Without reliable telecom services and a way to communicate with employees (both in the field and the office), vendors, clients, and potential clients, any business would soon come to screeching halt.
The hard economy we find ourselves in makes it more important than ever therefore for any small business to understand the types of telecom services available to them, and when, if, and where they should be used for a cost-effective and reliable solution to their telecom services needs. The remainder of this blog post reviews the different service categories available to businesses and when they make the most sense for business use: These services include:
- POTS (Plain Old Telephone Services)
- CENTREX Services
- Analog T1 Services
- PRI T1 Services
- SIP Services
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Services)
You would think in this modern digital age that old analog POTS services would have died out long ago, however despite their costs continuing to increase (almost on a quarterly basis) POTS services still fulfill an important role by providing reliable connectivity for small analog phone systems, FAX machines and for Elevator, Fire and Alarm lines across the country (including in the more remote parts of the country). POTs services also provide a means for larger businesses to secure some back-up service availability for their other primary phone services. USA Voice & Data recommends any business using more than 6 POTS lines for their phone system take a look at some more modern services for a more cost effective solution with greater capacity and a business class Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Centrex Services
These analog services first came onto the scene during the 1960s and they were a precursor to today’s Hosted or Cloud VoIP phone services. Centrex services are rapidly being replaced by more modern Hosted or Cloud VoIP phone services as these are both more cost effective and more feature rich. USA Voice & Data would certainly recommend any companies still using Centrex services to contact us for a demo of a more modern Hosted or Cloud VoIP service solution.
Analog T1 Services
Analog T1 services provide an inexpensive means for replacing up to 24 analog POTS lines. Indeed if you are using just 8 POTS lines today you will probably find an Analog T1 with three times the capacity or number of lines would be a far less expensive service option for you. Call USA Voice & Data and we can check what sort of savings might be possible with these services.
PRI T1 Services
PRI stands for Prime Rate Interface and is digital T1 voice service. A PRI T1 provides 23 separate
digital voice B channels allowing 23 concurrent calls, and also a D channel for Caller ID, DID and other such signaling information. This has been the preferred standard for voice services in moderate size to large size companies for the last 20 years and is slowly being replaced by SIP Services. (More and more businesses are now replacing their aging digital phone systems with IP phone systems with their more modern IP-based capabilities and cost efficiencies.) Just like Analog T1 services, PRI T1 services are far less expensive than a mass of POTS lines.
SIP Services
SIP or Session Initiated Protocol was developed in 1996 for use with multimedia communications such as voice, video and data communications over IP (Internet protocol). SIP services were quickly adopted by telecom carriers for more effective transmissions over their backbone networks, and now this rapid adoption is being seen throughout business community. USA Voice & Data would recommend any business upgrading their phone systems look for an IP solution leveraging SIP services, and reach out to us to find a quality SIP services provider at the most competitive rates.
Are you wondering which type of small business telecom services are right for you business? Contact USA Voice & Data today so that we can help you analyze your precise situation. Our team of experts can help guide you in the right direction and help you find a cost effective services solution for your telecom system’s needs. Call us today at 312-604-3070, or email us at info@usavoicedata.com to get started.
