SIP & SIP Trunking Set to Soar in 2008

SIP and SIP Trunking are clearly hot topics in the IP Communications industry these days. Why, the cover story of this very issue is an in-depth conversation with Andre Temnorod about what he and his colleagues at Broadvox (News - Alert) are doing with regards to SIP Trunking. And in recent interviews with TMC, other leading voices in the SIP and SIP Trunking space have shared their opinions.

Steven J. Johnson is President of Ingate Systems, Inc. (News - Alert), and a well-respected figure in the IP communications industry. According to Johnson, “We are seeing a strong adoption of SIP in enterprises of all sizes and this adoption has been accelerated by SIP trunking as a service from multiple ITSPs.”

And while Johnson says that the true benefits of SIP trunking “seem to be most pronounced in organizations of up to 500 people,” he also noted several interesting other services that are being delivered over SIP-based networks including “video for the hearing impaired and unified communications, which is revolutionizing the way enterprises communicate.”

Greg Rothman is director of SIPconnect Development for Cbeyond (News - Alert), and he is bullish on the opportunity created by SIP-based IP communications.

“We believe the small business market will continue to adopt IP-based solutions that give them access to tools that help them compete with larger enterprises, and that SIP Trunking will capture a much larger piece of the pie in 2008,” Rothman told TMC.

Broadvox, the subject of this month’s cover story, is also excited by the prospects of SIP Trunking as we head deeper into 2008. Mark Bresler (News - Alert), the company’s Vice President of Channel Sales believes that the SMB market is “virtually untapped” and ready to grow with regard to IP communications.

“There has been an expansion of open source IP PBXs and new application software, which is having a tremendous impact on IP communications,” Bresler says. “Innovators are building and releasing a broad range of SIP applications, moving away from standalone systems to integrated applications that solve key business needs.

“As we look forward, we expect to see accelerated growth in the adoption of IP communications, particularly in the SMB market,” he concluded.

One thing all three of the executives mentioned above agree on is the need for expanding the understanding of the benefits of SIP Trunking throughout the marketplace.

Bresler believes that education is key area that needs to be addressed. “Educating the reseller channel is paramount. It’s a dire need. It’s absolutely essential.”

Rothman agrees. One of the biggest hurdles that need to be overcome for SIP Trunking to continue to rapidly grow is that of VAR Education. “It is critical that VARs understand voice and data on the customer premise,” he says.

Johnson too, realizes that one potential threat to the growth of this technology is a lack of communication. “There is a strong need for accurate information about SIP, security and IP communications in general,” he believes.

In other related news, the SIP Forum (News - Alert) recently announced changes to the group’s leadership. Eric Burger, deputy CTO at BEA Systems has been elected the Chairman of the SIP Forum Board of Directors. Other appointments include IP communications industry consultant and analyst, Marc Robins as the Forum’s new Managing Director and two new additions to the Forum’s Board of Directors in Mark Enstrom, Product Manager at BroadSoft (News - Alert), Inc. and Richard Shockey, Director of Technical Staff at NeuStar, Inc.

The SIP Forum is an IP communications industry association that engages in numerous activities that advance and promote SIP technology, such as the development of industry recommendations, the SIPit (News - Alert) interoperability and testing events, and general promotion of SIP in the industry.

I’d like to personally congratulate Marc Robins and wish him well in his new role at the SIP Forum. As many of our readers are aware, Marc served as Vice President of Publications and Trade Shows, Associate Group Publisher and Group Editorial Director at TMC from 1998 to 2003. IT

Greg Galitzine is TMC’s Editorial Director.

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