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What is SIP?

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is the IETF signaling protocol for presence, messaging, VoIP, audio/video conferencing and events notification that is becoming for person-to-person IP-communications what HTTP is for the Web. SIP initiates call setup, routing, authentication and other feature messages to endpoints within an IP domain. Most importantly, the SIP protocol allows for users of different service providers to communicate with each other. Using SIP, IP telephony becomes as easy to use as any other Web application and integrates easily into other Internet services.

SIP has been widely adopted by a number of the industry’s leading providers, including Microsoft®, AOL, WorldCom, CommWorks, Cisco Systems and Yahoo!. Industry analysts predict that SIP will become the standard protocol no later than 2004.

SIP is coming, and bringing with it the ability for users of instant messaging, presence, conferencing, and other realtime communications functions to find and communicate with users of any SIP-based provider around the world.

"Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) management across firewalls integrates many forms of communications with data and processes safely across corporate and consumer boundaries. This opens a huge opportunity for integrated instant messaging and VOIP services to be brought to the mainstream and mission-critical environments."

Dana Gardner
Research Director, Messaging and Collaboration Services
Aberdeen Group, Inc.

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