What is SIP telephony and what does it give a business? Login, password and channels in plain words
Sado AI team · · 5 min read
In short
SIP is the common language of telephony for making and receiving calls over the internet. Your provider gives your number a SIP account: a login, a password and a server address. With those details the number works on a desk IP phone, a computer app, an office mini-PBX or an AI operator. The number stays the same and customers call as before. The number of channels decides how many calls run at once. SIP ties your number to the internet, not to a wire in the office.
What SIP is: compare it with email
Think of email: you have an address, messages arrive at a server, and you read them on your phone or your computer. SIP works the same way, with calls instead of messages. Your number lives on your provider’s server. Any device or app connected to that server takes calls to the number and calls out from it.
SIP starts and ends the call: who is calling, whom, when it was answered. The voice itself travels over the internet in small packets. So call quality depends on the internet, and stability matters more than speed.
What your provider gives you
When a SIP number is opened, the provider hands over a few details. Guard them like the PIN of a bank card.
| Detail | What it is | Why you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Login | Often the number itself or a name the provider gives | The server knows it’s you |
| Password | Only for your account | Strangers can’t call from your number |
| Server address | The provider’s SIP server | The device knows where to connect |
| Number of channels | How many calls run at once | Calls aren’t lost in the busy hour |
Don’t post these details in a chat, a shared group or an open file. If the password leaks, ask your provider for a new one at once.
A channel is one call at a time
One SIP number can carry several calls at once, but the number of channels decides how many. With two channels, while two people are talking, a third customer can’t get through.
The sum is simple: calls in the busiest hour × average length (minutes) ÷ 60. For example, 30 calls an hour of 4 minutes each: 30 × 4 ÷ 60 = 2. That’s an average, and calls arrive in bunches, so add a reserve: 4 channels make sense for such a line. Outgoing calls use the same channels.
What connects to a SIP number
- IP phone: looks like an ordinary desk phone but plugs into the internet cable.
- Softphone: an app on a computer or smartphone, handy for staff working from home.
- Office mini-PBX: shares calls out to extensions.
- Cloud PBX: the same job without a box in the office, on the provider’s server.
- CRM telephony: the call opens together with the customer’s card.
- AI operator: answers the call itself and writes down the result.
How it differs from an ordinary line
- The number isn’t tied to a wire in one room: if the office moves, the number usually moves with you.
- Several calls at once on one number: you just add channels.
- Calls are easier to record, route and link to a CRM.
- Office IP phones depend on the internet: when it drops, they go quiet. Plan a backup connection or forwarding to a mobile in advance.
How an AI operator connects over SIP
Sado’s AI voice operator connects to the company’s current number over SIP: a city number or a mobile one, if the provider offers a SIP connection. For example, IP telephony numbers at Sarkor or UTeL already run on SIP. You get the connection details from your provider; Sado’s team does the connection and setup, no developer needed.
The call goes from the provider straight to the operator, not through your office internet. The operator answers in Uzbek or Russian, transfers to a staff member by your rule and makes outgoing calls from the same number. More: AI operator for incoming calls; step by step: connecting the AI operator to your number. Other connection questions: questions about Sado. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
What internet does SIP telephony need?
With IP phones or softphones in the office, you need a stable connection without drops; one conversation doesn’t need high speed. If the number is connected straight to the AI operator, the call doesn’t pass through your office internet.
Are SIP and IP telephony the same thing?
Nearly. IP telephony is the general name for calls over the internet; SIP is the most widely used language (protocol) for them. The service providers sell as “IP telephony” usually runs on SIP.
Can a mobile number be connected over SIP?
It depends on the provider: some don’t offer SIP for mobile numbers. Then incoming calls can be forwarded to a SIP number. Ask your provider or write to us and we’ll look at it together.