4G LTE Access to SIP Trunks: Verizon Says 'Why Not?'4G LTE Access to SIP Trunks: Verizon Says 'Why Not?'

Verizon now supports LTE access to its private IP network, giving an inexpensive and efficient option to enterprises that need quick or temporary connectivity.

SIP trunking and 4G LTE wireless services haven't been two things that go together... but now they are thanks to a capability Verizon introduced today as part of its continued effort to chip away at the divide between the wired and the unwired networks.

With the capability, Verizon is enabling enterprises to access its Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network via 4G LTE connections. It sees myriad use cases, from the retailer wanting to open pop-up locations on the fly, to the big bank wanting to add in resiliency at its local branches. All it takes to tie such locations onto an IP network is adding an LTE SIM card in a router, Tom Dalrymple, director, IP Communications, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, told me in a phone briefing.

The ability to support quality of service for voice calls as they traverse the wireless network and then connect into Verizon's private IP network is the key, Dalrymple said. "We've reserved a piece of the bandwidth for QoS, and prioritized voice calls -- and this is all business-quality voice. We have QoS in place over the entire network, right from the SIM card to the [cell] tower into our MPLS network and back the whole way."

From the MPLS network, which is private and secure, calls can stay on-net over VoIP trunks, flow out to wireless connections, or traverse the public switched telephone network "to grandma's house," Dalrymple said. "It's as simple as that."

And it's cost effective, too, since companies will not need dedicated facilities. LTE cards allow a much cheaper -- as much as 50% in some cases -- activation, he said.

As mentioned, the ability to support LTE access to SIP trunks is the latest in Verizon's gambit to create seamlessness between the wireline and wireless worlds. Earlier initiatives include last year's August launch of Verizon Wireless Connect VoIP and the December announcement of UCCaaS Mobile First. Wireless Connect VoIP supports on-net calling between Verizon VoIP and mobile users -- i.e., no long-distance charges incurred -- while UCCaaS Mobile First lets UCCaaS users place high-quality voice and video calls from their Verizon Wireless smartphones and tablets.

The LTE access to Verizon SIP trunking is available immediately in the U.S.

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