SIP Trunk Availability: It's Not Just Us

I'll have some longer, more in-depth posts on some cool stuff I heard today at Interop, but for now I've got time for just this quick observation, from Al Baker, VP at Siemens, on the subject of SIP trunk availability.

I'll have some longer, more in-depth posts on some cool stuff I heard today at Interop, but for now I've got time for just this quick observation, from Al Baker, VP at Siemens, on the subject of SIP trunk availability.This has been a bit of a sore point with enterprises, who report frustration that availability hasn't been as widespread as they'd like. In a conversation with Verizon, their representative assured me that they've got nationwide availability.

But Al Baker, speaking on Allan Sulkin's panel this morning on IPT Architectures, had this to say in response to an audience question:

"We're a little bit, let's say, disappointed with the speed the carriers are moving" in making SIP trunks available. Al went on to say that while there is the challenge of standards-based interoperability for SIP trunking--which has generated the SIP Forum's SIPConnect effort at resolution--he does believe that the slow rollout of SIP trunk availability has something to do with "protecting their current revenue base," i.e., PRIs.

Just one man's opinion.