What is MMS? MMS is short for Multimedia Messaging Service, it’s a service that allows users to send multimedia content such as pictures, video files, and texts.
MMS vs SMS: What are the differences
If you have a cellphone, you must have used some multimedia applications. SMS (short message service) and MMS are often going hand in hand. They are both delivered over a cellular network; however, while SMS has a limit of 160 characters, MMS messages don’t have a limit. See more differences:
SMS contains text messages only; MMS contains videos, pictures, texts and other media files.
You can send one SMS message to multiple recipients separately, not in groups; MMS uses group messaging which delivers one message to a group of recipients
SMS & MMS both use cellular network: SMS texts are usually included in your plan; MMS messages use your mobile data
RingCentral currently supports both SMS and MMS services. They are automatically activated for RingCentral Office users. More service providers such as Nextiva and Vonage are releasing MMS support soon!
There are so many VoIP products on the market and many cool features and designs are being unnoticed! To help you discover them and make the best use of your VoIP devices, our team started a Did You Know Series to highlight some of the unique features you may be interested in. Let’s see if you know them all!
Fanvil’s X7A runs on Android 9.0 and allows you to use the Android apps that you and your employees are already familiar with! This high-end Android device brings HD Voice, built-in Bluetooth and WiFi and the ease of a touch-screen display.
Snom’s M85 Ruggedized DECT Handset can be used to send and receive alarms! The M85 sends different alarms in the event of an emergency and the alarms can be triggered manually or automatically!
Konftel’s CAM20 automatically adjusts to achieve a good picture in different light conditions, even challenging ones such as low light, direct sunlight and high contrast!
Konftel’s CC200 video conferencing camera splits the screen into two parts to display Android applications in meetings! The CC200 can accommodate up to 6 participants with a 4K camera sensor and 5x digital zoom.
Did you discover other cool features? We would love to hear from you!
VoIP Supply is excited to announce the new promotion of AJ Pircio as our new Engineering Manager! AJ will also be a member of VoIP Supply’s leadership team.
About AJ Pircio
AJ joined VoIP Supply’s engineering team about 5 years ago and has been the team leader of the department for several years. He has extraordinary accomplishments in the department over the years. His enthusiasm and dedication to the upcoming website upgrade project is admirable.
AJ started as a self-taught web developer that has been making websites since he was 13 years old in the days of Geocities. Since entering the field professionally in 2006, he has developed over 100 websites for various clients before deciding to join VoIP Supply. A father of four, AJ has knowledge of over a half dozen programming languages as well as knowledge of modern tools and technology that helps VoIP Supply stay on the forefront of security and functionality.
Congratulations AJ! We are excited to have you as our new engineering manager and looking forward to more success in the future!
VoIP Supply is excited to announce the new promotion of Mary Cheney as our new Marketing Manager!
About Mary Cheney
Mary joined VoIP Supply’s marketing team about 5 years ago as our marketing supervisor. Over the past couple of years, she has successfully implemented processes in the department of marketing. Her positive attitude and knowledge have contributed to increasing all of our KPI’s. Her dedication and commitment to VoIP Supply is seen by all of us.
Mary has always had a passion for learning and listening to people around her, and has been in the field of marketing for over 10 years. She enjoys developing ways to help customers find products and solutions, as well as working with the team at VoIP Supply to optimize internal processes and procedures. When Mary is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters and Great Dane Gus.
Congratulations, Mary! We are excited to have you continue leading our team and bringing more successes in the future!
Resellers – Time to review what’s new this month! In our VoIP Reseller Webinar this month, we talked about new products to consider, Fanvil’s white labeling options, new promotions and so much more. Let’s check out this quick recap:
Have you checked out these new VoIP products? If you haven’t, you are really missing out!
Fanvil X7A Android Phone: A high-end Android device that brings HD Voice, built-in Bluetooth and WiFi and the ease of a touch-screen display.
Grandstream’s UCM6300 – Coming Soon: Supports desktop (WebRTC), mobile (Wave app), SIP video conferencing endpoints, IP phones
Yealink T46U: Offers the same elegant appearance as the T4 line, but with improvements for greater interoperability and better collaboration
Fanvil’s White Labeling Options
Did you know that Fanvil offers flexible white labeling options to our partners? It’s available on the XU Series IP phones and the X210 and it only takes about one week after the artwork is approved!
X3U, X4U, X5U, X6U, X210
XU-N series use removable/replaceable PVC logo stickers/inserts
Free printing of custom sticker when ordering 200+
5 – 7 days after artwork is approved
New Fanvil Bundles Are Coming Soon!
Look out for the new Fanvil bundles available from October 1st, 2020! The old XU demo kit bundles will also be extended to March 21st, 2020:
Snom Trade-In Promotion
Lastly, don’t forget to check out the Snom Trade-In promotion! Experience the latest technology from Snom. Replace old desk phones and take advantage of Snom’s trade-in rebates. Rebate amounts valid from July 15, 2020 through July 15, 2021 when you replace 5 or more phones.
Questions? Contact one of our VoIP experts at 1-800-398-8647 to learn more!
Note: This article was originally written by Garrett Smith in 2006 and edited by Ying-Hui (Evy) Chen on September 25th, 2020.
One of the biggest “buzz” words in the industry is SIP Trunking. For those of you who are not yet familiar with SIP Trunking, now is your chance to get some insights!
SIP Trunking is based on SIP. SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. SIP is an application-layer control (signaling) protocol for creating, modifying, and terminating sessions with one or more participants. It is widely used as the signaling protocol for VoIP calling and is widely thought of as the standard for VoIP calling.
Typically, a company’s VoIP calls will involve a circuit switched handoff to the PSTN outside of the company’s local area network. With SIP Trunking, the company’s VoIP Service Provider handoff’s calls via the Service Providers SIP Network. Calls that are going to the PSTN will routed over the Service Providers IP backbone to the nearest PSTN gateway.
For the truly non-technical, a SIP Trunk is similar to a phone-line, except that a SIP Trunk utilizes the IP network, not the PSTN. SIP Trunking also allows for convergence of voice and data onto common all-IP connections.
The Top 9 Benefits of SIP Trunking
So why should you be using SIP Trunking? Here are 9 Benefits of SIP Trunking that help answer that question.
Reduce Hardware Cost: SIP Trunking reduces or eliminates the costs associated with the purchase of hardware media gateways.
Reduce Maintenance Costs: SIP Trunking also reduces or eliminates the costs associated with the ongoing support and maintenance costs of hardware media gateways.
Reduce Recurring Costs: SIP Trunking reduces the recurring costs of separate PSTN and data circuits (some dedicated to voice, some to data).
SIP Trunking eliminates the over-subscription of voice channels based on business requirements.
Support Multimedia Communication: SIP Trunking supports multiple forms of communication including video and instant messaging allowing for greater levels of user presence.
Utilize Direct Inward Dials (DIDs): SIP Trunking utilizes DID’s (Direct Inward Dials) that allows each employee to have their own phone line. This increases the flexibility and implementation of call control and dial plans.
Improve Call Quality: SIP Trunking improves the call quality of voice based IP communications because each SIP Trunk is a dedicated “channel.”
Reduce Long-Distance Fees: SIP Trunking reduces toll charges from SIP origination/termination services to the PSTN for external long-distance and local access calls.
Increase Flexibility: SIP Trunking allows for the selection of a single SIP Trunk which increases the flexibility and ease of adding, subtracting, or changing a line.
SIP Trunking is a unique product that delivers great benefits to small and medium businesses. As one of the hottest new products in the VoIP industry, there will soon be an increase in SIP Trunking offerings from a number of different providers.
In addition to the 9 benefits of SIP Trunking listed above, make sure that prior to making any business communication decisions on SIP Trunking, you fully consult with your service provider of choice about the implications of this decision on your business.
Snom’s DECT phone solutions are designed for a wide variety of verticals including manufacturing, warehouses, healthcare, education, restaurants, and more. In this month’s webinar, we focused on Snom’s DECT solutions for restaurants and retail. Let’s do a quick recap!
For restaurants, the D7 Series IP phones are a great fit for hostess, management, and take out/delivery line; for retail, the D7 Series is also good for checkout counters and flexible positions.
The D7 Series includes the D717, D735, and D785 with a WiFi dongle for wireless communications.
The M100 DECT solution is ideal for mobile employees/hostess kiosk, take out/delivery lines and small retail shops. The M100 highlights its Key Line Emulation benefits:
4 Backlit LED line keys
Allow users to manage multiple calls
Blinking lights show who is on hold for easy call pickup
Before you leave, don’t forget to take advantage of the Sno trade-in promotion! From now through July 15th, 2021, trade in your minimum of 5 qualifying Snom/VTech Phones or other competitor’s phones to receive rebates! Call one of our VoIP consultants at 1-800-398-8647 to claim your rebates.
What’s new this month? As more businesses transition to remote working environments, personal collaboration and communication security have become the focus. This brings us to September’s big highlights, Grandstream’s GUV Series and Ribbon’s EdgeMarc 6000 SBCs. Let’s dive in!
Grandstream’s GUV Series
You can’t miss out on Grandstream’s latest addition, the GUV Series. This series focuses on personal collaboration and includes two headsets and a USB-based web camera. The GUV Series is designed to work with major UC platforms such as Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Grandstream’s IPVideoTalk, GS Wave Desktop, and more!
The GUV Series also supports Grandtream’s GXP IP Phones, GRP Series of Carrier-Grade IP Phones, the GXV Series of IP video phones. Learn more details here!
USB 2.0 port for plug-and-play connections
Supports 1080p Full HD Video at 30fps
Compatible with all major third-party platforms, apps and softphones
Ribbon EdgeMarc 6000 Series Session Border Controllers (SBCs)
The next new hardware we are excited to introduce is the EdgeMarc 6000 Series SBCs. These session border controllers are ideal for cloud communications. It can easily connect to several digital and analog legacy systems.
Better yet, the EdgeMarc 6000 Series grows with your business! It can be scaled up to 300 concurrent sessions and allow users to run several virtual network functions (VNFs).
300 concurrent session capacity
Controlled through the EdgeView Service Control Center
Were you using Skype for Business? Since July 31st, 2021, Microsoft has moved their Skype for Business Online customers over to Microsoft Teams. Let’s see what options you have for upgrading from Skype for Business Online to the Teams:
Four Options of Microsoft Teams – One is Free!
There are four options of Microsoft Teams including one free version. Each plan has varying costs.
The free version of Teams includes the basic functionalities without advanced features such as administration features and support.
VoIP Service Providers with Microsoft Teams Integration
VoIP Supply works with multiple service providers and most of them have great integrations with Microsoft Teams. Here are some options:
Sangoma Switchvox for Teams enables Click-to-Dial feature directly from Microsoft Teams. Simply click a contact’s phone number or extension and make the outbound call through your main Switchvox phone extension.
Broadvoice B-Hive and Microsoft Teams work seamlessly with Microsoft Teams to bridge the gaps for remote work. These two platforms work together to provide you with great collaboration features and access to advanced calling features such as auto attendant, call routing, CRM integration, workflows, and more. Broadvoice also provide SMS/MMS texting services for your team to stay connected at all times. Read this article to learn more!
Nextiva and Microsoft Teams fuse together to empower your business. Streamlined operations and extended flexibility to reach out to more contacts are just a few of the benefits you can take advantage of.
RingCentral for Microsoft Teams: Use Teams on the web or through the Teams desktop app with RingCentral Microsoft Teams. Users can make RingCentral voice calls, send SMS and initiate video meetings within Teams interface. You will also be able to make outbound calls, schedule meetings, and host meetings without leaving Teams.
Give our VoIP experts a call at 1-800-398-8647 today to learn more about Teams integration.
SMS, also called texts, stands for short message service. It’s a messaging service that can contain up to 160 characters.
Why SMS? Some businesses rely on the SMS service for marketing campaigns and/or business notifications such as sales reminders, promotions/special pricing alerts or emergency alerts, important notification messages, and more. As more businesses are transitioning from traditional analog lines to VoIP, the demand for texting (SMS) through VoIP also increased.
Can You Text (SMS) Through VoIP?
Great news – Yes, it can be done through VoIP! SMS through VOIP allows users to send texts through an Internet connection. In order words, you are able to send text messages to cellphones from your VoIP devices.
By texting/SMS through VoIP, your business can reach out to a broader customer base at once and save more money. While most VoIP service providers charge a fee for SMS messaging service, it’s generally much cheaper than a traditional cellphone plan. See below for a quick list of some of our popular service providers that support SMS:
Which VoIP Providers Support Texting/SMS Service?
VoIP Supply works with multiple VoIP service providers that support SMS texting service. We will work with you to find you the best solution for you. Here’s a quick look at some of our popular options:
Sangoma SIPStation provides SIP Trunk service. Customers can sign up for SIPStation service with SMS-capable numbers and SMS metered service.
Users also have the option to use their existing phone numbers for SMS. If you are using Switchvox, you can set up Switchvox with a SIPStation VoIP provider and a Switchvox SIP Phone extension to use an SMS DID. Learn more here.
Nextiva support sending and receiving SMS service. Users need to activate Nextiva business numbers for texting (SMS), create a new contact for each SMS recipient, and format the phone number to Nextiva specifications. Learn more here.
Broadvoice empowers teamwork anywhere from any device. Its service allows users to send and receive SMS text messages to any number directly through B-Hive Communicator within your desktop.
Broadvoice Communicator also includes a beta version of video calling! This feature is perfect for small team communication, allowing group chats to move to video with one simple click. The best part? No download is necessary! Learn more here.
Not sure which provider is ideal for your business? Give one of our VoIP experts a call at 1-800-398-8647 today! We will be happy to give you a free consultation with multiple quotes!
