We all know that the big BT ISDN switch-off is coming in 2025, but is there a better option for your customers than rushing to convert all their connections to traditional SIP?
The answer is yes, says Ian Rowan, Senior Channel Manager at Wildix UK. He argues that in reality, SIP isn’t much of an upgrade from ISDN.
“Some of the restrictions have gone but you’re still committed to that same SIP provider in one country,” he says. “It has the same limitations of capacity, provides the same functionality – all you’re doing is replacing the transport mechanism. That’s like having a horse and cart and when the horse gets old, replacing it with a new horse, rather than a car.”
Rowan also argues that SIP providers traditionally only support a limited number of countries. As an alternative, Wildix has introduced CLASSOUND, a built-in voice service available out of the box in its own system. The cloud-based platform is especially useful for companies with international offices as they can connect them all using the same operator. Additionally, it is pitched at companies with global customers and partners and simply need to place and receive international calls.
“We are an international carrier network that provides connectivity for voice straight into your system,” says Rowan. “We can get you numbers in 135 different countries around the world. We can do geographic and non-geographic in those regions, so if you need a free phone number in Australia or in Dubai, we could provide that service.”
Another big advantage over SIP, says Rowan, is that customers aren’t restricted to a set number of minutes provided for limited countries. “If I get a SIP connection, I could get 5000 minutes to call a landline and 2000 minutes to call UK mobiles within a bundle. We don’t limit it to country; we give you 3000 minutes per user to phone anywhere in Europe, the USA, and Australia. So that’s cost effective, especially for an international company.”
Wildix also provides instant pricing for 91 of those 135 countries and doesn’t charge importing costs.
SIP Vulnerabilities
CLASSOUND is also fully encrypted end-to-end, which Wildix believes provides much greater security than the standard SIP offered by some providers – a significant selling point in the current heightened cyber threat landscape.
“SIP as a standard is very insecure. I could plug in a laptop on anybody’s network or router, use Wireshark and start listening to those conversations,” says Rowan. “Our communication is completely encrypted, end-to-end, so there’s no possibility for somebody to eavesdrop on your phone call or exploit weak spots for fraud. There is no breakpoint in our services so it is unhackable.”
Rowan also cites Wildix’s 100 percent commitment to the channel, and that it doesn’t provide any opportunity for direct sales with public pricing. “We give you a lot more flexibility, it’s all supported from a single vendor – you’re not going to go through distributors and we’re not selling against you,” he said. The system also avoids customers needing to have separate, direct relationships with any international providers. UC Today recently reviewed the Wildix offering and platform.
Ultimately, says Rowan:
“ISDN will be switched off by 2025 and by moving to SIP, all you’re doing is delaying the inevitable. One day traditional SIP services will be replaced because they are based on an old network design but just with a new transport mechanism”
