SIP Trunking for Dummies – SIP Trunk Pricing

SIP Trunk Pricing

Your SIP Trunking costs will vary depending on your needs, but typically you can expect set up costs to range from $0 – $150 (one time) and monthly costs range from $25 – $50 per trunk. 

Read on for a detailed breakdown of up-front and monthly pricing for SIP Trunk phone systems. 

Up-Front SIP Trunking Costs

Set Up Fees

Set-up fees  can vary by SIP Trunking provider. Some providers charge a setup fee while others recover  their setup costs over time by charging higher monthly  fees.  If the provider charges a set up fee, expect fees in the range of $50 to $250.

411 Directory Listing

When you set up your phone numbers, you’re required by law to notify all the phone directory services of the change. This is to ensure your white and yellow page information is accurate. Your provider should charge between $10 and $50.

Local Number Portability

If you wish to keep you old phone numbers, there you move to your new SIP trunking provider.  Charges per number moved are from $12 to $25.  Moving over a large number of DID numbers is a substantial up-front cost.  Some vendors will negotiate a lower cost per number for large quantities.

New DIDs

If you want to establish new DID (direct inward dial) service so everyone in your office has their own telephone, there is a one-time cost to create those numbers.  The typical cost is between .25 to $1.00 per number.

PBX Configuration

The cost for implementing SIP trunking on your PBX has a very wide range.  SIP trunking on a traditional legacy PBX (Nortel, Avaya, NEC, Mitel, etc.) might be prohibitive, as you’ll need to purchase a gateway that converts SIP to PRI.  If you have a newer IP PBX such as a Shoretel or Cisco, your cost will be the price of a SIP card or license and installation.  

IMPORTANT: If you already own a PBX that natively supports SIP, the cost to convert will be minimal.  It will be easy work for you or your vendor.

Learn more about which PBX is right for you.

Ongoing Monthly SIP Trunking Costs

SIP Trunk Groups 

The more SIP Trunk groups you have, the more call capacity you have. So depending on your call volume you may have one to many SIP Trunk Groups. Providers typically charge $10 to $50 per month for each account. Some providers bundle it into the monthly call path costs.

Call Paths

A call path is used for each phone call connected to the outside world. You’ll need as many call paths as you require concurrent phone calls. SIP trunk providers offer call paths in two varieties:

  • Unlimited Usage:  These paths cost more but include unlimited domestic inbound and outbound calls.  The range is from $30 to $49 per path per month

  • Metered  Call Path:  On a metered call path you pay for your phone calls on a per minute basis, much as you did with your old phone service. The monthly cost per path ranges from free to $15 per month.  The cost per minute is in the range of two cents to four cents per minute.

International Calls

Obviously, rates for international calls are different for each country. But typically, SIP trunk providers charge 10% to 30% less than a traditional carrier. 

Toll-Free Numbers

Providers charge monthly for each toll-free number you have. Prices range from $1 to $5 per number per month.

Toll-Free Usage

As a SIP trunk customer, you will be charged for toll-free usage. Rates range from 2-4 cents per minute typically.

911 Service

Expect to pay about $2 per month for 911 service, plus a fee for each 911 call. 

411 Service

Typical “information” 411 service is priced by the call. Prices range from $1 to $3.50 per call.

Surcharges, Taxes and Fees

You can’t avoid these surcharges, taxes and fees, even with SIP Trunking service. But you can reduce them significantly with SIP trunking systems because they’re based on your monthly costs. Lower monthly charges mean fewer surcharges, taxes and fees. 

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