What if you could update your old phone system without going out of budget? Your landline phone may make and receive calls over the internet thanks to SIP lines. When compared to only using copper lines for company communication, that is a significant improvement. Today we will discuss the difference between SIP Line and SIP Trunk.
How? Traditional phone lines, for instance, can only handle voice data. Your existing network lines can now transport multimedia signals for voice calls, instant messages, and video conferences by using SIP.
You need SIP Trunking if you want more capacity. Your office communication system can be kept from going out of date using a SIP Trunk. Additionally, it makes scaling up much more affordable when you require additional telephone lines to meet your company’s demands.
To handle higher call volumes or more simultaneous calls, a single SIP trunk might hold hundreds of SIP lines.
Difference between SIP Line and SIP Trunk
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A Few Abbreviations Before We Begin
- IP (Internet Protocol): The standards used to transmit data reliably on the internet.
- ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider): A company that offers VoIP-based telecommunications services.
- PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange): A type of PBX that uses computers to automate the switching process.
- IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange): A type of PBX that provides connectivity via the internet.
- PBX (Private Branch Exchange): A telephone network operated by a private organization or business.
- POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service): The traditional landline-based phone service where calls are analog in nature.
- PRI (Primary Rate Interface): A method to bundle multiple phone circuits, typically used by enterprises and offices.
- PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network): The totality of the world’s circuit-switched telephone networks. PSTN is what many people know as a traditional phone system.
- SIP (Session Initiation Protocol): The standards used for signaling and handling voice, video, and other multimedia sessions.
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol): A method of establishing phone calls over the internet.
What is a SIP Trunk?
A SIP trunk is a type of communication channel that links a business’s PBX or PABX to the internet. It functions as a digital substitute for a regular phone line.
A SIP trunk is comparable to a tree trunk with multiple branches, as its name suggests. A distinct phone extension or line is represented by each branch.
A single SIP trunk can support several SIP lines. One SIP trunk, for instance, can be sufficient for several desktop phones, softphones, and mobile phones in a business. A single line is used for each phone call, using a specific amount of bandwidth.
What is SIP Trunking?
SIP trunking is a technique for making business phones work online rather than over a traditional landline. Technically speaking, it also increases the capacity of basic VoIP-enabled phone networks and POTS for multimedia processing. SIP trunking enables businesses to send and receive many sorts of data, such as voice calls, text messages, and video.
SIP Trunks differ from SIP phones in several ways. A SIP phone is a gadget that can make phone calls using the SIP protocol, similar to a desk phone or loudspeaker. It might be viewed as a significant advancement in corporate communications. Its revolutionary advantages in terms of cost savings, scalability, flexibility, and return on investment are the reason for this.
What is a SIP Line?
A branch that emerges from a SIP trunk is referred to as a SIP line. It is also known as a session or a channel. SIP lines serve as lanes for communicating between two points or locations by exchanging data. A SIP line represents a unit capacity to accommodate one incoming or outgoing call during a call session.
A single SIP trunk can configure a very large number of SIP lines. One SIP trunk can accommodate hundreds of SIP channels in VoIP call centres. One channel is used for each call. Because of this, the majority of enterprises often just require a single SIP trunk to meet all of their communication needs.
The precise number of SIP lines needed by a business depends on how many calls it typically handles concurrently during the workday.
A company’s SIP trunking plan could include any of the following, depending on the service provider (ITSP):
- countless SIP lines
- Unlimited minutes on a fixed number of SIP lines
- a certain number of session minutes that can be split between any number of channels
- Multiple trunks for numerous workplaces with identical calling networks for all users
Difference between SIP Line and SIP Trunk
It is simple to mix up SIP trunks with SIP lines. In some instances, they can be used interchangeably, but there is a difference between SIP Line and SIP Trunk.
Consider it in terms of a tree stem against its branches: The fundamental comparison of a tree (trunk) with numerous branches (lines) ought to clarify the distinction between the two concepts.
A freeway versus its lanes, or both: A SIP trunk can be compared to a freeway. In this comparison, the SIP lines are represented by the various motorway lanes. The opposingly driving cars stand in for the data packets that travel from one location to another.
When developing and determining the cost of your phone service, understanding the differences is important. Through your internet service provider, a SIP trunk links your business phone service to the PSTN. One call is represented by a SIP line in a SIP trunk.
Capacities of SIP Lines and SIP Trunks
While a call uses only one SIP line, a SIP trunk contains several lines. The implication is that a business that typically handles 300 calls at once should search for a SIP Trunk service that can support at least 300 SIP lines.
Even if you have 300 workers, not everyone may answer the phone at once. To assess actual capacity and line requirements, audit your call logs for typical workdays. The fact that only two-thirds of the business can phone out at once is acceptable. Consult a Chief Information Officer, or CIO, for a second opinion on planning.
