SIP trunk pricing guide for small businesses

The price of SIP trunking for a business will comprise several contributing costs, such as an installation fee (£300-£700), a monthly rental fee (£50-150), channel cost (£3-£150), and call charges (variable).

It will also depend on different factors specific to the business, like how many users it has to cater for, how much bandwidth you need, and how many locations the system will be used in.

Either way SIP trunking is an effective way to cut call costs for your business. But the important question is, which providers will offer the best value for money in offering this service? We’re here to help you get that answer.

We’ve put together this pricing guide, to help you budget for the cost of setting up a SIP trunk system for your small business. This includes set-up costs, installation fees, and call charges.

Average SIP trunk costs for small UK businesses

Below is a summary of the average costs involved when setting up a SIP trunking telephone system for your small business.

SIP Trunking Costs:

Pricing is correct as of 17th August 2021

The table below outlines the cost components of SIP trunking in further detail and gives an indication of what you could expect to pay.

These are approximate figures, as the exact amount will depend on your specific business requirements.

They are based on data from Spitfire, and other established SIP providers, to give you an idea about the average SIP trunk costs in the UK.

Pricing is correct as of 17th August 2021

What influences call charges?

The price you pay per call is comprised of several elements, such as:

• Line charges (but remember SIP trunking doesn’t use phone lines)
• Per-minute call fees
• System maintenance
• Type of numbers called e.g. landline, mobile, international

What other SIP trunk costs should you consider?

In addition to the standard elements of SIP trunking, there are some other features and functions that you might wish to incorporate into your business phone system, which may incur extra charges. These include:

• Disaster recovery plans – are they included, or do you have to pay extra? These are usually available as part of the package, but the options (and therefore the costs) may vary depending on the complexity of your company’s requirements.
• Fraud services – these are either available as part of the package or as an add-on feature. You should have some level of fraud protection so that you’re covered against fraudulent calls made from your system or account, such as expensive international calls.
• Integrated communications – if you wish to use SIP trunking to unify your communications across your business (e.g. phone, messaging, email), this is likely to require extra expenditure.

On-premises vs hosted SIP trunking

You’re likely to come across these terms when reviewing SIP trunking options for your business. But what do they mean, and what are the cost implications?

While both options are available, most small businesses are likely to opt for hosted SIP trunking.

This is because it’s easier, cheaper and requires less space.

SIP trunk pricing factors

While we can’t in this article give you an exact figure of how much SIP trunking will cost your business (although our comparison tool can), we can suggest you think about the following questions when calculating SIP trunk costs.

• How much bandwidth do you have/need to run your phone system?
• How many users does the system need to cater for?
• How many locations will it be used in?
• Do you already have an IP PBX, or will you need to rent/buy a gateway to use SIP trunking?
• Are your business’ phone handsets compatible with IP and SIP?
• How much customer support and technical assistance will you require?

Now, let’s take a closer look into the different factors that can affect SIP trunk pricing that you should consider when creating your budget:

• Plan prices – you’ll need to decide between a metered (pay per minute) or channel-based (pay per channel) package.
• Set-up fees – sometimes this is offered for free, although it’s also possible that you’ll need to account for a one-off fee to get started.
• Geographic area – whether you need to make and receive calls to mobiles, as well as national or international phone numbers, will affect the price you pay.
• Scaling channels – if you need to add or remove channels, there’s likely to be a charge for this, so be sure to factor this in when working out your SIP trunk costs.
• Additional elements – special numbers (such as those used for emergency or freephone calls), and number porting (to transfer current numbers) are some examples of services that may be charged in addition to the standard plan price.
• Reporting – some providers may be able to offer you reporting analysis to examine how much bandwidth your system uses, granting you opportunities to make further gains. Check if this service is free, or if it incurs an additional charge.
• Hardware costs – if you do need to purchase hardware (such as new handsets/phones) to work with SIP trunking, consider the amount of time needed to pay this off versus the monthly charges you’ll need to account for too.

Note that SIP trunking relies on a strong internet connection, so be sure to factor this into your costs. Read our page on the best broadband for small businesses for more inspiration.

Next steps: Comparing SIP trunking quotes quickly and easily

You now will feel more confident about SIP trunk pricing and related costs, including how much it’s likely to cost you to actually set up SIP trunking for your small business.

The next step is to pick the right provider, and it’s vital you find a system that matches your business requirements and offers great value in the process.

By using our comparison tool, you’ll be guaranteed a selection of reliable quotes from some of the UK’s top SIP trunk providers. From there you can compare them easily, receive additional information, and make a decision that’s best for you and your business. It’s simple, just fill out the form to receive personalised quotes and you’ll be on your way.