8x8 jumps into SIP Trunking

8x8 has added SIP trunking with a legacy twist to their business services.

Packet8 Virtual Trunking is a broadband agnostic (i.e. will run on any vendor's broadband connection) SIP trunking solution. The legacy twist comes in with an IAD appliance at the customer site by a professional installer to handle bridging between a business's existing PSTN network and the SIP trunk. Virtual Trunking provides dial tone along with local, long distance and internal call routing services from the Packet8 VoIP network to the existing equipment. Features include E911 support, caller ID, CNAM, national directly listing and online billing and account management.

From a marketing perspective, 8x8 is also offering a hybrid solution. Service providers have focused on offering SIP trunking as a value-added feature to broadband connections while Microsoft has added SIP trunking support as a feature to its SMB IP PBX solution. Will the appeal of lower phone bills without having to rush to a capital-intensive migration to IP phones prove appealing?  Will potential customers stick to one-stop/one-bill shopping rather than mixing broadband pipes and virtual value-added services?

In a conversation with FierceVoIP, an 8x8 executive said the company is sufficiently comfortable with the quality of broadband services that there shouldn't be a concerns over quality of service delivery.  VP of Marketing Hue Rees said most potential problems emerge around the initial service installation, a reason why the company has built up a channel of telecommunications resellers to install the IAD and service on site; this won't be a plug-and-play offering.

For more:
- 8x8 announces Virtual Trunking Service

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