PRI vs. SIP Trunking

Too many “technology” companies spend their time and energy focused on convincing customers about particular technologies.   At teXium, we focus on your business, the needs of your business, and the applications that you rely on to meet your goals.  We are 100% customer focused, not technology focused. 

The PRI vs. SIP debate has been on-going for over five years now, with no “winner” in site.  Clearly, SIP is the technology of the future.  But traditional PRI service is still heavily relied upon by business large and small.   teXium looks to match the needs of our clients with the technology that works best for them.  We have clients that utilize both technologies, and are happy with their solution, because it was custom fit for them.  

What are the advantages of PRI versus SIP Trunks?

1. Relatively little equipment between the PTSN and the PBX.  Less to break or go wrong.
2. Simple to set up.  No need for QoS, routing, authentication, etc. Of course if you only know IP, SIP is easier, but if you learn both, ISDN is easier.
3. If compared to SIP over internet, PRI has guaranteed quality. Granted, SIP *can* have just as good (and better) quality, just not guaranteed if done over the internet (it can be guaranteed over a private circuit).
4. Less latency/delay so there is less "talk-over".
5. FAX, high speed modem, TTY, etc, pass-through actually works.  (it *can* work over SIP, but Asterisk just isn't quite there yet)

What are the advantages of SIP Trunks versus PRI?

1. Cost - Inexpensive. (at least SIP-over-internet)
2. Easy and quick to scale if you have bandwidth.
3. Great for disaster recovery if using SIP over internet.
4. Very cheap to get "local" numbers from all around the world.
5. If using SIP over internet, easy to compare provider.