive vice president. More specifically, the company turned to Ben Treadway, who was brought in to oversee the direct sales and service side of the operation. The move came just after the company merged with Fulton Communications in a measure whose details were kept quiet. Treadway will reportedly also remain in his current position as Fulton Communications' CEO.

Clearly it was a big week in the field of SIP trunking, and plenty of news emerged. Our global online community's diligence in handling the news shone through quite clearly, and gave everyone who follows the SIP trunking market plenty of food for thought. So be sure to join us back here next week for all the latest news in the sector, as well as every weekend for our Week in Review coverage!