It's been another colossal week out in the field of session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking, and this increasingly popular communications method means plenty of new opportunities for the astute. With all these opportunities afoot, though, it's tough to settle on the most important ones of a week, and that's exactly where our Week in Review coverage proves so very worthwhile. So settle in, and let's kick off our weekend with a look at the biggest events of the week that was.

First we had a look at PortaOne, who announced that its PortaSwitch platform would now work with Telefield (News - Alert)'s line of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone models. Since PortaSwitch brings together a billing and SIP system, being able to combine these features with the Telefield phone lineup is a natural fit. Better yet, such a combined solution allows for easier installation, which in turn can mean lower costs and a shorter downtime until it's ready for use.

Next, we looked at CenturyLink, which announced that all of its VoIP products would come with BroadSoft (News - Alert)'s Business Communicator system. Previous versions came with a breed of soft client that only handled voice and video. Indeed, CenturyLink wasn't even interested in telling people the name of that soft client's provider. But now, Business Communication gives CenturyLink (News - Alert) a complete client that even comes with a collaboration solution. BroadSoft has long been seen as an innovator in the field, and this is just one more reason why.

Samsung stepped in next, with a new technical partnership between itself and Sectra, a company known throughout Europe for its security systems geared toward mobile devices. The partnership in question adds Sectra's security systems to the Samsung KNOX platform, yielding a combined force of sufficient power to be used in European defense organizations. The new system works with the Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol (SCIP), which is actually the general standard of choice for encrypted communications.

Then, we got word from Connector Systems, who brought out a new cloud-based voice system geared toward its various resellers. Built around 3CX software, which is in turn part of Connector Systems' cloud platform, it joins the Ruckus wireless-as-a-service system as well as its Seagate (News - Alert) backup- and storage-as-a-service systems. Connector Systems ANZ's Mark Dasent noted that the quickest way to grow a reseller's revenue is to offer more services to the current customer base, so offering more services should in turn offer more opportunities for revenue growth.

Finally, Patton Electronics Co. stepped in with news about its SIP-Trunk auto-provisioning software. Originally developed for Swisscom, the software managed to garner some fresh praise from TMC (News - Alert) as its 2015 Communications Solution Product of the Year. A combination of Broadsoft's BroadWorks VoIP applications platform and Patton's own SmartNode 5300 Enterprise Session Border Router, the system is said to offer some impressive gains in service and in interoperability that should help it go a long way in a market on the rise overall.

That was the week that was in SIP trunking, and it was a huge week. With a host of new partnerships backing up new products and services, it's clear the field had a lot to offer this week. Our global online community, meanwhile, had its hands full in bringing back the best of news for us to consider. So be sure to join us back here next week for all the latest, and every weekend as well for our Week in Review coverage!