The CF List: 2022's 20 Top SIP Trunking Solution Providers You Should Know
AT&T and Verizon are here. So are Twilio, 8x8 and Bandwidth. See who else made it and why.
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S&P Global’s Raul Castanon and Frost & Sullivan’s Michael Brandenburg cited Twilio as a noteworthy SIP trunking provider. Twilio’s Elastic SIP Trunking service automatically scales, up or down, to meet traffic needs with unlimited capacity.
“Twilio differentiates from other vendors given its leadership as a CPaaS provider and a wide range of communications APIs that include elastic SIP trunking,” Castanon said.
Omdia’s Brent Kelly said Lumen Technologies is the largest retail SIP trunking provider in the world, with over 9 million SIP trunks. And Brandenberg said Lumen has impressed him when it comes to SIP trunking.
Lumen SIP trunking enables organizations to use SIP-based services to improve performance, enhance reliability and simplify management with no TDM technology replacement.
Castanon said Vonage is a key contender that differentiates based on its global coverage and scalability, with access to more than 1,600 telecommunication networks. Additionally, as a leading CPaaS player, it provides a comprehensive communications portfolio and programmability features.
“The SIP trunking market is very price-sensitive, but reliability is actually the top selection criteria for the customers,” Kelly said. “They would rather pay a bit more for reliability and have connectivity 24/7. But, beyond price and availability, the more cutting-edge SIP trunking providers have developed web dashboards that allow customers to configure/reconfigure SIP trunking parameters. They are adding SMS for any phone number as an option. They are enabling phone numbers in many geographies, are HIPPA compliant, etc. In the United States, they now have implemented E911 services that are compliant with Kari’s Law and Ray Baum’s Act. Many of them are adding CPaaS capabilities through the use of APIs to access core voice and messaging capabilities.”
Brandenburg said Sippio is a SIP trunking provider that’s worth watching. It’s an example of a young, hungry provider that’s giving established players a run for their money.
“They were doing a lot of things with Operator Connect with Microsoft even before Microsoft formalized it as Operator Connect,” he said. “They have some white-label services so they can enable network operators, other non-carrier service providers with similar capabilities.”
Castanon said 2600Hz is a noteworthy SIP trunking provider. 2600Hz’s comm.land unites all of 2600Hz telephony applications into one user interface so end users have all their communication tools in one place.
“2600Hz provides an open-source, scalable platform with customizable UCaaS, CPaaS, CCaaS, mobile and remote collaboration solutions,” he said.
Brandenburg said NuWave Communications is a SIP trunking provider that’s worth watching. It’s another example of a young, ambitious provider that’s giving established players a run for their money.
“They’re bringing some fresh perspectives to how services are sold and managed,” he said. “It’s new life into a really mature market, and that’s where a lot of my attention has been focused on in the last year.”
Castanon cited Brightlink as a noteworthy provider. It’s now part of cloud company Nuso.
“Brightlink focuses on the user experience, with innovations such as its SIP API Manager, which allows easy activation, management and configuration of SIP trunks,” he said.
Castanon said Infobip is one to watch. It acquired Peerless Network this summer. Infobip says the deal allows it to expand its voice offering worldwide, enhancing the UK-based company’s presence in the United States.
“Its acquisition of Peerless Network kills two birds with one stone, boosting its presence in the U.S. market with voice services that are largely complementary to its existing portfolio, further cementing its position as a leading global CPaaS provider,” he said.
Castanon said 8×8 is a noteworthy SIP trunking provider. And Brandenburg said 8×8 is among top providers because it offers SIP trunking through integration with Microsoft Teams, and it will offer it to legacy PBXs for integration.
“8×8 has built a strong reputation given its global infrastructure, which enables it to deliver reliable, quality voice services and full PSTN replacement in 40-plus countries,” Castanon said.
Castanon is impressed with Alianza‘s SIP trunking. Last year, the company acquired CounterPath, a provider of softphones, cloud meetings and mobile UCaaS solutions.
“Alianza has made a series of strategic acquisitions over the past two years that have enabled it to build a comprehensive communications portfolio, helping service providers identify new growth opportunities,” he said.
Castanon said Ooma is a noteworthy SIP trunking provider. Its SIP and IP trunking are compatible with most IP-enabled PBX phone systems.
“Ooma has invested in numerous product and business development initiatives over the past five years that have enabled it to steadily build out a comprehensive portfolio targeting SMBs and large enterprises,” he said.
Brandenburg said AT&T has impressed him when it comes to SIP trunking for embracing the Microsoft ecosystem and recognizing where the market is going. And Kelly said AT&T is among “excellent” SIP trunking providers.
AT&T’s SIP trunking brings together premises PBX or cloud-based Microsoft Teams PBX with AT&T’s global network.
Castanon cited Sinch as a top provider. Its acquisition of Inteliquent positions Sinch as a key player with a strong presence with voice connectivity services in the U.S. market.
“This acquisition of Inteliquent, now rebranded Sinch, expands Sinch’s market and should allow Sinch to begin offering SIP trunking outside of the United States,” Kelly said.
Bandwidth comes with a strong reputation for reliability and quality, making it a strong contender, Castanon said. Additionally, its acquisition of Voxbone positions it as a global player.
Brandenburg said Bandwidth is a SIP trunking provider that’s worth watching. And Kelly said Bandwidth is the largest wholesale SIP trunking provider.
Brandenburg said Verizon is noteworthy when it comes to SIP trunking for embracing the Microsoft ecosystem and recognizing where the market is going. And Kelly said Verizon is among “excellent” SIP trunking providers.
Verizon’s Enterprise SIP uses a centralized IP-PBX at a primary location to deliver VoIP to other company locations using an existing private network or the Verizon Private IP Service.
Kelly cited Tata Communications among noteworthy SIP trunking providers. Tata Communications SIP trunking service automatically scales up or down to meet enterprise goals.
“The core function for SIP trunking is connecting a call from a customer’s IP PBX or UCaaS solution to the public switched telephone network,” he said. “Around this basic capability, SIP trunking providers are adding additional functionality including more advanced E911 service, better quality of service, more transparency in pricing, messaging services, more fraud protection, etc.”
Brandenburg said IntelePeer is a noteworthy SIP trunking player. IntelePeer has partnered with the Microsoft Teams’ Operator Connect program. The partnership allows Microsoft Teams customers to select IntelePeer to voice-enable their platform and manage their calling services.
“They have SIP trunking, and they’re finding their niche in customer engagement and CPaaS,” Brandenburg said.
Kelly said NTT Communications is a top SIP trunking provider.
“Our most recent Voice of the Enterprise, Workforce Productivity & Collaboration Technology Ecosystems 2022 survey (conducted Sept. 16-28, 2022) shows that post COVID-19, organizations are transitioning into a hybrid work model,” Castanon said. “Nearly half (49%) of survey respondents say they expect a majority of desk workers in their organization will be working remotely full-time or have a hybrid schedule a year from now. This scenario entails a shift to a dynamic, flexible workspace. SIP trunking provides benefits such as scalability, flexibility and potential cost savings that make it a good fit for organizations looking to enable a hybrid work environment.”
Brandenburg said Fusion Connect is an interesting SIP trunking provider. Fusion Connect’s IP-based voice solutions connect to any endpoint so organizations can modernize their phone system according to their needs and budget.
Fusion Connect made headlines this summer when it announced a transition of Intrado customers to services offered by Fusion. The deal covers Intrado’s unified communications and managed network clients.
“They actually acquired a lot of Intrado’s enterprise business,” Brandenburg said. “I would certainly include them.”
Brandenburg said BCM One is a contender in SIP trunking.
“They did a couple of acquisitions of Flowroute and nexVortex, and they’ve picked up a few boutique providers,” he said. “And on the UCaaS side, they’ve also acquired CoreDial. So they’re really positioning themselves as a SIP trunking and UCaaS provider on both the retail and the wholesale side so I would include them.”
Brandenburg said BCM One is a contender in SIP trunking.
“They did a couple of acquisitions of Flowroute and nexVortex, and they’ve picked up a few boutique providers,” he said. “And on the UCaaS side, they’ve also acquired CoreDial. So they’re really positioning themselves as a SIP trunking and UCaaS provider on both the retail and the wholesale side so I would include them.”
SIP trunking usage patterns changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating more challenges and opportunities for SIP trunking providers. And many are stepping up their offerings to gain a competitive advantage.
Companies continue to migrate from legacy PBX and telco services. Moreover, SIP trunking is typically less expensive than legacy circuits.
Our latest CF List focuses on SIP trunking. This is the third annual list focusing on this technology and industry. Analysts with S&P Global Market Intelligence, Frost & Sullivan and Omdia weighed in on SIP trunking market trends and what it takes to be a successful provider.
The global SIP trunking service market is expected to reach $23.6 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4%, according to the Business Research Co.
Business Communications Consolidation
Raul Castanon is senior research analyst with 451 Research, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence.
451 Research’s Raul Castanon
“The business communications space has seen market consolidation at different levels in recent years,” he said. “This includes deals involving CPaaS vendors reaching for SIP trunking providers that change the competitive landscape, such as Infobip’s acquisition of Peerless Network and Sinch’s acquisition of Inteliquent – both announced last year – and Bandwidth’s acquisition of Voxbone, which was announced in 2020. These deals signal a shift in the market, with the ability to provide a comprehensive portfolio with end-to-end, flexible and scalable business communications solutions emerging as a key factor defining the most effective SIP trunking solutions. Conversely, these trends should be good news for channel partners, who should be better positioned to provide end-to-end business communications services to their customers.”
Michael Brandenburg is senior industry analyst of connected work at Frost & Sullivan.
Frost and Sullivan’s Michael Brandenburg
“SIP trunking for me, and I’ve followed it for 11 years, is the little engine that could,” he said. “It always finds a spot to to be useful. And what I’m seeing is adoption of Microsoft Teams in particular. You’ve no doubt seen how many Teams users there are. And SIP trunking through direct routing and now Operator Connect is powering that. Most of those are carrier SIP connections going into the Microsoft environment. And there’s a decided shift that I’ve seen probably the last year of even the top tier carriers doubling down on working in that bring your own carrier environment with Microsoft, and to a certain degree WebEx and Zoom as well.”
Interesting Paradox
Brent Kelly is principal analyst of digital workforce at Omdia, which shares a parent company with Channel Futures (Informa).
Omdia’s Brent Kelly
“During the pandemic there was massive adoption of remote collaboration solutions like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex,” he said. “When people meet using these technologies, they are not connecting to the PSTN, so they don’t need a SIP trunking connection. Numerous carriers have reported an interesting paradox: the number of SIP trunks is rising due to adoption of Microsoft Teams phone and/or Zoom phone, but the utilization of the trunks is decreasing.”
Overall, Omdia is seeing:
SIP trunks with UCaaS solutions increasing.
Trunks for IP PBX solutions on the decline because of the migration from on-premises telephony solutions to cloud-based offers.
SIP trunking for the contact center market is going to stay roughly flat.
We’ve compiled a list, in no particular order, of 20 top SIP trunking providers. It’s based on feedback and recent news reports. The list includes a mix of well-known providers as well as lesser-known ones making strides in SIP trunking. This is by no means a complete list.
See our slideshow above to see who made our latest list of SIP trunking providers.
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