Dynamic PRI and VoIP T1

Services providers are capable of providing both voice and data internet services over the same T1 circuit. Innovations to providers' infrastructures have allowed them to provide VoIP over their internet T1 to deliver high quality voice calls over internet circuits. This allows more businesses to better optimize their monthly services to share resources. With improvements to Quality of Service (QoS), providers can now deliver toll quality phone calls to clients of all sizes.

Businesses that turn to utilizing a Dynamic voice PRI will experience less monthly costs as providers extend bundled promotions on minutes for either local calling, long distance or both. This drives clients monthly services expenditures down. In addition, since calls are riding over the internet connections the providers have better monitoring capabilities to see errors on the circuit and can extend additional features such as online remote call forwarding to clients by a simple mouse click. In the past, clients had to pay 2 separate bills; whereas now, businesses are offering more flat rate monthly charges with fewer fluctuations. Service providers now can extend other services and solutions within their bundled service plan such as managed firewall, enhanced web hosting, IP VPN, conferencing calling, integrated voicemail, fax-to-email, mobile lines, file share, hosted email, unified communications and more.

Nope! Providers will install on premise routers that convert IP to TDM which simply means the VoIP call will be handed off to the client's phone system utilizing a traditional telephone interface such as the PRI. This way, clients with older systems that cannot afford or don't have upgrading their phone system budgeted can switch service with additional hardware or licensing costs.

Yes! If you have POTS lines today the service provider can provide an on-premise device that allows IP to convert and handoff to standard plain ordinary telephone service. This way your business doesn't have to upgrade or pay for additional equipment to convert over to PRI.

Businesses that currently have POTS lines can benefit in many ways when converting to voice PRI. Some examples include:

• Direct Inward Dial (DID): This provides a block of sequential phone numbers that you can assign to individuals such as private numbers.
• Less Quality Issues: With older POTs lines you can experience cross talk and static; whereas, voice PRIs are less susceptible to quality issues as long as there is sufficient bandwidth and QoS measures in place by the provider if using Dynamic PRI. T1s are considered digital lines versus old analog trunks.
• Fewer Outages: POTS lines are more susceptible to outages and issues. Internet T1s are connected to more updated equipment as well as utilize proactive monitoring tools.
• Rollover / Hunt Group Made Easy: With POTS lines you have to define your hunt group or rollover group. Voice PRI dynamically creates a hunt group to better optimize the number of concurrent lines/channels.
• Multiple Phone Numbers: POTs lines don't allow for multiple phone numbers over a single circuit; however, with Voice PRI you can have multiple numbers over a single circuit. The number of concurrent inbound/outbound paths is based on what you order.

Businesses can benefit in many different ways when converting POTS to PRI; however, here are some advantages few understand but improve business staff efficiencies. When all phone lines are appearing on all phones businesses need bigger phones with more buttons. There can be some issues with privacy as most phones have access to all lines. When operator or reception positions grab phone calls they usually have to tell clients or prospects to please hold before they connect the caller with the staff member they are calling for. This all goes away with PRI as direct dial lines free up the receptionist time. In addition, privacy isn't an issue as end users have access to a pool of talk paths to make internal or external calls. No longer do you have to make clients or prospects wait as calls are more intelligently routed. In addition, when callers are placed on line hold it is hard to remember who is waiting; thus, call park is a feature that can be used to grab the call anywhere in your facility. End-users no longer have to remember what line a client or prospect is waiting on as they can simply get the call transferred.

Back in the 1990's, providers wanted to optimize their copper infrastructure as clients with large amounts of POTs lines could reduce cost by moving to a voice PRI or voice T1. This allowed provider costs on copper and legacy central office equipment and support to go down; thus, providers wanted more businesses to move to a PBX. A pooled branch exchange allowed phone system user to use 9 to grab a line from the pool of lines off a voice T1 or voice PRI. When a client has 23 phone lines or POTs analog trunks providers use 23 copper pair as opposed to 2 copper pair for a T1; thus, reducing resources required. Client's phones systems required 1 T1 port as opposed to 23 analog trunk ports; thus, less hardware required. With PBX's becoming more popular and easier to use so did PRI T1s.

If you are interested in Dynamic PRI or VoIP T1 solutions, contact us at sales@convergedsystems.com or by calling (877) 598-3999.