Virtual DIDs Definition and Pricing!
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Virtual DIDs Definition Continued.
Local DIDs have allowed PRI customers (businesses) to have many more local phone numbers than the actual number of phone lines they were paying for. As an example, a business that utilizes a local voice PRI for their telephone service has access to and is paying for 23 usable local voice lines. With local DIDs, for a few dollars more, this company could actually have 100, 200 or more local phone numbers that would be routed through their 23 voice lines. With local DIDs a company that has 100 employees, but only needs 23 voice lines to meet their needs, can actually give the appearance that each of the hundred employees actually have their own phone lines. In reality, each employee has their own local phone number but is sharing the 23 voice lines with the other 99 employees. Each of the 100 DIDs are coordinated through one of the 23 voice lines by a PBX. Of course this system will only facilitate 23 simultaneous calls. This scenario is common in the business world because industry averages for employees to be on the line at the same time is about 20%. With virtual DIDs, this concept can now be generalized to other geographic locations, including other countries. As an example, a company located in Seattle, that is utilizing SIP T1 voice service, can now have virtual DIDs (local phone numbers) in Dallas, Chicago, Miami, London and Paris. For each of these cities, the phone number being dialed will be local to that city, but will actually ring into the Seattle location. This scenario provides a least two major advantages. First, other than the approximate $25 monthly charge for each virtual DID, there is no per call charge to either the caller, or the receiver of the call. Second, if desired, the virtual DID in the example above, allows the company in Seattle to appear to have a local presence in Dallas, Chicago, Miami, London and Paris. To check SIP or PRI availability and pricing for your business location, please use the quoting tool at the top of this page. It is free, simple to use, real-time and there is no obligation. (Click here to return to top of page)
Is PRI the Right Choice for Your Company?
Writen by: Dennis Green
PRI (Primary Rate Interface) is an ISDN connection designed to be provided over T1 lines. In the United States, a PRI line consists of 24 (64 kbps each) DS0 channels. PRI T1 lines are commonly configured so that 23 channels serve as B (Bearer) channels and one as a D (delta) channel. Each B channel serves as a voice (telephone) channel. The D channel provides control and signaling information for the B channels. B channels can be used as independent channels to simultaneously provide a variety of services such as internet, voice, or imaging. They also have the flexibility to be bonded, as needed, to provide higher bandwidth for special needs such as video conferencing. A significant difference between PRI T1 and traditional integrated T1 is that T1s which are not PRI require a portion of each channel to be allocated for signaling functions. This results in a reduction in effectiveness, efficiency, potential and bandwidth for most functions of each channel of non-PRI T1. With T1 PRI, all signaling functions are provided by the 24th channel. This leaves each of the other 23 channels with a full 64 kbps, which can be fully dedicated to bearer functions. One D channel can provide signaling functions for several other PRI lines. It is not uncommon for two D channels (one as primary, one for backup) to provide the signaling functions for a span of as many as 20 PRI T1 lines. This frees the 24th channel of each of the other PRI lines so that they can be used as additional bearer channels. Because PRI lines serve as a direct connection to the telephone company’s central office, PRI is often the preferred choice of PBX customers. PRI T1 provides many advantages over traditional voice T1. These include: call by call service selection, more PBX users can be supported, caller ID, DID (direct inward dial) numbers, messaging, and video conferencing. Because of increased efficiency provided by PRI, companies which switch to PRI from traditional voice T1 often find that they not only receive a much greater variety of services but often do not need to pay for as many trunks as they needed prior to the change. PRI T1 is available in most major metropolitan areas, but is not available in most isolated rural areas. To assess availability and pricing for your location, use the tool at the top of this page or on our home page. This tool will provide real-time answers, it’s free, easy to use, and there is no obligation. (Click here to return to top of page)