About VoiceConnect PSTN SIP trunks

Integrating VoiceConnect (PSTN)
Last updated April 7, 2021

Integration with a PSTN SIP trunk, known as StarLeaf VoiceConnect, provides calling to and from the global telephone network for your organization. In this topic:

About VoiceConnect

Integration with a PSTN SIP trunk, known as StarLeaf VoiceConnect, provides calling to and from the global telephone network for your organization. This gives your organization:

  • Direct-dial numbers for inbound and outbound calling for StarLeaf room systems
  • Direct-dial numbers for individual StarLeaf users, for inbound and outbound calling
  • Direct-dial numbers for hunt groups in your organization
  • Telephone numbers that can be set as the caller ID for outbound calls (and these can be set as a site/organization default or per user/room system)
  • The ability to choose a specific SIP trunk for outbound PSTN calls on a per site basis

Direct-dial numbers are also known as DID (Direct Inward Dialing) in the US and DDI (Direct Dial-In) in Europe and elsewhere.

About SIP trunk providers

You will use a SIP trunk provider to connect your StarLeaf organization to the PSTN. StarLeaf supports SIP trunk providers across the globe. The StarLeaf Portal provides pre-configured templates for each supported provider making it simple to configure.

Go here for a list of StarLeaf approved SIP trunk providers.

You will need to choose a SIP trunk provider and set up an account with that provider before configuring your StarLeaf organization with the details of that provider and your account.

An external SIP trunk can only be configured with a single SIP trunk added in the StarLeaf Portal. Entering the same Gateway and Extension authentication of an external SIP trunk to multiple SIP trunks in the StarLeaf Portal, will cause the configuration to fail.

If you want to have multiple SIP trunks configured to a single SIP trunk provider, you must purchase more SIP trunks from that external provider.

When you configure a PSTN SIP trunk through the Portal, all users in your organization will be able to make PSTN calls from their StarLeaf account. If you have more than one PSTN trunk configured, you can control how a user’s calls are routed by the configuration of your sites and trunks. For more information, go to Sites.

Integrating PSTN SIP trunks with your StarLeaf organization

Before you configure any sites or PSTN SIP trunks in your StarLeaf organization, consider the following:

  • Is there more than one geographical location in your organization with different requirements?
  • Do you have or need hunt groups?
  • Do you have homeworkers calling to the PSTN?
  • Do all, or some users need a direct-dial number?
  • Do you want to enable StarLeaf room systems for telephone calling?

Example deployments

Example one

This deployment example is an organization that needs to provide PSTN connectivity to StarLeaf meeting rooms.

Every meeting room system is allocated with a direct-dial number. The above diagram shows a small organization with only one site and only one PSTN SIP trunk. This is a scalable solution which can be deployed across meeting rooms in multiple sites.

Portal configuration for example one

There is one site configured, the default site:

There is one trunk configured, the Xampleco trunk:

Xampleco have purchased five telephone numbers and assigned one to each of their five room systems:

Example two

Example two is a small organization with only one site and only one PSTN SIP trunk. There is a receptionist who has a direct-dial number. The receptionist receives all incoming calls from the PSTN to that direct-dial number and where necessary transfers calls to the relevant person, room system, or hunt group. All outgoing calls to the PSTN from all users will use the same trunk and will use the direct-dial number as the caller ID.

Portal configuration for example two

There is one site configured, the default site:

There is one trunk configured, the Xampleco trunk:

Xampleco have purchased one telephone number and this is assigned to Richard Cory (the receptionist):

The telephone number is also the Organization default which means that all outgoing calls (from every user and room system) will use this trunk and have this telephone number as the caller ID.

Example three

Example three is a medium-sized organization with a head office, warehouse, regional office, and some remote homeworkers.

Direct-dial numbers are allocated to the following:

  • The receptionist (Richard Cory) at the head office
  • The receptionist at the regional office
  • The hunt group
  • Two executives
  • One room system

Portal configuration for example three

There are two sites configured, the default site (UK) and Scarsdale (US):

There are two trunks configured (one for the UK and one for the US):

Xampleco have purchased five telephone numbers on the UK trunk and one for the US trunk.

The telephone number is also the Organization default which means that all outgoing calls (from every user and room system) will use this trunk and have this telephone number as the caller ID.

Outgoing calls from homeworkers will be routed to the trunk that is configured to be the Site default for the US site (the US PSTN SIP trunk in the example), with the caller ID for outgoing calls to be the receptionist’s number.

Outgoing calls from the warehouse will be routed to the trunk that is configured to be the Organization default (the UK trunk in the example), with the caller ID for outgoing calls to be the receptionist’s number.

Note that where a user or room system is not allocated with a direct dial number, any outgoing calls will be routed via the Site default if there is one, or the Organization default.

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