The Ins and Outs of PRI!

A PRI or Primary Rate Interface system is the standard for providing telecommunication services to offices. It is based on the T-carrier (T1) line in the US, and the E-carrier (E1) line in Europe. PRI can digitally access each employee through a centralized office. It provides a number of channels to control data for primarily medium sized businesses to large sized businesses. The 23 B-channels can be used flexibly and reassigned to meet special needs such as video conferences. The Primary Rate user is hooked up directly to the telephone company central office. Depending on the location of your business, the number of channels used could potentially vary along with the rate of transmission. Some of the benefits of a PRI system include the following:

• Eliminates the need for someone to manage each employees incoming calls
• Quick activation for additional phone lines, numbers, channels and extensions
• Increased productivity for employees
• Cuts costs of installing additional phone lines
• For each PRI line, your provider would provide more around 100-500 numbers which can be used by outsiders to call the extension directly, instead of having to got through a receptionist
• Comes with the caller id feature! Since all the extensions have their own number, the number will be displayed in the phones that they are calling to

PRI systems have the ability to run 23 (or 30) channels at the same time with one phone line. Making communicating through data and voice as well as video conferencing less complex for your company, while cutting costs at the same time. Having the ability to handle data and voice at the same time can costs drastically for a company and allows growth within the business. For medium sized companies a PRI system could greatly benefit you for your telecommunication needs that involve a system that doesn’t require a separate line for each employee.