If you are looking for a new calling service to improve your current system, it may be overwhelming to look for a new service with so many options available on the market.
As a result, you may become frustrated when trying to pick the best option because you likely won’t know the differences between the available calling services.
Coeo has helped thousands of customers with their calling service and knows how vital a good call service is to an organization.
We want you to know the differences between SIP Trunking and PRI so you can make a better-educated decision on which service is best for your organization.
By the end of this article, you will know what SIP Trunking is, what a PRI phone service is, the differences between the two, and which service is best fit for your company.
What is SIP Trunking?
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is an application layer protocol that allows you to run your phone system over the internet instead of a traditional phone line.
Trunking serves as the backbone of phone lines used by many users connecting to a telephone network.
The main objective of SIP Trunking is to bring a standard PBX phone system to the cloud. A Private Branch Exchange (PBX) phone system is a private phone system that enables internal and external communication.
This allows you to achieve lower costs and scalability of the cloud-based phone system while utilizing your existing PBX phone system.
The ability to connect a PBX phone system to the cloud allows you to make calls from anywhere on any device without having to be connected to copper wires resulting in more flexibility.
What is a PRI phone connection?
Primary Rate Interface (PRI) is an older service that has been used in the industry for decades. A PRI phone connection makes and receives calls over the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) to transmit calls and data over the business’s Private Branch Exchange (PBX).
With a PRI connection, your phone lines must be connected physically by copper phone lines. By using these physical phone lines, you could have high deployment, installation, and maintenance costs due to all of the hardware required.
Differences between SIP Trunking and a PRI phone connection
SIP Trunking is a much newer call service than PRI. Some of the main differences between SIP Trunking and PRI include:
Call connection
A PRI phone connection is a physical PBX phone connection that makes and receives calls over a physical copper line.
A SIP Trunking phone connection takes a PRI connection from a PBX phone system and brings it to the cloud allowing your phone calls to be made and received through an internet connection rather than a physical copper wire.
Flexibility
SIP Trunking is a much more flexible service than a PRI phone connection. Because SIP Trunking is connected to the cloud and makes and receives calls over the internet, you can make calls from anywhere and on any device that has an internet connection.
This is perfect for remote workers working in a different environment because they don’t need to connect physically to an office in order to make phone calls. PRI, on the other hand, requires your phone to connect physically making it less flexible as a result.
Scalability
A SIP Trunking service is much more scalable when it comes to adding or removing phones. SIP Trunking requires little to no hardware making it easier to add or remove phones without having to deal with extra cords.
Additionally, SIP Trunking does not require phones to connect to copper wires to make and receive calls. A PRI connection requires a copper wire phone connection and most times requires you to install more connections than you need.
Because a PRI connection requires extra hardware, you must install enough hardware to connect to multiple phones. For example, you may only need to add one or two phones but must buy hardware that supports 20 phones.
Cost
SIP Trunking as a service is the cheaper option compared to a PRI connection. Because SIP Trunking does not require any hardware, it results in a less expensive service.
On the other hand, a PRI phone connection will be more expensive because it requires you to purchase additional hardware. Additionally, because a PBX phone service is outdated, it can be more expensive to find parts or perform maintenance when problems arise.
Which phone service is best for your organization?
While SIP Trunking is the newer, more updated service, it can be easy to see why this service might be the service best for your organization. SIP Trunking has a much more flexible call connection, better scalability, and a lower cost.
However, if your organization has a poor internet connection, you may benefit from a PRI phone connection with a PBX phone system.
Because SIP Trunking requires a strong internet connection to make and receive calls, if you do not have a strong internet connection, your SIP Trunking service may perform poorly.
Next steps to purchasing a new call service
Now you know what SIP Trunking is, what a PRI phone connection is, the differences between the two, and which is best for your organization. This will help you make a better-educated decision on purchasing a new phone calling service.
No one wants to deal with a poor-performing calling service. However, the amount of calling services available on the market can be overwhelming making it hard for you to pick the right service for your organization.
Knowing the differences between SIP Trunking and a PRI connection will allow you to make a better-educated decision on your new calling service.
Coeo has helped thousands of customers with their calling service. We want to give you information on the differences between SIP Trunking and PRI so you can make a better decision for your company.
If you would like to speak with our team to talk about the differences between SIP Trunking and PRI or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
Read these articles below to learn more about SIP Trunking:
