Businesses have been transitioning from on-premises telecommunications to cloud deployments in recent years. These online platforms running on SIP technology offer more flexibility and scalability over traditional business-grade telephony. 

One consequence of this change is the rise of Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC). While companies have always chosen their own carriers, outsourcing telecommunications to a service provider sometimes means locking yourself into the provider’s carrier. BYOC offers extra flexibility for businesses moving to cloud communications. 

How does Bring Your Own Carrier work? 

Communications service providers sometimes allow users to choose their own carriers or SIP trunking providers and add them to an overall phone system. The client business can select a carrier that fits its own contact center platform without being locked into a vendor. 

Some BYOC programs are configurable to support either inbound calls only or both inbound and outbound calling. If you’ve ever used ​​Microsoft Teams​’​ Direct Routing feature, you’re familiar with BYOC. 

The problem with all-in-one solutions 

Communications platforms that don’t offer BYOC are essentially all-in-one packages for business telecom services. While this approach has been popular in the past, the rise of cloud communications has created more cost-effective options. 

For instance, you might be paying a higher bundled cost compared to choosing your own carrier. If the carrier has poor coverage or dropped calls, it can impact your company’s reputation. It can even be a compliance problem when it comes to emergency calls. 

What are the benefits of BYOC? 

If your business ever receives an offer to bundle a carrier and the communications platform together, there are many reasons why you’d want your own carrier: 

• Cost-effectiveness: You might find a better price elsewhere, or the bundled-in carrier might not have the coverage or features your organization needs. 

• Flexibility: BYOC gives you more control over your telephony. Client businesses can set up their own port numbers or SIP trunks. They can also negotiate with their chosen carriers directly and keep their existing phone numbers through number porting. 

• Simplicity: Working with your carrier separately is less complicated. Instead of going through your communications service provider with a support ticket, you can talk to your carrier directly if you run into any issues. 

• Quality control: Rather than relying on your service provider, you can do your own research and find a carrier that meets your needs. 

• Momentum: If you’ve been working with a carrier for a while, the migration to a BYOC service provider is much easier when you can stick with an existing carrier. Plus, you won’t have to pay a pre-termination fee if you’re still in a contract. 

Combining the power of UCaaS and BYOC results in a robust and reliable telephony network. BYOC makes the most sense for companies with specific communication needs or those transitioning their systems to the cloud. 

Since not all companies can shift their communications at the same rate, BYOC gives you peace of mind by making the change smoother. 

Hooking up BYOC with SIP trunking 

Before you take advantage of BYOC, start by checking whether your carrier can send and receive SIP traffic to and from your VoIP communications platform. Companies switching from traditional telephony will need SIP trunking to start making calls through an Internet connection. 

This transition process does not require additional hardware, as trunks are compatible with pre-existing private branch exchange (PBX) networks. 

Companies can also turn to a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution for additional functionalities like call recording or conferencing. 

How does Sinch support BYOC? 

Sinch provides high quality local, long distance and toll-free calling over SIP trunking as well as a Unified Communications platform for calling and conferencing tools.