What Does SIP Stand For?

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol

19:13 26 July 2017

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol and is often used in Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony to establish and control communication connections of several subscribers. It is an open standard protocol and is widely used worldwide.

 

To use SIP, subscribers require an SIP address, which is similar to an email address. Its first part is the subscriber’s username or the telephone number and the domain part specifies the SIP network being used.

 

When used in VoIP communications, SIP only controls the establishment and closing of the connection but not the transmission of the actual speech information, which is transmitted between subscribers using a different protocol. 

 

Key elements of the SIP system architecture are the User Agent, the Proxy Server and the Registrar Server. The User Agent can be a computer, telephone or mobile device that attempts to communicate via VOIP. The Registrar Server, on the other hand, is responsible for locating the subscriber while the Proxy Server sends request on behalf of the client. Other key elements of an SIP architecture are Redirect Server, Session Border Controller and Gateways.

 

SIP or Session Initiation Protocol is primarily used for setting up communications with an IP network. It is responsible for helping callers locate and connect to the person or organisation they want to reach regardless of their location and devices that they are using. Currently, SIP is the standard protocol when establishing, manipulating and terminating VoIP communication sessions.

 

SIP is most useful in the following scenarios:

 

·       Locate and connect all call participants, regardless if they switch locations

 

·       Establish communication sessions that involve various media types, including video, audio or collaborative multimedia

 

·       Manage calls that can be attended by more than two participants and allow them to hop in and out of the conversation