Cloud and SIP trunking push VoIP adoption in U.S.

When it comes to the business realm, few daily operations are more important than communication. From connecting directly with consumers and vendors to keeping all employees on the same page, being able to get out a clear and effective message can be the difference between staying open and going out of business.

In many instances, this means companies are adopting the latest in unified communication solutions that are anchored by Voice over IP business phone systems. Within this arena, however, there are several options and combinations that companies can invest in.

Infonetics Research released their latest "VoIP and UC Service Subscribers Report," which forecasts an increase of the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7 percent through 2017. A majority of this growth will be pushed by the cloud and SIP trunking functions.

"The VoIP services market is on track with our expectations for 2013," Diane Myers, principal analyst for VoIP, UC and IMS at Infonetics Research, said in the report. "Residential VoIP services make up the majority of revenue, but growth is being fueled by business services as SIP trunking and cloud unified communications continue to expand and find broader adoption with enterprises of all sizes."

The study found that overall VoIP revenue rose 3 percent in the first half of 2013, topping out at $33 billion. On top of that, SIP trunking rose 23 percent over the second half of 2012, with a majority of the growth happening in North America.

A closer look at the benefits of SIP trunking

While the potential cloud aspect of VoIP, as well as its other applications, has been covered on this blog in depth, the SIP trunk side does not get enough attention. A recent white paper released by Level 3 focuses entirely on the connection and how it is helping improve business communication solutions.

At its core, Session Initiation Protocol or SIP trunking is the mechanism used for communication within VoIP devices and networks. It helps create a direct connection between a company's devices and its network.

By using direct SIP trunk connections to carriers, enterprises can capture benefits like cost savings, unified communication, business continuity and disaster recovery by ensuring that the advanced features supported by VoIP systems are not blocked at the enterprise/carrier interface.

"Contrary to popular belief, upgrading an existing voice network to take advantage of SIP trunking technology does not require wholesale replacement of existing equipment," the report reads. "In many cases, existing PBX equipment already supports or can be upgraded in-place to provide SIP capabilities. In other cases, adapters can be deployed to enable older equipment to interface with SIP-based networks."

The report went on to say that with the potential cost savings, improvements to business practices, and the choices that exist for upgrading an existing voice network, SIP trunking should be part of the decision making process of CIOs and telecommunication managers.

With the help of an IT consulting firm that specializes in VoIP business phone systems and cloud computing, any organization can adopt these solutions seamlessly and improve overall operations.